Cinnamon Currant Tangzhong Bread

No joke, we go through toasters like they're going out of style. I can't tell you how many I've had over the years, both before getting married and since. I've had cheap ones and expensive ones, but never found one that I could rely on to consistently give me perfectly golden brown toast. Until now. At least so far.

I was recently offered the opportunity to try a SMEG 2-Slice Toaster. With it's fun 50's retro-look and extra-side slots, I couldn't resist. The hardest part was choosing whether I wanted it in cream, chrome, black, or sky blue. I seriously love all of them, and while I think I actually wanted cream the most, I thought that black would fit in better with our current kitchen, I choose that.

Tangzhong Whole Wheat Bread | #BreadBakingBabes

I'm so excited about this month's Bread Baking Babes challenge, as chosen by this month's kitchen-of-the-month, Karen at Karen's Kitchen Stories. She assigned us the task of making a Tangzhong-style bread, which is one of those things I've been wanting...meaning...to make for years. I don't know why I've put it off. I tend to do that. It was definitely worth the wait—but it does make me want to kick myself for not getting with the program sooner.

Not familiar with the Tangzhong method? Basically, a tangzhong is a cooked water roux (or flour paste). One part water and five parts flour are cooked to 149° F (or 65° C) and then cooled. The tangzhong is then used as an ingredient in bread dough, which makes for an incredibly bouncy bread that can stay soft for days.