Sourdough milk buns
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The Ultimate Sourdough Milk Buns

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These ultra-soft sourdough milk buns are a must-try. Eat them as dinner rolls or just on their own. They have a very mild sourdough flavor and are enriched with cream cheese and butter, which creates the most amazing flavor and texture. This recipe was adapted from my Sourdough Japanese Milk Bread recipe.

Table Of Contents

Fluffy Sourdough Buns

Sourdough milk buns are relatively easy to make. Remember to give the dough enough time to ferment and read the whole recipe before you begin. Don’t forget to check out the bakers schedule at the end of this post to help plan out your bake.

sourdough milk bread

Recipe run through

Day one
  • Prepare the sweet levain – Start by gathering all your ingredients and adding them to a bowl or starter jar. Use a rubber spatula and mix until just combined. Cover the bowl and let it rise for 4 hours at around 78F/26C until it has doubled/tripled in size.
  • Make the tangzhong: Add milk and flour to a small pot. Heat over medium heat while stirring with a whisk. Once the mixture has thickened and reached 150°F/65°C, it is ready. Next, transfer the tangzhong to a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap that touches the entire surface of the tangzhong. Cool to room temperature before continuing with the next step.
tangzhong
tangzhong
  • Mix up the main dough – Pop all the ingredients, except salt and butter, into your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Knead until the dough comes together (1-2 minutes). Then cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
  • Add salt – Add the salt and knead for 10 minutes at low-medium speed until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
  • Add butter – You want your butter to be soft and at room temperature but not melty. Cut it into cubes, and slowly, while the mixer is on, add one cube of butter at a time. When you have added all the butter, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and continue mixing at medium speed until the dough passes the window-pane test. This can take anywhere from 10-25 minutes, depending on your mixer.
  • First proof – Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl and proof for three hours at around 78°F/26°C. This dough typically won’t rise much during the first proof, especially compared to non-sourdough bakes. What you’re looking for is more of an initial rest. I like to use my Brød and Taylor proofer to manage the temperature.
  • Overnight rest in the fridge – Place the dough in the fridge overnight. This second rest stiffens up the dough, which makes it a lot easier to handle during shaping. The overnight rest in the fridge also helps develop a lot of flavor in the milk buns.
Day two
  • Shape – Take the dough out of the fridge and divide it into nine equal pieces. Each piece will be around 80 grams. You can also make them smaller if you’d like – use a kitchen scale for accuracy so that each bun is the same size. Or don’t. You do you. Working with one piece at a time, flatten it slightly, fold it into somewhat of a round, then use your hands and work surface to roll it into a tight, even ball.
how to shape - milk buns
how to shape - milk buns
how to shape - milk buns
how to shape - milk buns

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  • Final proof – Arrange the buns in a 9×9 baking pan. Place in a warm spot, around 78°F/26°C is recommended, and proof for 5-8 hours or until the buns have doubled in size.
  • Bake – Use a sieve to sprinkle a thin layer of flour over the buns. Bake at 300°F/150°C for 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature is 195°C/90°C.

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sourdough Milk Buns

Sourdough Milk Buns

4.8 from 25 votes
These ultra-soft sourdough milk buns are a must-try. Eat them as dinner rolls or just on their own. They have a very mild sourdough flavor and are enriched with cream cheese and a little bit of butter, which creates the most amazing flavor and texture. 
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Yield9 buns
Prep Time1 hour
Proofing time 20 hours
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time21 hours 25 minutes

Equipment

  • Digital kitchen scale
  • Stand mixer
  • Brød & Taylor proofer box (optional, but recommended)
  • Bench knife
  • 9×9-inch baking pan

Ingredients

Sweet Levain

  • 40 g active sourdough starter
  • 40 g whole milk cold
  • 40 g bread flour
  • 10 g sugar

Tangzhong

  • 100 g whole milk
  • 20 g bread flour

Main Dough

  • 310 g bread flour
  • 20 g sugar
  • 50 g whole milk cold
  • 70 g eggs 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
  • 50 g cream cheese full fat
  • all the sweet levain
  • all the tangzhong
  • 8 g salt
  • 25 g unsalted butter

Instructions
 

Sweet Levain

  • In a bowl, mix active sourdough starter, flour, sugar, and cold milk. Cover and rise in a warm spot (ideally at 78°F) for 4 hours, or until doubled in size. You want the levain to be active but not overly sour and liquid.
    40 g active sourdough starter, 40 g whole milk, 40 g bread flour, 10 g sugar

Tangzhong

  • Mix flour and milk in a small pot. Heat up over medium heat. Stir until the mixture thickens and reaches a temperature of 150°F/65°C.
  • Transfer to a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap that touches the entire surface of the tangzhong. Cool to room temperature.
    100 g whole milk, 20 g bread flour

Main Dough

  • Add all ingredients, except salt and butter, to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix until the dough comes together. Cover, and autolyse for 30 minutes.
    310 g bread flour, 20 g sugar, 50 g whole milk, 70 g eggs, 50 g cream cheese, all the sweet levain, all the tangzhong
  • Add the salt, and knead at medium speed for 10 minutes. At this point, the dough should be tacky but not stick to the fingers.
    8 g salt
  • Slowly add in cubed, softened butter. Continue kneading at medium speed for 15-25 minutes until your dough passes the window-pane test.
    25 g unsalted butter
  • Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover, and place in a warm spot (ideally at 78°F/26°C.) Proof for 3 hours.
  • After 3 hours, transfer the bowl with dough to the fridge for an overnight rest (8-15 hours.)

Shape

  • Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and divide it into 9 equal pieces (around 80g each.) Roll into seamless rounds, and place in a lined 9×9 baking pan.
  • Proof at 78°F/26°C until the buns have doubled in size. This usually takes 5-8 hours.

Bake

  • Preheat your oven to 300°F/150°C.
  • Use a fine-mesh sieve to sprinkle a thin layer of flour over the buns.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes or until internal temperature is at 90°C.
  • Transfer to a cooling rack and let the buns cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

bakers schedule

This recipe is A two-day process. Ready in the afternoon.
  • 10 AM Step 1: Sweet levain
  • 1 PM Step 2: Prepare tangzhong
  • 2 PM Step 3.1: Mix main dough for autolyse
  • 2:30 PM Step 3.2: Add salt and knead
  • 2:40 PM Step 3.3 Add butter and knead
  • 3:05 PM Step 3.4 Proof in warm spot
  • 6 PM Step 3.5: Main dough to fridge for overnight proof
  • 8 AM Step 4: Shape and final proof
  • 1-4 PM (Approximately) Step 5: Bake

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4.80 from 25 votes (18 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




7 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Love this recipe! I tested it for thanksgiving and am going to be making theese for our thanksgiving dinner.

    I would say making sure you take them out when they reach the right temperature is key, don’t base it off of how browned they look! I made this mistake, but hey we all learn 🙂

    Reply

  2. 5 stars
    I’ve made these 3 times so far & they are so good! The only thing I did differently is a shaped them into 12 dinner rolls (about 64g), which is the perfect size for us! I’m making them for friends too & will have made 9 dozen by Thanksgiving!

    Reply

  4. 5 stars
    Wow! These buns were amazing!! Looking forward to making them again. The only thing I may try next time is adding more sugar for a sweeter flavor- just a personal preference, but not needed! Easy recipe to follow.

    Reply

  5. 5 stars
    I’ve made these buns a dozen times now, they are my families favorite! I’ve made them for friends too! The only variation is I made 12 buns & made them 62.5 grams each. They are the perfect size!

    Reply

  6. 5 stars
    These are incredible! I made these but sized them down a bit for my smaller pan.

    Also I’m thinking of trying this in a shokupan cube bread tin (with a lid).

    What % would you adjust the ingredients down to fit a 300g cube shaped tin (approx 95mm x 95mm x 95mm)?

    Reply