Soft Milk Bun Recipe

I always love baking.  I can try to bake any eye-catching new recipe of desserts and cakes.  But as much as I wanted, whenever I saw the recipe of making bread-on-my-own, I got terrified.  But again, it was totally in the past.  Now, I can say that I am a bread-maker pro.  Thanks to this tangzhong recipe that I found from the internet.  

By adding this simple little new technique, makes my bread always springy and soft even after storing them for three days.  Tangzhong adds more moisture to the bread.  How to make it, is very simple and easy too.  Get a sauce pan and put together bread flour and water.  Stir until combine before putting it on the heat.  Medium heat will do the job, because this mixture can easily get burned.  Keep stirring until the mixture turns thick, slurry and glossy, by then this tangzhong is done.  Put them aside, cover with cling wrap and let it cool before adding it to the dough mixture.

Tangzhong

Proofed yeast

Next, we need to prepare our yeast.  Put warm water in a bowl and pour in the yeast as well as one teaspoon of sugar then give them a little stir and put some cover on top.  Leave it for 10 minutes and you will see those bubbles floating on the water.  Then it means it is ready to be used.

After that, gather all ingredients for the dough.  I kinda breaking the rules here and it works.  I combine all ingredients in a whisking bowl in one go.  Flour, milk powder, sugar, salt, eggs, butter, tangzhong and yeast mixture, they all inside the bowl at the same time all set to be stirred.  I do this way everytime and I still get my desired result.

Whisk the mixture for about eight to ten minutes.  Start with low speed until it forms a sticky mass then increase the speed to medium high speed until it reaches an elastic ball shape.  From a sticky dough, it will eventually turns into an elastic dough and it will slide down from the dough hook as well.

Another way to check whether your dough is ready or not is by performing stretch test, the dough can be stretch and creating a semi-transculent film without breaking it.  We are halfway through now.  Keep your dough in an oiled bowl and cover it with cling wrap or wetted kitchen towel until it doubled.  Brushing your bowl with oil will help when taking the dough out.  Thanks to oil, it makes life easier.  Oil is also can be used on your shaping mat instead of flour.  I found it is much more convenient and efficient.

Once the dough are set to rolling and shaping, remove it out from the bowl and transfer it to a rolling mat.  As I mentioned earlier that you can brush the mat with oil instead of flour to reduce some stickiness, but again if you need to, otherwise this recipe won't necessarily require any extra oil.  Then lighly punch down and knead the dough in order to help releasing the air trapped in the dough.   

Next, divide your dough in uniforming weight.  If you are making dinner rolls or plain bread rolls, after you scaling them into individual sizes, just round it to shape into a smooth round ball.  Then transfer them to a tray and wait for another 10 minutes or until it doubles in size for the second proofing stage.  

If you want to put any topping on your bread like I do with some floss pork.  You need to do the above steps up to the second proofing phase before doing the topping.  But do it gently and without pinching the proofed dough otherwise your bread won't rise when baking. 

If you doing the filled bread, you need to put the filling just before you round them.  So after you divide the dough, flat it, put some filling and then shape it into a ball.  And transfer it onto a tray for the second proofing before baking them.  This process is also used when making the sweet chilli and cheese scrolls. 

Rolling the bread for making sweet chilli and cheese scrolls

Floss pork and mayo bread

Chocolate filled bread

Once the bread had risen again for the second time, bake them in the pre-heated oven of 175 degrees celcius for about 20 minutes or until the top has turned into golden brown.  Do not leave to long otherwise your bread will be too crusty.  When you remove them from oven, the outer skin might feel a litle hard but do not worry, once your bread cooled down, they will become soft. 

While they are still pipping hot, I like to brush them wih some evaporated milk.  It will give them shinnier look and slightly sweeter taste. 

Plain roll

Plain roll with butter cream and shredded cheddar on top

Sweet chilli and cheese scrolls

Tangzhong Recipe Bread flour 40 g Water 190 ml Bread Dough Recipe Bread flour 750 g Warm water 165 ml Milk powder 30 g Caster sugar 120 g Salt 6 g Eggs 3 large eggs/ 150 g Butter, melted, leave to cool 120 g Dry yeast 1 pack/ 11 g Method 1. Prepare tangzhong by placing flour and water in a small pot. Heat it up over low heat.     Keep stirring until flour mixture becomes thick and slurry. Remove from heat.     Allow the tangzhong to cool down before adding to the dough. 2. Activate yeast by combining warm water with yeast and one teaspoon sugar in a bowl.     Cover and leave it for 10 minutes until the mixture becomes bubbly. 3. Measure all ingredients for the dough.  Put them all in the whisking bowl.     Including tangzhong and proofed yeast. 4. Mix them together with electric whisker starting with low speed until they bind together     then change to medium high speed for 8 -10 minutes. Until the dough forms into an elastic dough. 5. Leave the dough in oil-covered bowl and cover with cling film or wetted kitchen towel.     Wait for it to be double in size. Normally it will take about an hour but then it depends on the     room temperature.  The warmer the place is, the fastest it will rise.  6. Once it doubled, lightly punch down the dough and start portioning the dough.      Divide them into pieces of equal weight. Shape each dough into smooth round balls.     *If you making filled dough, do it now then rounding it.     *If you put some topping on the bread, do it after the second proofing. 7. Preheat the oven to 175⁰C. 8. Let the dough rest for another 10 more minutes (again it depends on the place) until it doubles.     Keep the bread covered with a damp cloth or cling wrap at this stage to retain moisture. 9. Bake breads in the oven of 175⁰C for 20 minutes or until the crust turns golden brown. 10. Remove the bread from oven and spread some evaporated milk or butter before cooling.         ** If you leave in the cold country around winter season, you always can proof the bread inside your oven. Just set the oven temperature to 35⁰C. Makes: around 50 balls

Homemade Sweet and Savory Bun

What happen with our magnificient world that we're living in at the moment?  This terrible pandemic thingy has been messing up our routines.  We come to the point where "Doing nothing means saving the world".  Wow!!!  It is actually perfect for a lazy person like me.  Staying at home now seems the best option to avoid and also reduce the number of infections,  But on the other hand, I have to sacrify my love of travelling and dining in.  What a shame!!!

One week at home is great... Two weeks hmmmmm it's still good... Three weeks arrghhhh ... I think my tantrums start to emerge.  That's why I have to look for some indoor activities to do.  Something that I love doing like cooking for example.  So, here me trying to be creative and playful with food that I've never done before. 

Hopefully, my recipe post can give you guys some hints to initiate to cook and produce delicious homemade food that easy yet appetising.  Good luck in trying guys. 

Hand kneading

This new formula bun that I found, requires less muscle in kneading the dough.  Very smart and the easiest I have discovered so far.  You only need to mix all bun's ingrediaents together and knead a little until the dough appear smooth.  The first fermentation step is skipped.  You can give it a bit of slamming and punching as well but not too much.  As we need to work quickly to beat the fermentation process.  Otherwise, the bun will go beery and we will end up with sour buns.

Once you finish with kneading the dough, resting it for as short as five to ten minutes.  Then you can start doing the filling and shaping.

Nothing so fancy here.  No equipement is needed in filling and rounding the bun.  I purely used my bare hands.  It may not be as good-looking as store-brought but who cares, only me know anyway.

Ready black sesame paste

You can choose any fillings you prefer.  My one would be these black sesame and minced pork with salted egg yolk.  The black sesame paste, I bought the ready one.  So much easy.  I just pre-rounded like a ball and meanwhile keep them in the fridge so it holds its shape and easy to handle.  For the minced pork filling, I did cook the pork in advance.  It was basically stir-fry minced pork with garlic, onion, soy sauce and sweet soy sauce.  Don't forget the salted egg yolk in the middle.  Trust me!!!  It tastes superb.

Minced pork and salted egg yolk filling

Proof them until they reach double in size

Lay them on the individual baking paper and wait for them to rise reaching their double size.  Then put them in the pre-heated steamer for around fifteen minutes.

Steam for 15 minutes

Once they cooked, bring them out to cool before enjoying them. But honestly, who can wait though. I didn't even bother with my burning fingers, these soft buns ready to be tasted straigh away and it definitely taste extraordinary.  I am proud with my creation today.  Let's nibble... Nom.. Nom... Nom...

Honestly, it needs more meat filling, do you agree?

By the way, something unpredictable happened.  My stove ran out of gas in the middle of steaming.  And I tried to bake the rest of buns.  Surprisingly, it tasted like baked-bun (sounds silly when I said this).  The bun is slightly crispy on the outside yet soft inside.  I might try this cooking method next time.  A lot easier and less time consuming.  Or I may try those famous baked-bolo bun that we normally get from dim sum restaurant.

Ta.. da... my baked bun

Ok!!  So... Nonetheless, when I was browsing internet couple days ago, I saw many people actually posted some photo showing the beauty of our world a few weeks after the lockdown.  At least this terrible virus brings something wonderful for our Earth. The over-used Earth turns back into Its serene and charm.

Hopefully, this nightmare will be gone in jiffy.  Let's keep thinking positive and help the world liveable again sooner.  Eventhough, I couldn't help the people much but my pray goes to all who got infected and affected physically and mentally respectively.  Stay strong and healthy guys.  Octie Appetie....

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Bun recipe Makes: 25-28 buns All purpose flour 750 gr Yeast 1 sachet/11 gr Caster sugar 50 gr Margarine 50 gr Salt 1 tsp Warm water 400 ml Method 1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.     Stir until combined. 2. Start kneading and punching for about 10 minutes     or until smooth.       Give them a little rest. 3. Cut the dough and fill and shape each part into     a ball. Making sure the ball has no hole.     Otherwise the filling may leak out, 4. Place each ball on a square baking paper. Let it stand     until double in size 5. In the meantime, bring water to boil in a steamer.     Reduce the heat to medium. 6. Transfer buns on baking paper as many as comfortably     fit onto the steamer leaving about 2-3 cm apart. 7. Cover with the lid and steam for 15 minutes. 8. Continue steaming buns in batches until all are cooked. * Becareful when remove the lid or else water drip onto bun’s    surface and will make yellowish spot on bun surface.    You can otherwise wrap up the lid with kitchen towel.

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