How a Chemist Makes the Softest Bread You'll Ever Eat

Want to make the fluffiest bread possible? Then you need the technique called starch gelatinization. Based on the Chinese tangzhong and Japanese yudane methods, this involves breaking down starch’s symmetry, pushing water between amylose and amylopectin molecules, and using high temperature to gelatinize the starch before making it into dough. But don’t just take our word for it, we made 3 loaves of bread to put the science to the test.
The recipe Alex followed is from the New York Times:
cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1...
You might also like other Reactions videos:
Better Pizza Through Chemistry: • Better Pizza Through C...
Why New York Has the Best Bagels: • Why New York Has the B...
The Ultimate Donut Battle: Cake vs. Yeast: • The Ultimate Donut Bat...
Better Pancakes Through Chemistry: • Better Pancakes Throug...
Credits:
Executive Producer:
Matthew Radcliff
Producers:
Elaine Seward
Andrew Sobey
Darren Weaver
Writer/Host:
Alex Dainis, Ph.D.
Scientific Consultants:
Leila Duman, Ph.D.
Diana Maricruz Pérez Santos, PhD
Brianne Raccor, Ph.D.
Yikai Ren, M.Sc.
David Seung, Ph.D.
Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez
Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing
Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell
Reactions is a production of the American Chemical Society.
© 2023 American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.
Sources:
The Guide to Tangzhong and Yudane:
• The Guide to Tangzhong...
Bulk and Surface Chemical Composition of Wheat Flour Particles of Different Sizes:
downloads.hindawi.com/journal...
Starch Definition:
www.biologyonline.com/diction...
Difference Between Amylose and Amylopectin:
byjus.com/biology/difference-...
Starch and Starch Granules:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/a...
The wonders of salivary amylase:
www.ebi.ac.uk/pdbe/news/wonde...
Effects of Cooking Temperatures and Starch Source on the Gelatinization and Thickening Power of Roux:
www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/1...
Bread staling:
www.greekchemistinthekitchen....
The Science Behind… scalded flour:
thebreadmaiden.com/2016/02/18...
Pane Grano Arso - Burnt Wheat Bread:
www.thefreshloaf.com/node/551...
How to make tangzhong:
www.theperfectloaf.com/guides...
Characterization of starch-water interactions and their effects on two key functional properties: starch gelatinization and retrogradation:
www.sciencedirect.com/science...

[@ACSReactions]

The thing about bread is that there are So. Many. Kinds. You've got yeasted breads. Sourdoughs. Flat breads. Steamed breads. Matzoh and lefse and chapati and focaccia and lavash and baguettes and naan... we could go on, and there's science in each of them! So leave us your favorite breads below and we just might do some digging into what makes them so delicious!

[@defeatSpace]

and then you have tarts...

[@philip6502]

Let's explore rye bread, please. Entertaining and educational video here. Thank you.

[@LivE-cs6cd]

Brioche, Brioche, Brioche! Please, please, please do brioche! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 This is the most challenging bread recipe for me. I’d adore you for explaining the science behind what adding butter does to make brioche so a-mazing. The guys explain how to make it, but I’m a curious kitten. I want to know exactly how & why. What is the alchemy behind this fantastic French/German bread revolution of “breaking” butter into the bread dough. 🤯🙏🏼💜

[@crystalheart8535]

Can you please do a video on role of both gluten powder and bread improver together in a tangzhong dough? Please 🙂

[@gnewman18]

You might want to try accounting for the extra moisture in the 12% bread in the main recipe. You may already have figured this out but extra time is not the answer (in my opinion) the dough hydration is the likely culprit. There are plenty of videos that will show you this. I very much apologize if I am breadsplaining to a real chemist. I just love to bake 😊

[@gregroberson220]

The chemistry I wanted to learn in college.

[@redstarchrille]

One has to do the basic Chemistry at a university, then understanding the chemistry of the kernel and plant fysiology, then understanding the diffrent properties of the flour compound. But no bakers know this, only thoes that select the right mix att milling plants, or hipsters :P, that want to buy raw grains and make their own flour.

[@popetom]

Stale bread just means it's time to look up a French toast recipe.

[@Petch85]

Well now it looks like I will be baking this weekend.

[@AlexDainisPhD]

YES. This is exactly the *reaction* I hoped for!

[@GeneShiau]

This episode reminds me so much of Alton Brown's Good Eats. Both were/are fabulous science delivered through mouth-watering cooking demo. ❤️

[@ACSReactions]

Such a high compliment! Glad you enjoyed!

[@many_lives4925]

Does she have a channel where she teaches chemistry? She's so good at explaining it and I'd love to learn from her teaching style rather than my current teacher 🙄

[@LivE-cs6cd]

I agree. Chemistry teaching channel please! That would be a huge help to homeschooling care givers. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@redstarchrille]

@@LivE-cs6cd One has to do the basic Chemistry at a university, then understanding the chemistry of the kernel and plant fysoilogy, then understanding the diffrent properties of the flour compound. But no bakers know this, only thoes that select the right mix att milling plants, or hipsters :P, that want to buy raw grains and make their own flour.

[@Ulthar_Cat]

Cooking is chemistry 💜

[@LivE-cs6cd]

For sure. It’s alchemy. A mix of art & science. Just magical. 💫

[@HolahkuTaigiTWFormosanDiplomat]

But cuisine are not science.

[@davidm7962]

I really enjoyed this video for the really engaging combination of interesting details and light-hearted presentation. Thank you!!

[@andytran7768]

SUCH an amazing video thank you SO much for this explanation!!

[@AmaleeWilson]

This channel is the absolute best

[@Ulthar_Cat]

I think I know what went wrong with the mutant bread XD I think you're supposed to measure everything for the common loaf beforehand and THEN take flour and liquid from the measured ingredients to make the tongzheng, not from outside the recipe. Law of preservation of matter, your breads will have the same ingredients going in 💜 no more slimy dough, no more raw droopy bread XD 💜💜💜

[@boringlyfactual6368]

First time viewer. Also a chemist. What a great project and great video. Fun, playful, interesting, and educational. Ya got a new fan. Thanks.

[@ehrenloudermilk1053]

She's so fun. I'm happy I found this channel

[@MANISH-ls6sw]

Excellent way to explain basic topic in simply.

[@satoshikazami6958]

This is very interesting! I was a baker a while back but this has really revived my love for bread! Very informative video with great jokes and (not to sound creepy) a beautiful host!

[@chrissquarefan86]

Thank you for this video! I'm using pre-cooked starches as egg replacer in baked goods (cakes, breads, even fancy stuff like eclairs) and they do make wonders! I notice that different pre-cooked starches have different characteristics. For example, pre-gelatinized potato starch maintains moisture and viscosity in baking for longer times, whereas pre-cooked corn starch bakes faster. I have to appreciate the use of the thermometer here because often times I found that if the starch is not fully gelatinized, the results are not as good.

[@Bradleyscience]

Your presentation was extremely well done and quite insightful. Chemistry can be fun! A fun thought for those tubers, they used to be poisonous. Cheers

[@Unassuming_Gay]

I rutinely make bread with a 25% yudane for whole cereal flours, it helps a ton to retain moisture

[@maulanailham998]

how long does the moisture retained?

[@BlackinVegas]

@@maulanailham998 too long...lol......i am trying to find a balance even now

[@tarawood-bradley2119]

Awesome educational video

[@marcs7847]

Can I give more than 1 thumbs up? This episode is AWESOME! I actually came back and watched again And Alex is Amazing! I hope she gets her own Food science show… I laughed and Learned… I love it!

[@RoseDragoness]

Thanks! ths is so cool!

[@Zeitgeist329]

Great channel.

[@sumdumbmick]

I make a bread that's so soft it can't even be made into a loaf, because if you tried to pick it up as a loaf it would bend. all I do is add yogurt and olive oil to the dough, and then bake it with steam. vary the ingredients slightly and you can get a ciabatta, focaccia or naan. it works nicely as the base for pizza, khachapuri, melonpan, doughnuts, waffles, etc.

[@HindiKids-ez3zg]

@ 9:15 her child-like joy to taste the bread (aka see the results of her experiment), a true scientist!

[@fycafyca3588]

Very interesting video. The sources in your description provide a link to a video that seems to be different from the content of this video, your content is more closely relate to their newer video on tangzhong, the one they were talking about tangzhong 1:5, I wonder if that new video is your actual source?

[@ErikratKhandnalie]

I kinda wanna see you redo the 12% bread and try to make it workable. Also, someone send this to Adam Ragusea.

[@AlexDainisPhD]

Honestly, I wish I'd had time to do it before this video came out, because I think I know how I could make it work and make it delicious. I'll definitely make a follow up when I can!

[@ErikratKhandnalie]

@@AlexDainisPhD yay! look forward to it

[@PovlKvols]

Great video, great presentation, excellent chemistry explanations, lovely timed jokes. I'd really like to see another with the 12% mixture and perhaps some measurable tests. Thank you for sharing!

[@CP-fe6jr]

If you cook a large spud in the microwave, then pass it through a ricer, add it to your dough (adjusting the other ingredients to suit), you get a very similar result. I'm now wondering what will happen if I combine both techniques together. I'll try it with my next batch of bread.

[@AntonioSaiz]

I was expecting your bread recipe in the sources

[@ACSReactions]

Oops, that should have been in the description and it's there now. Alex looked at a lot of recipes and videos, but the basic outline she followed was from the New York Times cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016275-japanese-milk-bread

[@AntonioSaiz]

@@ACSReactions Thanks a lot! :)

[@Coppertoe]

Thanks for a great explanation! I believe the flour & liquid are not supposed to simmer when making a tangzhong because of something to do with keeping the alpha-amylase enzymes and the beta-amylase enzymes intact "which can turn the dough to mush" somewhere after 74°C according to Peter Reinhart. I don't know if I explained it correctly... he talks about it on pg.71 of his book, "Whole Grain Breads." Try making your 12% loaf without boiling the tangzhong. Just heat the flour & liquid till thick, about 66-74°C.

[@Deepa0309]

I love the way u have made the video , keeps it from being monotonous.😊

[@Lydia-vg8pw]

bread lovers unite!!!

[@user-oh7tp3zk7x]

Thank you so much! This was really good. Can you tell me what the chemical equation would be for this reaction? Thank you!

[@SaltyChickenDip]

Cornstarch has leveled up my cooking .so my tasty sauce

[@I.____.....__...__]

15:07 Reheat dry bread in the microwave, _with a cup of water._ The water will evaporate and soften the bread better. (But it will still dry out fairly quickly, so do it right before use.)

[@isaacm1929]

You can also use a plate, and a circle of water.

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

I wonder if there's a connection between this and why my bread tastes and keeps better and has a more consistent crumb (assuming it rises at all) if I add overcooked lentil mush (!) to it. Lentils have starches, after all.

[@BRUXXUS]

I love this stuff so much! I've been perfecting my pizza dough recipe and process over the last 2-ish years, and it's real good, but now I'm wondering how it'd behave with some yudane in the dough. 🤔 I mean... I like the more chewy and substantial NY style crust, but might be interesting to see how it reacts under the much higher heat used for baking a pizza.

[@ACSReactions]

That's an interesting idea. Let us know how it goes if you give it a shot! In the meantime, did you see our Better Pizza Through Chemistry episode with Peter Reinhart? kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2STiqGre56pi8U

[@BRUXXUS]

@@ACSReactions Definitely! I try to watch all Reactions videos as soon as I can. :D I'll report back on this test next time I make some pizza. I'll split the dough so I can also have a control group. hehe.

[@kevinu.k.7042]

Great video... Lovely presentation and production. Just a fact correction. China learned to bake bread from European Jesuit Monks. Japan learned from French Bakers. They are very much the new commers to bread making. Japan really only started baking in the early 1900's. Both countries were taught flour scalding by their respective sources. Scalding flour in hot water for bread is well over 2000 years old in Europe. The French of course called it a Roux. Northern Europeans called it a 'Scald' in their various languages. The U.S. has 'rediscovered' this from the Chinese and Japanese. It's almost gone right around the globe. Though I am sure immigrants from Northern Europe would have brought this technique to the U.S. especially with their rye baking. A scald, Yudane, or Tangzhong doesn't have a huge effect until you get up to about 15% (measured by flour weight against the total flour weight in the recipe). A safe top figure would be 35%. However it is dependent on the glutenin quality and strength in the flour. The more gluten and the higher the quality of it, the more flour can be scalded and still be supported in the dough. My range is a safe 20% - 30%, the accepted range is 10% - 50% amongst Pro. and home Japanese bakers. But at under 15% the effect is very slight. I really don't know what you did to get that 12% Yudane result! Chuckling away here, in a friendly manner. We've all had our disasters. Finally, a properly used Scald *increases* the loaf volume a lot. Modern commodity wheat flour develops strong gluten which acts like elastic restricting the expansion of the dough. The gelatinised starch weakens this (as you said) and allows the loaf to expand more easily. I do hope you don't mind all of this input. It's not critical, or damming, you do excellent videos and it's a joy to see someone bringing the science out of hiding. . Thank you for a delightful video. 👍 Pst! - It's Yu-*Dah*- ne

[@davidhansson7041]

In Sweden were I come from sometimes rye flour is scalded. Boiling water I poured on the flour a couple hours or more and letting it swell before baking to make the bread softer and tastier. Now I know why that would be. Thanks!

[@MaxMcAdams]

good video

[@Deepa0309]

I love to cook with the chemistry 😊

[@ireallyreallyhategoogle]

Bread good

[@astroch]

What makes brioche soft then?

[@LivE-cs6cd]

I second that request. 😃

[@entropicallydriven]

Great video and clearly explained. Would’ve been nice to see scale bars on the micrographs but awesome visuals all around

[@markf2598]

I love you !

[@uisqebaugh]

I've always added cooked rice to my bread. The cooking of rice also creates gelatinized starch (which is why it is sticky).

[@trains4nothng]

if you lower the dough weight of your final shape you can get rid of the line of compressed dough at the bottom, thank you for the video it is very useful you should make a follow up video with oatmeal molasses bread, potatoes bread, tortillas and pate choux(please explain the mystery of why pasteurized eggs wont work for pate choux probably something to do with lecithin degradation but i am just guessing).

[@DogBehaviorGuy]

How does this interact with different types of flour (like Bread Flour vs AP vs Cake flour)?

[@my_granny]

ooh, nice! I wonder if you could replace some of the flour with straight up wheat gluten, to provide more structure. I don't know enough about baking to even guess at what amount, though.

[@ACSReactions]

Try it and let us know how it goes!

[@krisgerber7217]

Add the vital wheat gluten on a per-recipe basis and not to the entire bag of flour. The standard gluten/flour ratio is 1 tbsp. (15 ml) for every 2 to 3 cups (473 ml to 711 ml) of flour. [2] 2 Mix in the vital wheat gluten before you add the other dry ingredients. I used to do this for fresh whole wheat flour yeast bread and sometimes still do for sourdough

[@jamesonstalanthasyu]

Is the texture why they cut it so thick? Or is there some other historical reason?

[@TheBookDoctor]

Maybe this isn't a cooking channel, but I can't even tell you how much I would appreciate a cooking channel that delves deeply into the chemistry of the cooking *WITHOUT* (and I cannot stress this enough) dumbing down all the explanations. I'm so tired of that. I wish there was a cooking channel that was unabashedly targeted at science nerds and felt comfortable assuming a fairly high level of general science knowledge in its viewers.

[@ryancappo]

I wonder if using soft flour made in the south (White Lily) with less gluten will make a difference. Although the typical flour is called bread flour for a reason probably.

[@Chris-ut6eq]

you had me at chemistry! Now stuff my brain with starch!

[@Chris-ut6eq]

PS. My first attempt at this was a 25% precook and while just as sad looking, tasted great and the top half was excellent. Needed to bake it longer and it fell while cooling......sad bread.

[@lolam.9291]

I like structure and some firmness in my bread. But, that’s just me 😁.

[@andrewbarney5503]

If 12% is too much, what happens if we split the difference at 8 or 9%? You should scientifically discover what ratio is ideal.

[@nospamrsr]

If you investigate some of the health benefits of resistant starch, then you might change your mind again about how you use them in cooking and how you can create them with retrogradation. Maybe another video?

[@ScribblebytesWorldwide]

As a semiotician I find it curious that when I think of "regime" I think of China and then 2 seconds later you say "China". Awesome video, I live live love the indepthiness of the entire process. My buns are proofing and I wanted to see the details behind the process. You should pitch something for Curiosity Stream.

[@punkdigerati]

Fight you on the Mac and cheese: Sodium Citrate makes the very best Mac and cheese. You could make a whole video on the chemistry of casein as an emulsifier.

[@ACSReactions]

Oh--we have, but it's probably time for an update: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6ilomqDgr6Srqs

[@hardwareful]

In German, it's known as "Mehlkochstück" ( ~ "cooked flour piece")

[@TheIdentityThief]

Baking bread *breaking bad theme*

[@andrewbarney5503]

Also, please make this into a scientific cooking channel 😊

[@Svafne]

And the physicist would make it in a oven with a continuously decreasing pressure/atmosphere :p

[@LivE-cs6cd]

Oh I’d love to see that one. You should do it! After all, putting yourself out there in front of billions of people & so many trolls is so fun & easy. Please tag me when your physicist bread video is live! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🤣😂

[@XSpImmaLion]

I was curious about the way Japanese bakeries make bread and just watched a video last week or so showing the whole process for a specific bakery, but it turns out that for this bakery they not only don't seem to use yudane, they also don't use eggs... Still, it was a very interesting process to watch, here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m2GZpoGNeMdsb7M It's like part store and part industrial setting, with them having only bread to sell with a few variations on ingredients, which... is kinda unique. Most bakeries I've seen in Japan had like this overflow of different stuff to get. I also remember watching something about a Japanese bread machine that used rice to make bread, really wanted to taste some of that to see how it works out... xD I think the bread fever in Japan died off a bit, but back on my first trip there they had bakeries everywhere with so many types of bread it'd take days to taste them all... we even went to a restaurant that had a full course of several types of bread for lunch. Funny enough, the one I remember most and that I ate.... just too much, I got it almost everyday when we were coming back to the hotel because a local market had it, was a melon pan of the industrial type. But it was some limited edition with actual melon flavor and a bit of sweetness to it, super fluffy, it was midway between bread and a moist sponge cake or something. This was some 15 years ago so it probably doesn't exist anymore, but man, that thing was totally addictive. After a full day of walking around, it was just like the perfect thing to get some energy back. xD

[@ScribblebytesWorldwide]

I did 20% Yudane!

[@ScribblebytesWorldwide]

9:44 Uh-Oh! You used 12%. I did a whole 20%. Now I'm panicking😣😣😣😣

[@reynoldichi1090]

Wow. You looks like a teacher.

[@patrickdalton2424]

Mashed potato works even better

[@PotionsMaster666]

14:35 **Meow**

[@lohphat]

At what point does bread become cake?

[@LivE-cs6cd]

Yes!??? 😺

[@cjwilliams8350]

I need a summary in plain English dumb-ed down to my level.

[@pucky8231]

king author flour ftw

[@Canuckbelgo]

Given that flour - and more specifically starch - are extremely unhealthy for most people on the planet (causing insulin to spike off the charts), I invite you, as a chemist, to be put to the test (PLEASE ??) to try to make the ultimate Keto bread. I suggest several recipes perhaps starting with Victoria's Keto Kitchen flour blends : her latest version, VKF, is structurally very good - but the taste of the finished product...not so much unfortunately and this is precisely the problem of many (most ? all ?) low-carb breads : the taste. Yuck. Ok, so right this very minute (hence why I'm here as I was trying to research an alternative and I think I MIGHT have found one using Vital Wheat Gluten (wheat protein which is VERY keno-friendly but as I'm in Europe, I think it's not as GMO'y as its North American counterpart. Therefore I am going to attempt using a combination of the recipes by Mad Creations (posted in November 2023) and Hungry Elephant (back in 2020) and using VKF. I will omit the oat fibre and flaxseed sticking with VKF and playing around with the Vital Wheat Gluten. Wish me luck !

[@the_pond]

Any chemistry tips for making a soft gluten-free bread?

[@leclanche7127]

How do you get bread to have smaller and smoother pores though?

[@bradkriebel9774]

Are you a good scientist?

[@bradkriebel9774]

Sorry food scientist

[@LivE-cs6cd]

Let’s see you do better TROLL! 💩🧌👎🏼

[@bradkriebel9774]

Ma’am, I wasn’t trying to disparage you or anything. I thought that with that that skill maybe you were a good scientist. 😊

[@fauxvier8519]

Wow shes a cutie

[@allonszenfantsjones]

your mutant bread might have been saved by providing it with more structure, ie slap and fold. dunno. it would have way more air and holes thus defeating the whole sandwich bread thing.

[@BillAngelos]

This was a really good video... but why does a channel that has 404k subs only have 12k views a month after it was published?

[@HolahkuTaigiTWFormosanDiplomat]

：００

[@CreachterZ]

I’m pretty sure I love you.

[@fukpoeslaw3613]

Domme grappen achterwege gelaten zal verbeteren de kijk-ervaring in ruime mate.

[@scriptorium-in-candelight]

That all simple. You didnt mention egg -yolk and whites or butter, buttermilk, < all add moisture help keep the moisture, You didnt mention calcium, or oil or dough conditioners and preservatives....Your video is really not comprehensive as it should be and its not thesis material.....by a long walk😭

[@morenauer]

Bread without a crunchy crust is an abomination to gastronomy.

[@isaacm1929]

2:12 And WHAT did you expected?

[@QuestionMan]

Ha! Too late, sucka! I'm taking your advice . . . aaand I'm sharing it with friends. BOOM!

[@ethan8650]

If I wanted to watch one of those "micro chef's" or whatever they are called, I'd watch the old guy who doesn't use common sense.

[@LivE-cs6cd]

Let’s see you do better TROLL! 👎🏼💩🧌🤬

[@ethan8650]

@LivE-cs6cd I don't need nor want to prove myself. Molecular gastronomy is like abstract art; nobody really knows what it is, but since so much of the population says that it's good, weak minded people think it's good. (Like you, pal.)

[@highlander723]

Do you guys remember When she made that video about how bad a gas stove is.... I find a hilarious that it's still there.

[@jabrownie22]

KZbin is bad for you

[@highlander723]

@@jabrownie22 Just calling out the hypocrites when I see them

[@LivE-cs6cd]

I don’t care how bad my gas stove is. I just blast my vent fan on high. There is nothing like cooking with fire. Also, this is a successful intelligent lady with a career. I’m sure the last thing she is going to do is replace a perfectly good stove. Plus it may not be hers to replace. Let’s see you do better, 🧌 💩👎🏼

[@maxmusterman3371]

You have never eaten german bread.

[@jimdavidson3345]

Too much !👎👎👎👎👎👎👎

[@sidhuumoosewalagodforme9897]

I am missing samantha Jones 😢

[@kyokoyumi]

Disclaimer or not, cooking is an art-science and a chemical one at that. There is no disclaimer that can be given to excuse your poor little bread.

[@cassieoz1702]

You had me until you said the bread was sweet ...

[@hadrianli5107]

no one cares