Name: Tangzhong Chinese Sausage Buns (Hong Kong Style)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 135 min
Ingredients: 15 gr bread flour (5 tsp); 90 ml whole milk (6 Tbsp); 300 gr bread flour (2 cups + 2 Tbsp + 1 tsp); 5 gr instant yeast (1 1/2 tsp); 5 gr milk powder (1 1/2 tsp); 120 ml whole milk (1/2 cup); 1 large egg (lightly beaten); 40 gr butter (3 Tbsp, softened); 3/4 tsp salt; 2 Tbsp sugar; 10 hot dogs; 1 egg (beaten); 1 tsp milk

RECIPE v VIDEO v

Make these delicious Asian bakery-style sausage / hot dogs are wrapped in soft fluffy milk buns made with tangzhong (water roux) method.
Tangzhong Chinese Sausage Buns (Hong Kong Style)
If you walk into bakery shops in Asia, chances are you will see these Chinese sausage buns. It’s one of my favorites and I often chose that when I went to a bakery shop with my dad. I love making bread/buns using tangzhong method. It’s almost like my go-to when it comes to making bread or buns. If you have not tried Chinese sausage buns wrapped with tangzhong buns, you have to try it out. Hot dog is one type of sausage and in Asia, at least where I grew up, the term hot dog and sausage are used interchangeably. But here in the U.S., hot dogs and sausages aren’t used interchangeably like that. I don’t know if it is because of sausages in the U.S. are usually shaped like round patties instead of long and lean like hot dogs? Anyway, I’m not here to argue which is what and I’m not an expert enough to do so anyway. Just so you know that the sausage here refers to hot dogs 🙂
Tangzhong Chinese Sausage Buns (Hong Kong Style)
It’s no secret anymore by now that tangzhong seriously makes soft and fluffy bread and buns. I used my favorite Hokkaido milk bread (tangzhong and autolyse method) recipe to make these sausage buns too. You can read more about what tangzhong is in that post if you are new to it. I won’t bore you again with the same discussion in this post.

HOW TO MAKE TANGZHONG CHINESE SAUSAGE BUNS

You can refer to the step-by-step process on how to make the tangzhong and the dough here. It’s the exact same steps until the first proofing.
1. After the dough is proofed for the first time and double in size, divide into 8-10 equal pieces. 8 pieces will make really large buns. I think 10 is perfect, especially if the sausage is short. Cover and let them rest before proceeding

2. Roll each ball out into a long rod shape, about 7-8 inches long.

3. Wrap the hot dog with the rod and tuck the end at the bottom and place it on a baking sheet. Repeat with the rest. Keep them covered while you are shaping the rest

4. Let the shaped dough proof again for another 40 minutes or until they are almost double in size again

5. Mix the egg with milk. Brush the top of the dough with egg wash

6. Preheat oven to 350 F and pop it into the oven (3rd rack from the top) and let them bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Move them to the cooling rack to let them cool down

HOW TO STORE

1. Let them cool down completely
2. Keep in a zipper bag or air-tight container for 2-3 days

FREEZE FOR LONGER STORAGE

I won’t recommend storing them in the fridge as it makes the bread stale faster. Here’s how to freeze them:
1. Wrap them in an aluminum foil
2. Put them in a freezer bag, push all air out, and seal the bag. Consume within 6 months for the best result

HOW TO REHEAT

1. Thaw them overnight in the fridge
2. Loosely wrap them in an aluminum foil. Reheat in preheated oven/toaster oven/air fryer at 350 F for 5 minutes or until heated through
Tangzhong Chinese Sausage Buns (Hong Kong Style)

TO MAKE THE DOUGH AHEAD AND FREEZE

Freezing unbaked yeasted dough is a great idea to be ahead of your game, however, there are a few modifications that need to be done because some yeast that has been activated may die in the cold freezer. I actually prefer to bake and then freeze, but if you must make ahead and freeze the unbaked dough, here are what you can do:
1. Prepare the dough as instructed in the recipe up to the point where you have done kneading until it reaches a windowpane stage
2. DO NOT let the dough rise. Divide the dough and shape them immediately
3. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put the shaped buns not touching each other in the coldest part of your freezer, for about an hour or so until they are hard but many not be completely frozen. We want them to be frozen as quickly as possible to avoid ice crystals from interfering with the yeast
4. Transfer them to a freezer bag and push all the air out and seal and keep them frozen
5. I recommend not to freeze them more than 2 weeks for the best result (I would do only one week if I were you). Freezing them for too long will decrease the yeast ability to rise well because some of them may have died in the cold
6. When ready to bake, thaw at room temperature and then proceed to let them rise at a warm place and bake as instructed in the recipe

TO MAKE THE DOUGH AND REFRIGERATE

1. Prepare the dough as instructed in the recipe up to the point where you have done kneading until it reaches a windowpane stage
2. Put it in a lightly oil bowl and cover with a lid or wrap to prevent the dough surface from drying out. Let it do its first rise at a warm place for about 30 minutes or until you notice it is about 50% puffy. Put this in the fridge to continue the first rise in the fridge. The dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 48 hours for the best result. Make sure your bowl is large enough as the dough will rise and grow larger
3. On the day you are ready to do the baking, get the dough out and let it comes to room temperature, may take about an hour or so and then proceed to shaping and continue with second proofing at a warm place

Tangzhong Chinese Sausage Buns (Hong Kong Style)

DID YOU MAKE THIS TANGZHONG CHINESE SAUSAGE BUNS RECIPE?

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Tangzhong Chinese Sausage Buns (Hong Kong Style)