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Prep time
2 hours 30 minutes
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Cook time
30 minutes
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Serves
9 buns
Author Notes
If I had to rank my favorite recipes, these milk buns with maple butter glaze would certainly make the top three. They’re incredibly soft and feathery, the perfect balance of sweet and salty, and beat all Parker House rolls I’ve had at past holiday dinners. However, there are a few things to keep in mind in order to achieve the perfect texture, so I highly recommend reading the tips and tricks section below as well as fully reading each recipe step before starting:
Tips & Tricks:
• This recipe is made with tangzhong, which is a popular Asian baking technique that involves pre-cooking the flour and liquid (in this case milk) until it reaches at least 150ºF/65ºC and resembles a paste. The cooking process gelatinizes the starches in the flour, which helps the dough to absorb more liquid later on. Adding tangzhong to a dough helps to create a much fluffier, softer and tender texture.
• Kneading is one of the most important parts of making milk buns when looking to get that pillowy-soft and feathery texture. The longer you knead, the more you develop the gluten, and the more feathery strands the buns will have. I write more about how to text you’ve kneaded enough in step 3. If you don’t knead long enough, the buns will be more bready and almost crumbly.
• Make sure you let the dough proof long enough both in the first and second round. If you don’t, the buns might crack on the top, around the food, and around the sides while baking. To test, gently poke your finger into the dough. If it barely dents and springs back completely, it needs to rest longer. If it dents and springs back halfway, it’s ready. (PLEASE NOTE: you also don’t want to overproof them. If the dent doesn’t spring back at all, they have overproofed.)
• If you want to speed up the proofing process, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, turn the light on in your oven, and proof the dough in the oven until doubled in size. You can do the same thing with the second proof too.
• You can use active dry yeast instead of instant, just make sure you activate the yeast. After adding the tangzhong to the bowl of the mixer, heat the remaining milk to 98ºF (no hotter as this can kill the yeast). Pour in the milk, then sprinkle in the yeast. Let the yeast activate for about 5 minutes.
• If doubling the recipe, follow instructions as written, but either bake in a 9x13-inch baking dish or bake in two separate skillets.
• To make ahead, prepare the recipe the evening before through step 5. Wrap in plastic wrap and let the buns slowly proof in the refrigerator overnight. Remove them from the fridge to come to room temperature about 30 minutes before baking, while the oven preheats.
—Nea Arentzen
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Ingredients
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TANGZHONG:
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3 tablespoons
(22 grams) bread flour (all-purpose is fine too)
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1/2 cup
(113 grams) whole milk
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DOUGH:
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2 1/4 teaspoons
(7 grams) instant dry yeast (see tip)
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1/2 cup
(113 grams) whole milk
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4 tablespoons
(57 grams) unsalted butter, softened
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1/4 cup
(49 grams) granulated sugar
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1
large egg
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1 1/2 teaspoons
Diamond crystal kosher salt
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2 3/4 cups
2 tablespoons (345 grams) bread flour (divided; all-purpose is fine too)
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TO ASSEMBLE:
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1 tablespoon
whole milk, for brushing
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2 tablespoons
(28 grams) butter, melted
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2 tablespoons
(39 grams) maple syrup
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flakey sea salt
Directions
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Make the tangzhong: In a medium saucepan, combine the flour and milk. Place it over medium heat and whisk until thickened and reaches at least 150ºF on a kitchen thermometer, 2 to 3 minutes. At 150ºF the starches gelatinize. If it turns into a glue-like texture that doesn’t really thicken all that much start again–this means too much of the liquid has evaporated.
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Make the dough: Transfer the tangzhong to the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough attachment, then add the yeast, milk, butter, egg, salt, and 2 ¾ cups of the flour. Knead the dough until it mostly comes away from the sides but still partly remains on the bottom of the bowl, looks smooth, and feels tacky but not too sticky, 10 to 15 minutes, or longer if your mixer is slow and old. NOTE: If it still looks too wet, add the remaining 1 to 2 tablespoons; this will depend on the humidity level in your kitchen and time of year).
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Grab a small piece of dough and stretch it between your hands to perform a window pane test. If you can stretch it wide and thin enough where light comes through, it’s ready to proof. If it breaks quickly or easily, keep kneading. It’s crucial that you knead the dough long enough in order to get a really feathery, soft texture with lots of gluten development.
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Cover tightly with plastic wrap (this helps prevent the top from drying out and forming a skin) and place it in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hours. You can check to see if it’s done rising by poking it; if it pops back quickly it needs to rise more, if it comes back slowly or stays mostly dented it’s done.
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Shape the dough: Divide the dough into 9 equal sized pieces (my risen dough weighed 666 grams so I divided each into balls weighing 74 grams, but if you don’t have a scale just eyeball). Without flouring the surface, use a rolling pin to roll a ball of dough into an 8x3-inch rectangle. Fold it in thirds lengthwise. Roll lengthwise again. Roll up. Cup your hands over the ball, dragging it gently along the counter, until it’s round and has a smooth surface. Assemble in a cast iron skillet lined with parchment paper. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside to proof until nearly doubled in size, another 45 minutes.
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Bake the buns: While the buns are proofing, preheat the oven to 350ºF with a rack placed in the lower rack. Brush the tops with milk, then bake until deep golden brown and read at least 190ºF on a kitchen thermometer, 30 to 35 minutes (place tin foil on top if browning too quickly).
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Combine the melted butter and maple syrup; season with a pinch of salt. Brush over the warm buns and sprinkle with a generous amount of flakey sea salt.
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