Sugar Butter Crust Pumpkin Bun

Enjoy the caramelized crust and base of those pumpkin milk buns. Simple yet delicious. An all-time favourite bread type for the folks living here 😋

Video of the sugar butter crust pumpkin buns

Yield: 10 small buns

Raw dough weight: 549g

Pan size: 30.5x19x3.5cm

Baking temperature:  Preheat oven to 190℃, middle rack, bake at 180℃ for 17 minutes, lower to 170℃ for 1 minute, turn off oven and continue to bake for 2 minutes, or till crust turns golden brown.

Ingredients

205g bread flour

20g top flour/cake flour

10g pumpkin powder

30g raw sugar

1g instant dry yeast

A little vanillin powder, optional

50g natural yeast/sourdough, 100% hydration*

30g yudane dough^

15g condensed milk

110g lactose free milk, cold 

5g whipping cream

10g beaten egg 

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

3g low sodium salt

20g unsalted butter, softened

Toppings

egg-milk wash

20g salted/unsalted butter, cut into 20 small chunks and keep in freezer

Tablespoons of fine sugar for sprinkling

1 tsp coarse raw sugar for sprinkling

* 50g natural yeast can be replaced by 25g each of bread flour and water + 1/8 tsp instant dry yeast. Let the mixture stand for about 1 hour or more till it doubles in volume, before use. You can also keep the mixture in the fridge overnight and thaw it for 1 hour before use.

^ 30g yudane dough is prepared by combining 16g of bread flour with 16g of very hot or boiling water into a sticky dough. Wrap the yudane dough in cling wrap, and cool down before use. Use a silicone spatula to scrape out the sticky yudane dough from the cling wrap.

Directions:

1. Knead the dough following your preferred method. 

For my method, you can refer to my recipe Yudane Milk Bread. After kneading the dough to window pane stage, 

2. After kneading the milk dough to window pane, shape the milk dough into a ball, and keep in a plastic bag coated with a little cooking oil. Keep the dough in the fridge overnight.

3. In the next day, remove the outer plastic bag, and let the dough thaw at room temperature for about 80 minutes.

4. Divide the dough into 10 portions, shape into balls, cover with a towel or plastic sheet, and let them rest for about 15 minutes.

5. Shape each dough ball into a small Swiss roll shape.

6. Arrange the shaped dough in a baking tray (30.5x19x3.5cm) lined with parchment paper. Let the shaped dough prove in a cold oven for about 45 minutes.

While proofing, cut the cold butter into 20 small chunks. If you are using unsalted butter, dust a little low sodium salt over the cold butter chunks. Keep the butter chunks in the freezer before use.

45 minutes later 👇

7. Preheat the oven to 190℃. While waiting, brush the shaped dough with egg-milk wash. 

Poke two holes in each dough using a silicone head chopstick, or chopstick coated with oil.

Push a chunk of cold butter into each hole.

Sprinkle some fine sugar over the dough surface evenly.

Sprinkle a little coarse raw sugar granules over the shaped dough.

8. After closing the oven door, reduce the temperature to 180℃, and bake for about 17 minutes, lower to 170℃ for 1 minute, turn off oven and continue to bake for 2 minutes, or till crust turns golden brown.

9. Remove the bread from the oven, lift out from the pan, and cool over a cooling rack.

Enjoy them warm for the caramelized aroma 😋