Overnight Soft Buns with Spicy Tuna & Red Bean fillings

Believe or not, it's been over a month since I am back but I am still having the post holiday mood.

I miss the 2 plus week spent in Europe, not worrying about work and chores, what to cook and bake, but just sightsee, eat, sleep and enjoy.  Good times always pass so fast.  I can only look forward to my next vacation.  Life is not just about work, we need holidays to balance out the fast paced life here. I cannot imagine a life without vacations!

I have been baking loaves of bread and not buns, so I am back at it again, this time using recipe by Cornercafe.

Overnight Soft Buns with Spicy Tuna & Red Bean fillings

Overnight Poolish:
150g bread flour
150g lukewarm water
0.5g (1/8 teaspoon) instant yeast

Main Dough:
250g bread flour
100g cake flour (or plain flour if desired)
15g milk powder
50g caster sugar
6g (1 1/4 teaspoons) salt
5g (1 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
1 egg, lightly beaten
75g (approx.) lukewarm water, adjust as necessary
50g butter, cut into small cubes

Fillings:
A can of spicy tuna mixed with 1 medium chopped onions, divide into 6 portions (if you like it drier, you can stir fry it in a pan for a while)

240g red bean paste (rolled into 40g ball each, for 6 buns)


1. For the poolish, mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl together until incorporated. Cover with cling film and let it proof for about 1 hour in a warm place, then place into the refrigerator to chill (preferably at 5°C but not strictly, a couple of degrees off is still fine) for at least 16 hours; it should be bubbly at this stage. Let poolish return to room temperature, about half an hour, before using.

2. Sift bread flour, cake flour, milk powder, caster sugar and instant dry yeast onto the working surface and mix well. Form the flour mixture into a well and add lightly beaten egg, room-temperature poolish and salt, then
gradually add just enough lukewarm water to form into a slightly sticky, soft dough. Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.

3. Finally knead in the room-temperature butter, a cube at a time, until incorporated. (In many cookbooks, they mentioned that the dough at this stage should be able to be pulled and stretched into membrane – “window pane test”, but it’s hard to achieve with hand kneading because the dough does not heat up as much as when using machine. I usually stop kneading when the dough stretches like chewing gum when pulled!) Form the dough into a round ball and let it rise in a warm place (preferably at about 26°C – 28°C) until at least double or nearly triple in size in a large greased bowl, covered with cling film (should take about 1 hour in optimum warm temperature, longer in winter months). To test if the dough has risen properly, dip a finger into bread or plain flour and poke down into the
centre of the dough as far as your finger will go and pull out again – the hole should remain if it is ready. If the dough springs back, then it is not ready, continue to prove further.

4. Punch down, knead briefly and form into a ball shape. Then divide into 12 or 16 equal portions. The easiest way is to first divide equally into 4 larger portions first, then divide each of these again into thirds (for 12 portions) or quarters (for 16 portions) each. Form each into balls and let rest for 10 minutes.

5. Shape and fill the buns according to recipe. Place all finished buns on a greased baking sheet, lightly cover with cling film, and let rise in a warm place until double in size (about 1 hour in warm weather, longer in winter months).

6. Brush with eggwash if the recipe calls for it and bake in preheated 190°C oven for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.