Sourdough Milk Buns

4.80 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.

Prep Time1

Cook Time25

Proofing time20

Total Time21 25

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: Buns, Dinner rolls, milk bread, Sourdough, Tangzhong

Servings: buns

Calories: 232kcal

Author: Elise

Equipment

Digital kitchen scale
Stand mixer
Brød & Taylor proofer box (optional, but recommended)
Bench knife
9x9-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 9x9 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