Condensed Milk Spelt Bun (Yudane)

 

These soft and sweet buns were baked on Good Friday to simulate the hot cross buns which many of my friends baked during this period of the year. I am not a fan of spiced bun, so I just baked the bun sweet 😋 Instead of using flour paste to create the "cross" pattern, I sprinkle some bread flour over paper stencils to create the similar pattern 😉

Update: 14 April 2021

I tried another stencil pattern - tic tac toe pattern 😆 To see more photos about this design, please scroll to the end of this recipe 😃

Update: 24 April 2021

Baked with milk and butter wash instead of sprinkling with bread flour. Details can be found at the end of this recipe 😊

Yield: 9 buns in a 20cm square pan

Raw dough weight: 512g

Baking temperature: Preheat oven to 200℃ for 10 minutes, bake at lower rack, at 180℃ for 10 minutes, lower to 160℃ for 5 minutes, off oven and bake for about 3 minutes.

Ingredients

200g bread flour

20g spelt flour

35g raw sugar

2g instant dry yeast

pinch of vanillin powder, optional

40g natural yeast/sourdough, 100% hydration*

20g yudane dough^

105g low fat milk, cold

15g evaporated milk, cold

20g condensed milk

25~30g water, cold to be added depending on dough condition

2g low sodium salt

30g unsalted butter, softened

some bread flour to sprinkle as topping

* 40g natural yeast can be replaced by 20g each of bread flour and water + 1/8 tsp instant dry yeast. Let the mixture stands for about 1 hour or till double in volume, before use. You can also keep the mixture in the fridge overnight and thaw it for 1 hour before use.

^ 20g yudane dough is prepared by combining 11g of bread flour with 10g of very hot or boiling water into a sticky dough. Wrap the yudane dough in cling wrap, cool down before chilling in the fridge overnight. Use a silicone spatula to scrape out the sticky yudane dough from the cling wrap.

Directions

1. Knead the dough following your preference method. 

For my method, you can refer to my recipe Yudane Milk Bread. After kneading the dough to window pane stage, shape the dough into a ball, and keep in a plastic bag coated with a thin coat oil. Tie a loose knot at the bag opening, store in a big covered bowl, and refrigerate overnight in the chiller.

In the next morning, invert the dough, and thaw for about 1 hour in room temperature.

About 1 hour after thawing in room temperature👇

2. Remove the dough from the plastic bag, deflate the dough, and divide into 9 equal portions.

3. Shape the dough into 9 balls and place in a 20 cm square pan lined with parchment paper.

Spray some water over, cover with a piece of cloth, and let the shaped dough proof for about 50 minutes, or till the shaped dough double in size.

While waiting for the dough to proof, cut 6 patterned paper strips for stenciling later. This step is optional.

End of second proofing👇

4. Align the patterned paper strips across the top the shaped dough creating a "cross" pattern over the top of the shaped dough.

Sprinkle a thin layer of bread flour over the top, remove the paper stencils, dust another thin layer of bread flour over. If you do not use the paper stencil, just sprinkle a thin layer of bread flour over the top of the shaped dough.

5. Preheat the oven at 200℃ for about 10 minutes. Bake the shaped dough at lower rack of a preheated oven, lower the temperature to 180℃ after closing the oven door, and bake for 10 minutes. Further reduce the temperature to 160℃ for 5 minutes. Turn off the oven, and let the buns bake for 3 further minutes.

6. Remove the buns from the oven, lift out from the pan, 

and let them cool over a cooling rack.

Enjoy the buns warm or cool 😋

Tic-Tac-Toe Pattern

Milk & Butter Wash Crust

Brush the shaped dough with a coat of milk wash about 5 minutes before baking.

Preheat oven to 190℃ for 10 minutes. Bake at lower rack, at 190℃ for 5 minutes, lower to 170℃ for 15 minutes. Turn off oven and continue to bake for 3 minutes, or till the crust turns golden.

Brush the baked buns with a coat of melted salted butter wash (about 3~5g)