Can you name me a fluffier bread than these amazing, glistening fluffy Hokkaido Milk Buns? These milky and lightly sweet Hokkaido Milk Buns are so absolutely delicious, they make for a perfect breakfast and you can just eat it on its own. Flavourful yet light, perfect to start you off for the day or a delicate snack in the noon!

Fluffy Hokkaido Milk Buns by Bakeomaniac

In all honesty, I have not been making bread in a while! The last time I did was perhaps at least over a year ago when I made Garlic Knots (I will be making a garlic version of these milk buns eventually so stay tuned!).

I will now dive into the lengthy explanation to make these Fluffy Hokkaido Milk Buns but should you be experienced, you can just scan through without reading it much in detail! The heavy emphasis will be the section on “Method of Preparation”. 

As per usual, the explanation will be broken down into Taste and Texture, Ingredients and then Method of Preparation.

Sharing my recipe (link at bottom) and tips for these Fluffy Hokkaido Milk Buns! I actually made these using the dough hook attachment from my stand mixer but you can definitely still hand knead!For me what I learnt is pretty simple but I would still like to share for the benefit of the beginner as well!1. Pass kneading about 6-7 minutes, I will constantly check if the dough is developed enough via the windowpane test (do google it or ask about it if you are not sure!). This is to prevent over mixing which can lead to a tough bread!2. When using a machine, constantly check to ensure that there is not too much heat transferred from the hook attachment to the dough as it could kill the yeast if its too hot (happened to me once!).For any questions, feel free to contact me via the comment section, this facebook page or my Instagram (www.instagram.com/bakeomaniac).Recipe: https://www.bakeomaniac.com/2019/05/fluffy-hokkaido-milk-buns-recipe.htmlHave a nice week ahead!

Posted by Bakeomaniac on Saturday, 18 May 2019

For the taste and texture, these fluffy Hokkaido milk buns are soft and slightly chewy. These buns are mildly sweet with a combined touch from both the milk and butter added. It is no wonder that these buns are perfect for breakfast or afternoon tea!

Moving on, the ingredients! There is not much to note here except to make sure that you use instant dry yeast. Otherwise, do activate your yeast if they are not instant (you can contact me if you do not know how to activate it). Otherwise, the ingredients are pretty standard across bread recipes. Do note that however, that bread flour cannot be substituted by plain or all-purpose flour!

Now most importantly, the Method of Preparation!

I personally used a stand mixer here to do the job but you can definitely hand knead as well! I just like to multitask while I am baking. I believe both will lead to equally good outcomes!

Do take note that you are strongly encouraged to do the windowpane test here to see if the bread is ready to be baked. I have attached an image though its slightly blurry. You can definitely use Google search engine for a clearer explanation but from my side, all you have to do is to actually put a small ball of dough between the fingers of both hands, and stretch it gently.

You will be able to see a thin layer which light is able to pass through as well as gluten formation. If holes can be observed, it is not ready to go! Do feel free to contact me if you need help!

Finally, I shall proceed on to the recipe!

Fluffy Hokkaido Milk Buns Recipe
by Javier Tan May-19-2019

A soft and fluffy bun that I bet you can even use it as a pillow!

Ingredients
For Water Roux / Tangzhong:

  • 3 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon or 50ml Water
  • 3 Tablespoons or 45ml Milk
  • 2 Tablespoons or 18g Bread Flour, Sifted

For Bread:

  • 2 and 1/2 Cups or 300g Bread Flour
  • 1 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon or 20g Dried Milk Powder
  • 1/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons or 75g Granulated White Sugar
  • 1 Large Egg, Room Temperature, 55g each
  • 3/4 Teaspoon or 4g Table Salt
  • 1 and 1/2 Teaspoons or 7g Instant Dry Yeast
  • 1/4 Cup or 60g Unsalted Butter, Melted
  • 1/2 Cup + 2 Tablespoon or 150g Milk
  • All that was made Water Roux / Tangzhong

For Glaze:

  • 1 Egg, lightly beaten
Instructions
  1. Prepare the Water Roux / Tangzhong. Mix all 3 ingredients and heat using a saucepan at medium low heat until the flour has all dissolved and you form a sticky, slightly thickened gel.
  2. Cover the water roux and leave to cool. Meanwhile, mix Bread Flour, Sugar, Salt, Milk Powder and Yeast together in a large bowl. Make sure to put the salt and yeast at separate places before mixing.
  3. To another small saucepan, melt the softened butter at low heat.
  4. Once fully melted, turn off the heat and add in the water roux/tangzhong, egg and milk and mix well until it forms a single wet mixture.
  5. Add in half of the wet mixture into the large bowl containing the dry ingredients and knead using a dough hook attachment at high speed for 1 min 30 seconds or until clumps can be observed.
  6. Mix in the second half and knead well for another 6-7 minutes at medium high speed. Once done, the dough will no longer stick to the bowl and it will pass the windowpane test.
  7. Transfer the dough to a large bowl and sprinkle some water on top of the dough. Cover it with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and proof for an hour.
  8. Once an hour is up, poke a hole at the center of the dough to release the excess air.
  9. Shape into little balls of dough. I weighed the total weight of my dough and divided it by nine, each ball of dough weighed approximately 65g for mine!
  10. Transfer the little balls of dough into your baking tray ( I am using a 8 x 8 inch ), then cover and proof for another 25-30 minutes.
  11. Start preheating the oven at 180 degrees C when the proofing is about to be completed.
  12. Apply egg wash and then bake for about 19-23 minutes. At the 12th minute mark, I placed an aluminium foil to slow down the browning of the top of the buns.
Details
  • Prep time:
  • Cook time:
  • Total time:
  • Yield: 9 Delicious Buns!

Notes:

  1. If you would like to be updated for more recipes which I strive to create to perfection for sharing and for free, do check out my Instagram, Facebook Page, or YouTube 🙂 Thank you so much for all of your support! Feel free to tag me or link back here!
  2. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days. Optimally, eat it within 4 days!

Enjoy!
– Bakeomaniac, Javier Tan