With some time off work lately and no urgent schedule to keep, I found myself thinking: why not try something new and finally pick up a craft I’ve wanted to learn for a long time—baking?
A few years ago, my wife took a baking course and learned how to make incredible homemade bread using simple, affordable everyday ingredients. Seeing what she made always stayed in the back of my mind. With a clear day and time on my side, I thought today was the perfect moment to step into the kitchen and give it a try myself.
The Bread: Tangzhong (烫种)
The bread I decided to tackle was Tangzhong (烫种) bread—a water-roux method that produces an extraordinarily soft, fluffy, and tender crumb that stays fresh much longer than standard loaves.
Rather than trying to write down a full recipe here, I’d rather share the exact video tutorial I followed:
The video explains the proportions and technique clearly, and following along step-by-step made the whole process approachable for a beginner.
The Joy of Crafting Food
I really enjoyed every moment of crafting food by hand. There is something grounding and deeply satisfying about the tactile process—kneading, shaping, waiting patiently for the dough to rise, and brushing on that golden layer of egg wash. It makes you feel genuinely alive and brings pure, honest joy—especially when you actually have the time to slow down, immerse yourself in the process, and not rush just to get through the day.
Because I wasn’t originally planning to write a blog post about this, I didn’t take many photos along the way. But right before sliding everything into the oven, I did snap the photo above: three shaped buns on the baking tray and three dough portions nested in the loaf tin, each glowing under a fresh coat of egg wash and ready to bake.
A quiet, rewarding day. Just keep enjoying life, keep learning, and stay sharp.