Japanese Milk Buns (Dinner rolls)
Milk Bun Base Recipe
Print Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Bread/kneading machine If you'd rather not use a stand mixer
- 1 Stand mixer If you don't have a kneading/bread machine
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 3 tbsp Bread flour
- (1/2cup) Whole milk
Buns
- 288g (2 3/4cup) Bread flour
- 106g (3/4cup) All purpose flour
- 81g (1/4cup +2tbsp) Granulated sugar
- 7g (1tsp) Salt
- 7g 1 packet Instant dry yeast
- 155ml (2/3cup) Whole milk Warm
- 1 Large egg Room temperature
- 45g 3tbsp Unsalted butter
- 1 Milk Tangzhong Room temperature
Instructions
Milk Tangzhong
- Pour 1/2 cup whole milk in a small saucepan with 3tbsp bread flour and stir over low heat until a smooth paste forms. Immediately, remove from heat and scrape into a small glass bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure to touch the paste with the plastic. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Bring to room temperature for at least 1 hour before using.
Milk Buns
- Pour bread flour, AP flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer or bread machine. *Be sure the salt, yeast, and sugar are not directly on top of each other, as this could affect the rise.* Stir to combine.
- Add lightly beaten egg, warm milk, and your milk tangzhong into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, or into a bread machine, and knead for 3-5 minutes until a shaggy dough forms.
- Add softened butter to the dough, and continue kneading for 15 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and passes the windowpane test.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled glass bowl. Be sure to rub the dough into the oil, to prevent drying. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm, moist environment to proof for at least 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Once proofed, remove the dough from the bowl. Cut and shape into 12 equal- sized dough balls. *They should be roughly 80g each if measuring with a food scale.* Cover the 12 balls very loosely with plastic wrap and let them sit on the counter to rest the gluten for 10 minutes.
- Conduct the final shaping by lightly pressing the air out of each ball, creating a flat disk on your counter. Stretch and pull the edges of the disk in towards the center to create surface tension on the opposite side of the dough. Pinch the middle of the ball to hold the sides in place, then flip it over and roll the dough with your palm into a smooth ball. Place in a parchment lined 9x13in baking dish. Repeat with remaining 11 balls.
- Cover the buns in the baking dish with plastic wrap and leave in a warm environment to proof for another 45mins or until nearly doubled in size. The balls should be puffy and just beginning to touch one another.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees while you glaze the tops of the buns with a light layer of whole milk.
- Place the baking dish, uncovered, in the oven and bake for 18mins or until the tops of the buns are golden brown. You should begin to smell sweet aromatics when it's close to finishing.
- Pull the baked milk buns out of the oven and immediately brush with butter for extra flavor and moisture. Let sit until cooled before serving. The bread will continue to bake and set as it rests in the dish. Simply pop a bun in the microwave for a few seconds to warm it back up or just enjoy it as is. :)
- Buns will stay moist and fresh for days at room temperature. Wrap in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container on the counter. Avoid refrigeration to keep from drying out.
Notes
* You may freeze the milk buns for several months by tightly wrapping in plastic wrap and foil. To thaw, place in fridge overnight then let rest at room temperature until soft and fluffy. Alternatively, you can thaw in the fridge, then place in the microwave for a few seconds to revive the buns to their soft and fluffy former glory.
Servings: 12