Chinese Hot Dog Milk Buns (Octopus Shape)- with sourdough option
Course: Baked Buns
Cuisine: Asian Fusion
Prep Time: 25 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 15 minutesminutes
Proof the dough twice:: 2 hourshours
Total Time: 2 hourshours40 minutesminutes
Servings: 10buns
Calories: 174kcal
Author: Marvellina
Savory mini hot dogs are wrapped in soft and fluffy milk buns and shaped like octopuses are not only delicious but also fun for little ones (the adults would love them too!). The recipe can be made using commercial yeast or natural yeast (sourdough starter)
This recipe will give you sourdough bread that doesn't taste sour. Why? Because we use a Sweet Stiff Levain, which is built from regular 100% hydration sourdough starter. I don't maintain stiff starter. I build it whenever I need it. I love baking enriched bread/buns and steamed buns using sweet stiff starter.
I recommend using a starter that is at least one month old and consistently doubles or triples in 4-6 hours when you feed it at 1:1:1 ratio. Young starter will not give the best result
About 8-10 hours before you plan to make the bread, combine all ingredients for the stiff starter in a bowl. Stir a bit to roughly combine and then use your clean hand to knead it. This is a stiff starter, it's like a dough. Make sure no pockets of dry flour are visible. Transfer to a large see-through container (plastic or glass is fine, preferably wide-mouth so you can get it out easier later). Loosely cover with the lid and let it ferment until triple in size
Prepare the dough (for both commercial yeast and sourdough method):
Place all ingredients (except for butter), including all of the stiff starter (if using), in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Use the hook to stir everything around a bit so when you turn the machine on, the flour won't fly around and wet ingredients won't splash (it happened to me before!). Start with the lowest speed to mix things up and then increase to speed 2 and knead for about 5 minutes or until it forms a dough. If the dough too dry to come together, you can add a bit of milk one teaspoon at a time. Don't add too much as we haven't added butter yet
Then add softened butter, in 3-4 batches. The dough will turn into a complete mess again because of the butter, but don't worry, it will get absorbed by the dough as it knead. Knead at speed 4 for about 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. If you slowly stretch a small amount of dough, it will not break and light can pass through, like a window pane. Proceed to first proofing
First proofing:
Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and proof at a warm place until double in size. If you use commercial yeast, this may take about 1-2 hours. If you use a sourdough starter, this may take about 2-3 hours at 78-80 F (26-28 C), depending on the strength of your starter and temperature. When you poke the dough with your lightly-floured finger, the indentation stays and the dough has clearly almost doubled or doubled in size
Shaping:
Cut each hot dog into half, so you get 10 pieces. Then score 5-6 lines at the bottom half of the hot dog pieces. Set aside.
Punch the dough down and give it a knead for a few times. Divide into 10 equal -size smaller doughs. Round up each dough to roughly form a ball. Cover and let them rest for 15 minutes
Then work with one dough at a time, flatten the dough with your palm and roll it into an oval shape. Then fold both sides in and place the hot dog and roll to the other end. Pinch the seam to seal really well so it won’t open up after proofing. Repeat with the rest of the dough and the hot dog pieces. Place them about 2-3 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Repeat with the rest of the dough and the hot dog pieces. Place them about 2-3 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Final proofing:
Cover the shaped buns with a clean cloth orplastic cover and let them proof again at a warm place until they are puffy and almost double in size. If you use commercial yeast, this may take 45 minutes to 1 hour or longer depending on the temperature. If you use sourdough starter, this may take about 3 1/2- 4 hours or longer, depending on temperature and the strength of your starter. Final proofing usually takes much longer for sourdough. Mature starter works faster compared to young starter for example
When you gently push on the dough, the indentation bounces back very gradually and may leave a bit of indentation. The dough also feels really light and puffy. These are signs that we are done with final proofing
Brush the surface of the dough with an egg wash and then sprinkle with some parmesan cheese
Baking:
10 minutes before the end of final proofing, preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). Place the baking sheet in the middle rack and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Rotate the pan halfway through baking
Let the buns cool down on the cooling rack for 10-15 minutes before decorating the eyes. You can use mayonnaise and black sesame seeds to decorate the eyes. My kids like the Halloween eye-shaped candy and so that's what I used. I use mayonnaise as the "glue" for the eyes
Storing:
These are best served warm on the same day. I recommend only decorating as many as you want to serve. Leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container and kept in the fridge for 2-3 days or in the freezer for about 1 month.
Simply wrap them loosely in a foil and then preheat in the oven at 3 cde3X50 F for 5-8 minutes or until heated through, then decorate with the eyes. If you have already decorated the eyes before, remember to remove them before preheating as they might melt in the oven