Easiest No-Knead No-Tangzhong Softest Milk Buns/Bread/Dinner Rolls

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Chinese

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 15

Proofing: 2 40

Total Time: 3

Servings: large buns

Calories: 237kcal

Author: Marvellina

If you like a soft fluffy milk buns/bread/dinner rolls without having to prepare tangzhong and do all the kneading, this recipe does it. It yields a very soft texture and it's incredibly easy to put together.

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US Customary - Metric

Equipment

Mixing Bowl

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

350 g bread flour see notes 4
6 g instant yeast see notes 1,2,3
40 g sugar
½ tsp salt

Wet ingredients:

200 g milk (dairy or non-dairy) see notes 5
1 large egg about 50 grams without the shell
45 g butter melted (or use 40 gr or 3 Tbsp of cooking oil)

If using egg wash:

1 large egg beaten
1 tsp milk

If using butter to brush on top:

1 Tbsp butter (melted)

Instructions

Prepare the dough:

Mix all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine
In another mixing bowl, whisk eggs with milk, and melted butter until combined
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and use a sturdy spatula (don't use your hands) to stir to mix until you get a mass of dough that is sticky to touch than usual dough. You are on the right track, don't panic. Cover and let the dough rest for 20 minutes

First stretch and fold:

Use your spatula to scoop the edge of the dough over to the center to fold. Do this around all the edge of the dough, about 25-30 times. This motion helps to build the dough's strength so the baked buns will be light and airy. Then cover again and let it rest for another 20 minutes

Second stretch and fold:

Do the same motion again by scooping the edge of the dough over to the center to fold over. This round you may only need about 20-25 folds. You will notice that the dough gets smoother
Lightly oil your palms with a bit of oil and then pick up the dough and give it a few short knead to round up the dough and you will see that the dough is smooth now. Proceed to the first proofing

First Proofing:

Spray the side of the bowl with non-stick cooking spray or you can use a bit of oil to smear the side of the bowl. Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 1-1 1/2 hours or until it doubles in size. It may longer too if the temperature is cooler. I use my oven "bread proof" function. If you don't have this option, turn the light bulb inside your oven and place the dough in there. The light bulb helps to warm the oven up in a controlled environment, or you can turn on your oven to the lowest temperature and then turn it off and open the door a little bit and wait for 15 minutes or so until it's warm and not hot before proofing the dough in there. We don't want to kill the yeast

Shaping:

Line a 9 x 9 inch pan with a parchment paper. Alternatively, you can grease the pan with some oil
After first proofing, the dough should double in size, if not, let it proof a bit longer
Punch the air out and give it a kneading a few times and shape the dough into a dough ball. Divide the dough into 9 or 12 smaller dough balls. Keep them covered and rest for 10 minutes to relax the gluten
Work with one dough at a time. Gently flatten the dough and then pull and tuck the dough from the edge to the center to form a tight dough ball
Place this inside a pan, seam side down. Continue with the rest of the dough

Second proofing:

Cover and let them proof again until it doubles in size, about 40 minutes or longer. If you gently press on the dough, it bounces back gradually and leaves a bit of indentation

Baking:

If you plan to use egg wash, whisk the egg with milk for egg wash
10 minutes before the end of second proofing, preheat your oven to 375 F (190C) for a conventional oven. For a convection oven, reduce baking temperature by 20 F or 15 C. Brush the proofed buns with egg wash and then sprinkle with white sesame seeds if you like OR you can lightly dust the top with some all-purpose flour using a sieve for a more snow-like effect OR just leave them plain and brush with melted butter on top after baking later
Place this on the 3rd rack from the top (or middle of the oven) and bake for the next 20 minutes or until the top are golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush them with some melted butter if you like
Transfer to a cooling rack to let them cool down and serve while they are warm or at room temperature

Storing:

Let the buns cool down completely. If it's not humid where you are, they can be kept at room temperature for about 3 days in an air-tight container
For longer storage, after they cool down completely, wrap them up tightly in a cling wrap, then place in a freezer bag and they can be kept frozen for up to 1 month max

Reheating:

You can thaw them overnight in the fridge or reheat straight from the freezer. Loosely wrap them up in an aluminum foil and reheat in a preheated oven at 350 F (180 C) for 10 minutes or until heated through

Video

Notes

You can use active dry yeast, but make sure to rehydrate the yeast in water or milk with 1 tsp of sugar. It will dissolve and be all foamy, about 10 minutes. If it's not, your yeast is no longer good. You can add the rest of the sugar into the dough later
You can also use fresh yeast, the amount would be 4 x the amount of instant yeast. So you'll need 24 grams of fresh yeast
I highly recommend testing the yeast for activity before starting to work on this recipe. You don't want to wait for hours only to find out your yeast is no longer good. Here's how:Add 1 teaspoon of sugar and 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast (one envelope) to 1/4 cup of warm water. Wait for 10 minutes and if you see foams and bubbles and you smell that yeast aroma, your yeast is still good to go. If not, then you need to get fresh yeast.
If using measuring cup: Make sure you spoon the flour into the measuring cups and then level with a knife. The measurement is based on unsifted bread/all-purpose flour. 1 cup of unsifted bread/all-purpose flour is 140 grams
If you use all-purpose flour, hold back about 30 grams of milk and add as needed.

Nutrition