I have a bit of a love affair with this Hokkaido milk bun bread dough recipe!. Ever since i made the milk bread from Cynthia from two red bowls cook book a few weeks ago here, i have been adapting it and trying it in different ways. I also turned it into a laminated dough and filled it with white chocolate hazelnut paste.

It is the fluffiest dough i have ever seen and is so soft and squishy. The tangzhong method seems to help hold the moisture in and keep the bread fresher and softer for longer.

This time the dough worked wonderfully to create a Hokkaido milk bun filled with strawberries and jam. I added some poppy seeds and vanilla to the dough too.

Its perfect for summer mornings in bed, Especially with all the rain we have been having recently, i will take any excuse to stay under the covers for a little longer.

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I love making the most of the juicy plump strawberries we have in season right now. I actually used the left over strawberry rhubarb and hibiscus jam for this, that i made for the jam crostata recently, here.

What is a Hokkaido milk bun?

If you have no idea what a Hokkaido milk bun is, don’t worry i hadn’t heard of it either until recently. Basically it is bread made with milk, dried milk powder and most importantly tangzhong paste. The tangzhong is a paste made with flour and water and mixed in a pan over heat to make a gel like roux, it is then added to the dough.

It creates the puffiest cloud like bread! you will loose your mind when you tear one of these buns off and see the candy floss like interior. I make it every week now just as a normal loaf, but its so easily adapted to make other types of bread, like cinnamon buns etc.

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Print Recipe

Strawberry and poppy seed Hokkaido milk bun recipe

Adapted from Cynthia Chec McTernan from two red bowls Hokkaido milk bread recipe

recipe

For the dough

• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dried yeast
• 2 and a half cups (320g) bread flour (plus more for kneading if not using a stand mixer)
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tbsp. non fat dry milk powder this is optional but you can use condensed milk instead)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tbsp poppy seeds
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons softened butter

For the tangzhong

• 6 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons bread flour (15g)

For the filling

• Strawberry jam
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh strawberries

For the topping

• 3/4 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/3 cup icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp runny honey

Directions

1. The night before, or at least two hours before baking 
   (I have always made it the night before) : in a small sauce pan bring the milk just to the boil, 2 to 3 minutes, or heat to the boil in a microwave, in a microwave safe bowl. About one minute. This scalds the milk and kills any enzymes that might prevent the yeast from working. Set aside to cool slightly. Pour through a sieve when ready to use If you find a film has formed on the surface.
2. Now make the tangzhong: in a small sauce pan add the water and flour and whisk until no lumps remain. Heat over a medium/low heat whisking constantly until the mixture resembles a roux like gel, about 2 minutes. As soon as lines begin to appear in the mixture when it is stirred, remove from the heat and transfer to a small clean bowl and allow to cool down to room temperature.
3. Prepare the dough: When the milk is just warm and no longer hot, about 100f to 110f, sprinkle the yeast on top and let sit until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile in the bowl of your stand mixer add the flour, salt, sugar and milk powder and poppy seeds and mix. (you can make it by hand, but I prefer to use my mixer. If you are making It without a mixer then click the link below to see the instructions on food52 for Cynthia’s original recipe)
5. Once the yeast has foamed, add the egg and tangzhong and whisk together until well combined.
6. Turn your mixer on and pour in the liquid and vanilla extract and start mixing with the dough hook. 
7. After the dough has been mixing for two minutes add the butter in small chunks a bit at a time and making sure it is combined before you add the next chunk. Turn the mixer up and knead for another 3 to 5 minutes.
8. Place the dough in a large bowl, so it has space to rise and cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge over night until it has doubled in size. (alternatively let is rise in a cool place for 2 hours)
9. The next day: remove the dough from the fridge. when I do this over night method I like to leave the bowl on the work top for 30 minutes so it can get back to room temperature, but I’m not sure that step is essential.
10. Roll out the dough on a flour surface and spread on a thin layer of strawberry jam, leaving a gap around the edge.
11. Sprinkle over chopped strawberries and then roll up into a tight log.
12. Cut into 6 pieces and place into a lined round baking tin (21cm), leaving space between each one to rise.
13. Leave to rise again for 1 hour, until doubled in size.
14. Preheat the oven to 180c 350f.
15. Bake for 30/40 minutes until golden brown, or an instant read thermometer inserted into the middle reads 200f

The original milk bread recipe was also featured on Food52 find it here.

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