Mocha Buns
My mom promised me that I would be able to make mocha buns today! And I did...There were MANY steps in making the dough, letting it rise, etc, and it took about 4 hours in total. And the kitchen became a mess in the process. Whew! But no, don't freak out! It's TOTALLY worth it. The bun is flaky, soft, and yellow. Why yellow? Because the butter filling soaked into it, creating a delicious effect. Also, the coffee crust on top adds a great aroma to the already yummy bun.
These mocha buns are actually Korean buns. If you've ever been to a Korean bakery, you'll know that the the bread they sell there are delicious. How I miss them! So that's why I made them myself. And they turned out delicious. I mean, just look at the flakiness of that buttery bread!
I love kneading bread. I just LOVE the feel of dough, and the soft, elastic texture I get once I finish kneading. AND, now I'm going to stop talking. Here's the recipe!
Mocha Buns
Ingredients
FOR THE DOUGH:
-200g all-purpose flour
-40g sugar
-4 pinches of salt
-1 tsp instant dry yeast
-80ml milk
-1 room temperature egg
-50g of room temperature butter
FOR THE FILLING:
-100g room temp. butter
-1/4 tsp salt
FOR THE TOPPING:
-45g room temp. butter
-30g sugar
-1/2 of an egg (whisk it first and divide in half)
-1 tsp milk
-45g all-purpose flour
-1/8 tsp baking powder
-3/4 of a tsp instant coffee powder
Instructions
FOR THE DOUGH
1. Sift the bread flour.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the sifted bread flour, sugar, salt, and instant dry yeast.
3. Warm the milk on the stove for a few seconds until lukewarm and whisk the egg in.
4. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the milk and egg mixture.
5. Knead the dough (with a wooden spoon first and then with your hand) until it comes together, about 2 min. The way you knead it is not very important here. The dough should be quite sticky.
6. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Now, you need to knead that dough in a special way to obtain your bread texture. HOW TO KNEAD: Stretch the dough away from you with one hand. Fold the dough in half to your direction. Repeat for 10-15 minutes. When you're finished, your dough should be soft and elastic. When you stretch a piece of dough until it is very thin but does not tear, you're done kneading.
7. Put the butter in the middle of your dough, wrap it up, and knead in the same way as in step 6 for five minutes.
8. Make the dough as round as you can and place it in a greased bowl. Place that bowl in a basin of hot water and let it sit there for 1 hour. If you insert your finger into the dough and the impression stays, your dough is done resting. Also, your dough should be twice the size it once was.
FOR THE FILLING
1. While you wait for the dough to rise, put the butter and the salt into a small bowl and whisk them together for 30 seconds.
FOR THE TOPPING
1. Put the butter in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer for 20 sec. Add the rest of the topping ingredients and beat for 30 more seconds.
ASSEMBLING IT ALL
1. When your dough is done rising, press it down with your fingers to release the gas and divide it into eight sections.
2. Make the pieces of dough round with your hands and let them rest, covered (with a cloth) for 15 minutes.
3. Flatten the round pieces of dough, place 12g of filling on each of them, and wrap them up. Make sure you pinch the openings tightly.
4. Put them on a pan lined with parchment paper and cover with a cloth. I'm sorry, but let it rest for forty more minutes! (In a warm area) Preheat your oven at this point, to 200 degrees celsius.
5. Spread the topping on each of the buns. (I just used my fingers) Finally, put the pan in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. Cool, and ENJOY!!!
Adapted from a Korean cookbook named 진짜 기본 베이킹 책 by super recipes. http://www.super-recipe.co.kr/etc_06/etc_s4_01.php?inc=view&idx=130&tbname=notice