Black Sesame Soft Milk Buns
Pan Size : 8inch Square Pan
Yield : 9 buns
Recipe for : Philips Air Fryer XXL OR Air Fryer Oven
These buns are so fragrant and taste as if you just slab on a thick layer of sesame spread on a plain soft milk bun. These would also be great when shaped into burger buns as it will complement savoury patties perfectly well.
INGREDIENTS BELOW:
300g Bread Flour (230g Bread Flour + 70g AP Flour if you prefer a softer/less chewy texture)
3.6g Instant Yeast
36g Fine Sugar
3.6g Fine Salt
225ml Whole Milk
25g Unsalted Butter (softened)
45g Sesame Paste (use sesame toast spread as it is softer)
**My old soft milk bun recipes were using 250g flour but I noticed that my buns weren’t shaping up tall enough so I tested it with increased volume and it turned out exactly how I wanted it to be**
DOUGH PREP METHOD BELOW:
1) Sieve bread flour into mixing bowl. Add in yeast & sugar then whisk it to incorporate the dry ingredients evenly. Pour in milk and add in salt
HAND MIXER + HAND KNEADING METHOD BELOW:
1) Use hand mixer with dough hook at Speed 2 (low) to knead the dough for about 2mins. Once you see the dough structure start to form, add in butter & sesame paste (fold in dough with your hand to cover the butter & sesame paste) and continue kneading for another 3mins
[Note : Rest handmixer for about 30secs or so after adding butter & sesame paste to prolong the “life” of your hand mixer. Do not use hand mixers below 300watts cause it will just burn out. If you’re using stand mixer, you’re absolutely safe]
2) You will see the dough forming into a scraggly ball at about the 3rd minute onwards
3) Move dough to a clean surface to start hand kneading. Use a spatula to transfer every bit out
4) DO NOT succumb to the temptation of dusting the surface with flour as it will reduce the hydration level of the dough. Try using a plastic/marble/any smooth surface for this.
Take a deep breath, warm up your arms & elbow for a good workout in the next steps!
5) Start to slap & fold your dough by pulling up the whole dough & slapping it down gently. Repeat this motion by taking the dough nearest to your body, fold it front then pulling up the dough and slapping it down gently again. Continue to hand knead for 10–15 minutes
**Alternatively, after using hand mixer for 5mins, you can hand knead the dough for 5mins, rest it for 5mins. Hand knead again for 5mins and rest it for 5mins before doing the window pane test. The rest time in between not only allow you time to rest your arms but also for gluten to form within the dough making it easier to pass the window pane test**
6) Test your dough by stretching it to see if it stretches well without breaking immediately & if it passes the “window pane test”. You can start your 1st proofing once this is done.
7) Smoothen up & lightly tighten the dough then place them into a bowl (dusted with flour — remove any remaining flour in the bowl) Cover with a cling wrap or towel. Proof it for 1hr or till double in size
**For Hand Mixer + Hand Kneading user, you can refer to my video guide here under “Hand Kneading” section**
STAND MIXER METHOD BELOW (using dough hook) :
1) Use Speed 1 to bring together all the ingredients for 2mins while lightly scrapping the sides to the middle using spatula so the dry ingredients come together
2) At 2mins you will see the dough coming together then shift to Speed 2 for 3 mins to knead the dough
3) Stop the mixer and scrape down the dough from the hook. Add in butter & sesame paste and fold the dough over it and let it rest for 3 minutes
4) Once 3 minutes is up, continue to knead the dough at Speed 2 for 1min then progress to Speed 4 for 4mins. Let dough rest for another 3 minutes
5) After resting the dough, knead the dough at Speed 4 for 5 minutes. Test your dough by stretching it to see if it stretches well without breaking immediately & if it passes the “window pane test”. You can start your 1st proofing once this is done.
6) Smoothen up & lightly tighten the dough then place them into a bowl (dusted with flour — remove any remaining flour in the bowl) Cover with a cling wrap or towel. Proof it for 1hr or till double in size
**For Standmixer user, you can refer to my video guide here under “Standmixer 101” section**
SHAPING METHOD :
1)After 1hr, remove the dough from mixing bowl. Depending on how big your tray is, weigh your whole dough if possible, then divide it into the no. of portions your tray can fit. Most dough should weigh about 670g — 690g
I divided my dough into 9 portions weighing about 74g each
10) Roll up & pre-shape the doughs & let it rest on the surface for 15mins under cling wrap/cloth
11) Press down each dough with a rolling pin to remove any air bubbles from the dough & roll it up into a taut ball to make sure it’s tight & smooth (removing air bubbles help to ensure your texture is even inside and the top of your bun does not collapse down when pressed causing an ugly dent in). Refer here on how to ensure your ball is smooth & taut.
Put them onto your lined tray. Place them side by side & you will see double in size later with their sides sticking to each other for the pull-apart effect after bake. If you prefer to have individually shaped buns, have larger gaps in between them and divide the portions into 2 baking trays instead
12) Proof it for another 1hr or until double the size. Depending on the temperature in your home, some cooler condition require a little longer proofing. Normally the rule of thumb is, dough doubling in size
AIR FRYER BAKING METHOD BELOW:
1) Pre-heat AF @ 140degrees for 5mins
2) Bake @ 140degrees for 15mins
3) Leave buns in AF for 2mins before removing to be cooled on rack. Try to cool it down outside the tray with baking paper removed to avoid a soggy bottom (cooling on rack — with holes below allows for hot air to travel out of the bun) Cover with cloth for it to cool down to prevent crust from deflating due to sudden temperature change and keeps the buns from drying out.
(if the bottom of your buns become moist due to moisture heat, just flip your buns over and throw it in the AF/oven to bake for 1min @ 140degrees)
4) Serve if you must but I prefer to keep mine overnight for breakfast the next day. After cooling on the rack, I move them into my air tight Lock & Lock container. This is how the buns turned out to be after bake — all fluffy with the pull apart texture
Hope this recipe helps all AF bakers out there. Do try to batch test for the right temperature and bake timing since Air Fryers may vary due to different circumstances (usage frequency, size and model)
MORE RECIPES HERE :)
