This recipe uses brioche dough as a base. The dough is rolled into a large rectangle, covered with filling, rolled, and cut. To achieve clean cuts, use dental floss or a very sharp serrated knife. I like to keep the filling simple with brown sugar and raisins, but feel free to add pecans. The buns are topped with flaky salt, of course.
Makes 12 large buns
Tangzhong
100g whole milk
30g bread flour
Bread
100g ripe sourdough starter
6 eggs
150g milk
40g honey
3g (1 tsp) instant or dry active yeast
600g bread flour
10g (1 tbsp) Diamond Crystal kosher salt
16 tbsp butter
Filling
200g dark brown sugar
3g (1 tsp) Diamond Crystal kosher salt
2 tbsp butter
50g raisins
100g pecans, roughly chopped (optional
Egg Wash
1 egg
Flaky sea salt
In a small saucepan, whisk 30g bread flour with 100g milk. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula, until the mixture forms a thick paste, around 3 minutes. Scrape the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer, and let cool for 2 minutes
Add the remaining 150g milk to the flour mixture, and whisk until incorporated. Add the eggs, sugar, starter, and yeast, and whisk until homogenous. Add the bread flour to the wet ingredients, and using the dough hook attachment of a stand mixer, mix by hand until no dry spots of flour remain. Cover with a dish towel and let rest for 10 minutes.
Sprinkle the salt over the dough. Attach the bowl and dough hook to the stand mixer and knead on medium-high, scraping down the bowl every so often, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, around 7-10 minutes.
With the mixture running at medium speed, add a tablespoon of butter at a time to the dough, waiting until each piece of butter is fully incorporated before adding another piece. Once all butter is added, return mixer speed to medium-high and knead until dough passes the windowpane test, another 5-10 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a large bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. For best results, proof the dough in the refrigerator overnight, or for 12 hours. Alternatively, let dough rise at room temperature until about doubled in size, 1.5-2 hours.
While the dough is rising, make the filling by whisking together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Once the dough has doubled in size, melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove. Grease a 13”x9” baking pan (not sheet tray) with baking spray or butter. Lightly dust the countertop with flour (bread or AP are both fine). Fold the dough over itself 6 times to fully deflate. Turn the dough onto the floured counter, and roll into a 16”x12” rectangle. Brush the surface of the dough with butter, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the dough evenly. Sprinkle the raisins and pecans (if using) over the brown sugar, then tightly roll the dough to form a 12” log.
The best way to cut the dough into rolls is with dental floss: with a sharp knife, mark 11 even-sized slices on the log (this recipe makes 12 buns). Slide unflavored dental floss underneath the log, wrap around the log, and tighten to pinch the dough off. Alternatively, use a sharp serrated knife to cut the dough into 12 buns. Evenly space the buns in the baking pan, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature until puffed but not quite doubled in size, around 1 hour.
30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat the remaining egg until homogenous. When ready to bake, gently brush the buns with egg wash, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake until the buns are golden brown and register 200°F when probed with an instant read thermometer, 25-35 minutes. Let the buns cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes. Eat the buns warm or at room temperature.
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