How To Make Sourdough Milk Buns

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.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

• The ultimate sourdough milk buns
• Recipe run through
• Tools I recommend
• Bake milk buns with me
• For more sourdough recipes, check out:
• Bakers schedule

The Ultimate Sourdough Milk 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.

Recipe run-through

DAY 1

1. Prepare sourdough levain and tangzhong

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 up over medium heat while stirring with a whisk. Once the mixture has thickened and reached the temperature of 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.

2. Make the main dough

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 2

3. Shape, proof, and bake

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.

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 internal temperature is at 195°C/90°C.

You don’t need a lot of tools to make milk buns, but there are a few things I recommend you have on hand:

• Digital Scale is essential for exact measurements.
• Stand mixer fitted with a dough hook to easily knead your dough.
• Brød & Taylor Proofer Box – to perfectly manage the temperature during proof.
• Bench knife – to divide the dough and assist you during shaping.
• This dough fits perfectly in a 9×9-inch baking pan.

Bake Sourdough Milk Buns With Me

For more sourdough recipes, check out:

• JAPANESE SOURDOUGH MILK BREAD

• EASY SEEDED SANDWICH BREAD

• BRIOCHE BURGER BUNS

• THE BEST SOURDOUGH CINNAMON ROLLS

• SOURDOUGH BAGELS

Sourdough Milk Buns

Elise

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. 

4.8 from 25 votes

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Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Proofing time 20 hours hrs

Total Time 21 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine Japanese

Yield 9 buns

Calories 232 kcal

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.

Notes

Nutritional analysis per serving (approx. 9 servings) The nutrition facts are automatically calculated. I can not guarantee the accuracy of the data. Please don’t consider it a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bunCalories: 232kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 7gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 197mgPotassium: 88mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 62IUCalcium: 41mgIron: 2mg

Keywords Buns, Dinner rolls, milk bread, Sourdough, Tangzhong

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