Make Chinese language bakery-style ham and cheese buns which have a smooth and moist bread dough, crispy ham, and melty cheese topping. This recipe contains a very simple foolproof milk bread recipe that requires little hands-on time. Make these forward of time for breakfast, snacks, or a deal with at your vacation get together. 

When you ever stroll right into a Chinese language bakery, you’ll be greeted by an irresistible aroma of freshly baked breads and pastries. Among the many extensive number of choices, one standard favourite is the ham and cheese bun — a smooth, fluffy bun stuffed with savory ham and gooey cheese. It’s a snack that completely balances candy and salty, and it’s usually loved as breakfast, a noon snack, and even as a lightweight meal.

On this submit, I’ll information you thru the method of constructing this scrumptious deal with at dwelling, with just a few tricks to get that bakery-style smooth milk bread that Chinese language buns are recognized for. Whether or not you’re already a fan or new to this delight, this recipe will make you fall in love with the standard but irresistible ham and cheese bun.

Why this recipe?

• Quite simple and foolproof milk bread dough with minimal hands-on time
• Your kitchen mixer will do many of the give you the results you want
• The bread is gentle and smooth, with a pillowy texture
• The form and the style of those ham and cheese buns are actually Chinese language bakery-style
• You may make them forward of time and they’re going to keep smooth and moist

Ham and cheese buns substances

Components for the milk bread

You solely want eight substances for the milk bread dough:

• Bread flour
• Yeast 
• Sugar and salt
• Complete milk 
• Sweetened condensed milk
• Butter
• Egg

Components for the filling 

The ham and cheese filling requires 4 easy substances:

• Sliced ham
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Mayo
• Dried parsley

How one can make ham and cheese buns

Put together the milk bread dough – first rise

1. Activate the yeast
2. Combine all of the substances collectively
3. Combine with a spatula till a tough dough types
4. Let the dough relaxation for 20 minutes
5. Knead the dough with a mixer, scraping down as soon as midway by means of
6. Combine till a easy sticky dough types
7. The dough ought to cross the windowpane take a look at 
8. Collect the dough right into a bowl and relaxation till its dimension doubles

After the dough has proofed, punch it down and make it right into a ball. Then divide the dough into eight even items. Form each bit right into a small spherical ball.

Assemble the ham and cheese buns – second rise

Assembling the ham and cheese buns would possibly sound complicated, so I’m utilizing these step-by-step footage to point out you precisely easy methods to make them:

1. Roll out every dough piece into the form of a ham slice, barely larger than the precise ham
2. Place the ham over the dough
3. Roll up tightly 
4. Roll the dough barely to easy it out
5. Pinch to seal each ends 
6. Pinch the 2 ends collectively to type a “water drop”
7. Let the dough stand on its facet, then slice it within the heart whereas leaving the pinched ends unsliced 
8. Pull the 2 sliced items aside and lay the dough flat 

Now it is advisable to place the assembled buns onto a lined baking sheet, and allow them to relaxation once more. 

Make the cheese filling

Make the cheese filling by mixing the shredded cheese, mayo and dried parsley.

Fill the cheese filling and bake

As soon as the assembled buns have completed the second proofing, brush them with egg wash. Then fill the middle of the buns with the cheese filling.

Bake the buns at 350°F (176°C) for 18 minutes till golden.

The buns can be smooth, moist and fluffy, with crispy ham edges and melting cheese on prime. It smells so good at this level that I at all times wish to chunk right into a piping sizzling bun instantly. And it’s very troublesome to cease consuming when you begin!

How one can retailer and reheat ham and cheese buns

You’ll be able to retailer the ham and cheese buns loosely coated at room temperature if serving inside an hour or two. Or in a sealed container at room temperature after absolutely cooled, in case you’re planning to serve them the identical day.

Retailer the buns in a sealed container within the fridge for as much as two days, or within the freezer for as much as three months. 

I extremely advocate reheating the buns within the oven to heat them up simply earlier than serving, so they may have the perfect texture.

Chinese language bakery-style ham and cheese bread is a comforting, nostalgic deal with for a lot of and a pleasant discovery for these new to Asian bakery fare. It combines the perfect of each candy and savory worlds, and the smooth, fluffy bread makes it a crowd-pleaser for any event.

Give this recipe a attempt to expertise the magic of freshly baked ham and cheese buns in your individual kitchen! Belief me, when you’ve had these heat, melty delights, you’ll be making them time and again.

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Ham and Cheese Buns (Simple Milk Bread)

Make Chinese language bakery-style ham and cheese buns which have a smooth and moist bread dough, crispy ham, and melty cheese topping. This recipe contains a very simple foolproof milk bread recipe that requires little hands-on time. Make these forward of time for breakfast, snacks, or a deal with at your vacation get together.

Creator: Maggie Zhu

Course: Bakery

Delicacies: Chinese language

Key phrase: Chinese language bakery type

Prep Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook dinner Time: 18 minutes minutes

Resting time: 2 hours hours

Whole Time: 3 hours hours 48 minutes minutes

Components

Dough

• 300 g (2 1/2 cups) bread flour
• 140 ml (1/2 cup) entire milk
• 7 g (1 packet / 1 teaspoon) lively dry yeast
• 30 g (2 1/2 tablespoons) sugar
• 5 g (1 teaspoon) salt
• 80 g (1/4 cup) sweetened condensed milk
• 4 tablespoons butter , melted
• 1 massive egg

Filling and Topping

• 8 items ham , medium or skinny sliced (*Footnote 1)
• 1/2 cup kewpie mayo
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese , shredded
• 2 teaspoons parsley , dried
• 1 egg , for egg wash

Directions

Put together the bread dough – 1st rise

• Add the milk right into a small bowl and heat to roughly 100-110°F (38°C), about 30 seconds within the microwave. The milk needs to be heat, only a bit above physique temperature. Add a pinch of sugar and the lively dry yeast. Let sit for five minutes so the yeast will activate.

• Whereas the yeast prompts, add the remainder of the substances into your mixer bowl.

• As soon as the yeast is activated, it’s best to see bubbles on the floor of the combination. Pour it into the mixer bowl. Combine with a spatula till the dough simply comes collectively. Cowl with plastic wrap and let relaxation for 20 minutes.

• Set up the dough hook in your mixer (I used a KitchenAid). Begin at low pace, then regularly enhance to setting 8 out of 10. Knead for 10 to 12 minutes, till the dough could be very easy. Cease the mixer within the center and scrape the dough from the perimeters of the bowl. Check the dough by pulling a chunk of it utilizing each of your palms. It ought to stretch into a really skinny and translucent sheet. The dough needs to be moist and a bit sticky.

• Grease a giant bowl with a skinny layer of oil. Place the dough into the bowl. Cowl with plastic wrap and place the bowl in a heat spot. Let rise till the dough doubles in dimension, about 1 hour.

Assemble the bread – 2nd rise

• Line two 13” x 9” (33cm x 23 cm) baking pans with parchment paper. (*Footnote 1)

• Punch the air out of the dough. Switch it onto a evenly oiled working floor. Divide the dough into 8 even items, 81 grams per piece.

• Form the dough one piece at a time. Tuck the dough onto itself by pinching the dough from all sides into the middle utilizing your fingers, making a spherical form. Then roll the dough in a round movement along with your palm in opposition to the desk, till it types a spherical ball. Cowl the dough items with plastic wrap to stop them from drying out.

• Work on one dough ball at a time. Use a rolling pin to roll every ball into the form of a slice of ham, however barely bigger (about 5×7”, or 12x18cm ). Place a chunk of ham within the heart of the dough. Roll up from the underside, to type a good log. Roll the log just a few instances to easy it out. Pinch each ends to seal.

• Fold the dough log lengthwise in half, pinching the ends to seal as soon as extra (it seems like a water drop form). Flip the dough onto its facet, from 1/2” (1cm) of the pinched facet, slice cleanly by means of the middle lengthwise with a bench scraper or sharp knife, leaving the pinched facet unsliced. Rigorously pull the 2 reduce items aside, laying them out flat on the lined baking sheet. Press the middle barely to keep away from massive gaps in between. Repeat to complete assembling all of the buns.

• Cowl the baking pan with plastic wrap. Let relaxation once more for an additional 35 to 45 minutes, till the scale has doubled.

Last meeting and baking

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C).

• Whisk the egg in a small bowl to make an egg wash.

• Combine the mayo, shredded cheese, and dried parsley collectively in a small bowl for the filling.

• As soon as the bread is finished proofing, gently brush the highest with egg wash.

• Add about 2 tablespoons of the cheese-mayo combination onto the middle of every bun.

• Bake at 350°F (176°C) for 18 minutes, or till the highest turns golden. Let the bread cool barely, then they’re able to serve.

Retailer and reheat

• As soon as the bread has cooled utterly, retailer the bread in an hermetic container at room temperature if planning to serve inside the day. Retailer within the fridge for as much as 2 days, or within the freezer for as much as 3 months. Reheat within the oven at 350°F (176°C) till warmed by means of earlier than serving, for the perfect texture.

Notes

1. Ham that’s about 1/16” to 1/8” thick works the perfect. It will likely be a bit more durable to assemble whether it is too thick. Use skinny sliced ham in case you choose a bread that’s much less meaty.
2. The buns will want some area in between them as a result of they may develop extra after the second proofing and baking. I extremely advocate utilizing two baking sheets and baking them in two batches, to stop the buns from crowding the pan.

Diet

Serving: 1serving, Energy: 375kcal, Carbohydrates: 43.4g, Protein: 12.9g, Fats: 16.7g, Saturated Fats: 6.8g, Ldl cholesterol: 88mg, Sodium: 773mg, Potassium: 217mg, Fiber: 1.6g, Sugar: 10.9g, Calcium: 71mg, Iron: 2mg