Sweet Milk Bun

A pillowy soft milk bun with a nice aroma coming from the slightly tanned crust 😍😋

Yield: 9 buns in one 20cm square pan
Raw dough weight: 463g
Baking temperature: Preheat oven to 190℃, bake at 180℃ for 10 minutes, 160℃ for 6 minutes, off heating for 2 minutes.

Ingredients

190g bread flour
20g plain flour plus#/plain flour
35g fine/raw sugar
2g instant dry yeast
a small amount of vanillin powder, optional

40g natural yeast*, 100% hydration
100g cold milk
20g condensed milk
2g evaporated milk. optional
20g beaten egg
5g water, to be added as necessary

1/4 tsp salt

30g unsalted butter, softened

Some flour for dusting the top before baking

# plain flour plus is plain flour added with 25% superfine wholegrain flour

* natural yeast can be replaced by 20g each of bread flour and water, plus about 1/8 tsp instant dry yeast.

Directions

1. Knead the dough using your preferred method, till it reaches window pane stage.
For my method of kneading the dough, you may browse the steps in my earlier recipe Pork Floss Cheese Bun.

2. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a slightly oiled mixing bowl. Spray some water over, cover with a lid, and let it proof for about 70 minutes.

End of 70-minute proofing.

3. Turn the dough onto a floured work top. Deflate the dough, and divide it into 9 portions, about 51g each.

Shape the dough into balls. Cover and let them rest for about 15 minutes.

4. After the 15-minute rest, take a dough ball, deflate it slightly, and shape into a ball again. Repeat the step for the rest of the dough.

Place the shaped dough in a 20cm square pan lined with parchment paper. Spray some water over, and let it undergo 2nd proofing for about 40 minutes, in a cold oven.

5. At the end of second proofing, remove the pan of shaped dough from the oven. Start to preheat the oven to 190℃ for about 10 minutes.

While waiting, dust a thin coat of flour over the top of the dough.

Bake at lower rack of the preheated oven, at 180℃ for 10 minutes, 160℃ for 6 minutes, off heating for 2 minutes, or till it reaches your preferred crust brownness.

6. Transfer the hot bun to a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy the pillowy soft buns warm or cold 😋

Pork Floss Cheese Bun

Soft milk bun topped with golden cheese crust and filled with delicious sweet pork floss, sesame seeds, and coriander bits. Love to eat it warm when the cheese crust was crispy 😋

Yield: 9 buns
Raw dough weight: 495g
Baking temperature: 200℃ for 11 minutes, 180℃ for 8~9 minutes, Off for 3 minutes.

Ingredients

Milk Dough
150g bread flour
80g plain flour plus/plain flour
30g raw sugar
2g instant dry yeast
30g natural yeast*,  100% hydration
15g beaten egg
125g milk, cold
15g condensed milk
25g cold water
2g low-sodium salt

20g unsalted butter, softened

*30g of natural yeast can be replaced by 15g each of bread flour and water.

Sweet Butter Filling
10g slightly salted butter, softened
7g condensed milk

Pork Floss Filling
50g cripsy pork floss
5g roasted sesame seeds
5g coriander/green scallion, chopped

Toppings
Some egg wash
65g cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Prepare the milk dough using your preferred method.

Mix all the dry ingredients together followed by the wet ones, except the salt and butter.

Cover with a lid and stand for 15 minutes for autolysis

Knead using dough hooks of a hand mixer, and add salt.

Followed by softened butter.

Do about 300 sets of "slap and fold"

Shape into a ball, spray some water, and let it proof for 70 minutes.

End of first proofing

2. While the milk dough is undergoing proofing, prepare the sweet butter filling,and pork floss filling.
Mix softened butter with condensed milk into a smooth paste. Set aside.

Combine pork floss, with roasted sesame seeds and chopped coriander. Set aside.

3. Invert the milk dough onto a floured work top. Deflate the dough and divide into 9 portions, about 55g each.

Roll the dough into balls and let them rest for about 15 minutes.

4. Take a dough ball and roll it into a flat rectangular shape of about 5 mm thick.

Spread a coat of sweet butter filling from Step 3 over the dough, leaving out about 1cm of the fringe clean.

Spread about 5~6g of the pork floss mixture from Step 3 over the dough .

Roll up, seal the edges,

and shape into a long dough.

Arrange the shaped dough over a non-stick baking tray with good spacing in between dough. Let the dough undergo second proofing in an oven for about 35 to 40 minutes.

End of second proofing.

 5. Start to preheat oven to 200℃ for about 10 minutes.
While waiting, apply egg wash over the shaped dough.

And sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese over the top of the shaped dough.

6. Bake at lower rack of a preheated oven at 200℃ for about 11 minutes. Reduce to 180℃ and bake for about 8 to 9 minutes. Turn off oven and let the buns bake for another 3 minutes.

7. Remove from oven and let the buns cool down a while.

Enjoy the bun warm for a crispy cheese crust 😋