Milk Buns
These Milk Buns are based on My Burger Buns, Hokkaido Milk Loafand Stuffed Milk Bunsrecipe and like them they are pillowy, flaky, soft, and buttery.
Ingredients
Tangzhoug
- 2 tbsp Strong Bread Flour
- 2 tbsp Water
- 75 g Milk
Dough
- 120 g Milk Luke Warm
- 9 g Yeast Instant Dry or Active Dry
- 320 g Strong Bread Flour
- ¾ tsp Salt
- 45 g Caster Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 45 g Butter
Egg Wash
- 1 Egg
- Splash Milk
Garlic Butter (Optional)
- 3 tbsp Butter
- 2 small Garlic Cloves Grated
Instructions
Tangzhoug
- Combine the ingredients for the Tangzhoug in a pan over medium high heat. It will begin to thicken quickly. After 2 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool.
Dough
- Add the yeast to the warm milk and allow to sit for 8 minutes. Skip this step if using instant yeast and add the warm milk with the ingredients in the next step.
- Add the remaining ingredients apart from the butter, along with the tangzhoug to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix for 2 minutes.
- Add the egg and butter slowly and mix on medium/low for 15 - 20 minutes until it comes together into a smooth dough.
- Place a damp kitchen towel directly over the bowl and allow it to rest until it has doubled in size. Around 1.5 - 2 hours.
- Shape the buns. Punch the dough down, and place on a lightly floured work surface.Cut into 9 portions. (Weighing them helps - Mine were around 75g each).
- To shape, gently flatten each piece of dough like a pancake. Pull up each side pinching it together in the center. Repeat until the ball is sealed. Then cup your hand over the ball and gently move in circular motions keeping contact with the surface, until smooth. Place seam side down on a lined tray.
- The dough will need to rise again. This time for around 1.5 hours.
Egg Wash
- Beat together the egg and milk.
Bake
- Preheat your oven to GM 5, 190 C. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Garlic Butter
- Heat butter and garlic in pot over medium heat for 1 minute. Brush over warm buns.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
How to make Milk Buns ahead of time - Prepare the dough, let it rise and shape the rolls. Cover the shaped rolls tightly and refrigerate for up to about 16 hours. At least 3 hours before you need them the next day, remove the rolls from the refrigerator and allow to rise on the counter for about 1-2 hours before baking.
You can also do the first rise in the fridge overnight and continue the following day.
How to freeze Milk Buns - You can bake the buns and freeze once cooled by covering in plastic wrap and then in an air tight container.
You can also freeze them after you have shaped them into buns. Simply cover the baking tray in plastic wrap. Once frozen, they won’t stick together anymore and you can place them in a freezer bag.
Let them thaw and rise for about 4-5 hours, then bake. You can also freeze the baked dinner rolls. Therefore, if you want a smaller batch, you can make the entire recipe and bake only a few fresh rolls at a time.
Active dry yeast vs instant yeast - Instant yeast and active dry yeast are interchangeable at a 1:1 ratio. However, active dry yeast needs to be bloomed with liquid before continuing with the recipe and may take longer to rise. What I do when using active dry yeast is add the yeast to the warmed milk from the recipe and let it stand for a bit before continuing with the recipe.
Can the dough be kneaded by hand? It is far easier to knead this with a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. The dough is quite sticky and takes some kneading to come together. If you prefer to knead by hand, you will need to knead a lot longer.
Window pane test - Once you can stretch the dough with your fingers without it tearing, it is ready. Enough gluten has developed in the dough for it to begin proofing. This is called the windowpane test. If the dough tears, it means you need to knead a little more.
Nutrition
Calories: 255kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 7gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 288mgPotassium: 87mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 331IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 39mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!