Sesame Cardamom Milk Buns (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ Dough
01 -
195g bread flour
02 -
55g cake flour
03 -
30g granulated sugar
04 -
1 large egg (or 50g silken tofu or 50g mashed banana for vegan option)
05 -
1/2 teaspoon salt or 1/2-1 teaspoon miso (red or white)
06 -
30g butter, softened
07 -
2-3g active dry yeast
08 -
140g milk, warmed to 43°C (non-dairy milk works fine too)
→ Filling
09 -
3-4 tablespoons black sesame crunchy butter
10 -
1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
11 -
Ground cardamom, to taste
→ Frosting
12 -
225g cream cheese, softened
13 -
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
14 -
1 teaspoon miso
15 -
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
16 -
2 tablespoons black sesame crunchy butter
17 -
120g confectioners' sugar
18 -
Black sesame powder for topping if you want
→ Finishing
19 -
Beaten egg for wash (or neutral oil, cream, or softened butter for vegan option)
# Instructions:
01 -
Mix the flours, sugar, egg, salt (or miso), and butter in a stand mixer with the dough hook. In a separate cup, blend the yeast with warm milk and a tiny bit of sugar. Wait 10 minutes till it bubbles up, then pour it into your flour mix. Mix slowly until you get a stretchy, slightly sticky dough that won't stick to your fingers. Roll it into a ball.
02 -
Put a cover on your dough and let it sit in a warm spot for about an hour. You can also stick it in the fridge overnight if you want, just make sure you bring it back to room temp before you shape it.
03 -
Grease up a 23cm (9-inch) pan really well or line it with parchment paper.
04 -
Press the air out of your dough and put it on a lightly floured counter. Roll it out into a big rectangle about 0.5cm thick. Spread black sesame crunchy butter all over, but leave a small edge around the border. Sprinkle your brown sugar on top and add some cardamom.
05 -
Roll the dough up into a log and cut it into 9 even pieces. Or if you prefer, cut the rectangle into 9 strips and roll each one up. Put them in your greased pan.
06 -
Let the rolls puff up for about an hour until they're about 1.5 times bigger than when you started.
07 -
About half an hour before you're ready to bake, turn your oven to 180°C (350°F) and make sure the rack is in the middle.
08 -
If you want shiny buns, brush them with egg wash. Bake for 30-35 minutes, but after 20 minutes, cover them with foil so they don't get too brown on top.
09 -
While they're baking, stir together the cream cheese, butter, miso, vanilla, and black sesame crunchy butter in a bowl. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until it's smooth. You can put it in a piping bag if you want to get fancy.
10 -
Take the buns out and let them cool a bit on a wire rack. When they're still warm but not too hot to touch, spread or pipe your frosting on top. You can sprinkle some black sesame powder on top if you want.
# Notes:
01 -
You don't need a mixer for this dough. Just use a spatula and barely knead it.
02 -
Making this vegan is easy. Just swap the egg for tofu or banana, and use plant-based milk and butter.
03 -
The nutty taste from the black sesame butter goes really well with the hint of cardamom in these buns.