Honey & Sage Milk Buns
These honey & sage milk buns are soft, fluffy, and packed with flavor—perfect for pairing with any soup or meal. Topped with browned honey & sage butter, plus a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Large bowl
- Saucepan
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 100 g whole milk
- 20 g bread flour
Main Dough
- 350 g bread flour
- 15 g milk powder
- 7 g instant dry yeast
- 7 g salt
- 1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk
- 80 g whole milk at around 77°F (25°C)
- 20 g honey
- all the tangzhong at room temp
- 65 g unsalted butter softened at room temp
Honey & Sage Butter
- 45 g unsalted butter
- 1 handful fresh sage leaves
- 20 g honey
Toppings
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
Tangzhong
- In a small pot, combine the ingredients listed for Tangzhong.100 g whole milk, 20 g bread flour
- Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring continuously.
- Once the mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency, remove it from the heat.
- Transfer the tangzhong to a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap that touches the surface of the tangzhong. This is to prevent a skin from forming.
- Allow the tangzhong to cool to room temperature before continuing with the next step.
Prepare the Main Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine all the ingredients listed for the main dough, excluding the butter, including the tangzhong.350 g bread flour, 15 g milk powder, 7 g instant dry yeast, 7 g salt, 1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk, 80 g whole milk, 20 g honey, all the tangzhong
- Knead the dough on low to medium speed for about 10 minutes.
- Gradually add the cubed butter to the dough, one cube at a time, while continuing to knead.65 g unsalted butter
- Continue kneading for another 10-20 minutes or until the dough passes the window-pane test – it should be smooth, elastic, and able to be stretched thinly without tearing.
- Gently shape the dough into a round, and place it in a lightly oiled baking bowl.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough proof for about 90 minutes, ideally at around 77°F (25°C), until it doubles in size.
Shape
- Once the dough has doubled in size, dump it onto a lightly floured work surface.
- Divide the dough into 9 or 12 equal pieces, depending on whether you want larger or smaller buns. Use a scale for accuracy.
- Shape each dough piece into seamless rounds and place in a greased/lined 9×9 baking tray.
- Cover and proof in a warm spot (ideally at 77°F/25°C) for 30-45 minutes, or until the milk buns have doubled in size and look nice and puffy.
Bake
- Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C.
- Gently brush the tops of the milk buns with egg wash.
- Bake the for 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 200°F (95°C). While the milk buns are baking, prepare the honey & sage butter:
Honey & Sage Butter
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.45 g unsalted butter
- Add the sage leaves and let them simmer while swirling the pan.1 handful fresh sage leaves
- Continue cooking until the butter turns a light golden brown.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat, use tongs to remove the sage leaves, and finely chop them on a cutting board.
- Return the chopped sage to the pan with the browned butter.
- Stir in the honey until combined. If the butter has cooled, return the pan to low heat until the honey melts into the butter.20 g honey
Finishing Touches
- Once the milk buns are done baking, remove them from the oven and immediately brush them with the honey & sage butter. Let them sit in the baking pan to soak up that delicious flavor.
- Transfer to a cooling rack and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.flaky sea salt
- Let the honey & sage milk buns cool for a few minutes, and enjoy!