Rose Milk Cream Cheese Bun (National Day edition)

My first bread baked with our Singapore National Day theme - red bun with crescent moon and 5 stars dusted over the crust using bread flour. As red and white are the main colours of the Singapore National Day celebration , I created the bread based on these two main colours. Using the popular bandung drink flavour, which is a sweet beverage concocted using rose syrup and milk, the red milk buns carry a light  rose flavour. Sweet cheese filling with dried cranberries complement the light rose flavour well😋

Happy 55th Birthday, Singapore 

These are the main ingredients.

Yield: 9 buns in a 20cm square pan

Raw dough weight: 466g

Baking temperature: Preheat oven to 190℃, bake at second lowest rack, start baking at 180℃ for 10 minutes, decrease to 170℃ for 5 minutes, and 150℃ for 5 minutes.

Dough Ingredients

180g bread flour

25g spelt flour/plain flour

35g raw cane sugar

2g instant dry yeast

50g natural yeast/sourdough, 100% hydration*

10g beaten egg

10g condensed milk

120g milk, cold

1/4 tsp rose flavour

2 drops red food gel

10g water, added as necessary

2g salt

20g unsalted butter, softened

* 50g natural yeast can be replaced by 25g each of bread flour and water, plus 1/8 tsp of instant dry yeast.

Cheese Filling Ingredients

60g Laughing Cow cheese

40g cream cheese spread

15g condensed milk

10g icing sugar

20g dried cranberries, cut into bit size

Directions

1. Knead the dough till window pane using your preferred method. Keep the dough in a big plastic bag coated with a light film of oil. Tie a loose knot, place in a covered bowl, and refrigerate overnight for 15 to 20 hours.

2. Remove the cold dough from the fridge, invert the dough, and let it thaw in room temperature for about 60 to 90 minutes before shaping.

3. Turn the dough onto a well-floured work top, deflate the dough, and divide into 9 portions.

4. Shape the dough into 9 balls, covered with a lid, and let them rest for about 15 minutes.

5. While waiting for the dough, mix the cheese filling ingredients together. 

6. Flatten a dough and scoop about 15g of cheese filling to the flatten dough.

Wrap up and shape into a ball.

Place the shaped dough in a 20cm square pan lined with parchment paper. Spray some water mist over the shaped dough, cover with a tea cloth, and let it undergo second proofing for about 40 to 45 minutes.

7. While waiting for the dough to proof, make a stencil. This step is optional.

Put the stencil over the the shape dough, and dust some bread flour over it.

8. Preheat oven to 190℃, bake at second lowest rack, start baking at 180℃ for 10 minutes, decrease to 170℃ for 5 minutes, and 150℃ for 5 minutes.

Remove the bread from the oven, and lift out from the pan.

Cool the buns over a wire rack. Enjoy it warm 😋

Keep the unconsumed buns in the fridge, and warm in an oven toaster before serving 😊