I wanted the usual Tangzhong milk buns, but I also wanted chocolate for a change, since I have cocoa powder that has been untouched for awhile now. This chequered buns was a result of the indecisiveness in me. Now I get the best of both worlds – using just the one base dough.
A sweet, fluffy bun that is slightly richer due to the cream that was added to give the buns some volume. If you do not have whipping cream handy, you may want to check out my regular Tangzhong Milk bread here instead. You may also use that recipe following the same portions and bun shaping steps in this recipe.
As always, for every bread using Tangzhong/water roux, it turned out ultra soft and airy. The pillowy texture makes me want to fall asleep on them. I like the visuals of alternating dark and light shades too!
Sometimes there are simply just not enough words to describe, so perhaps this crumb check video below may give you a visual understanding of its ultra soft texture:
For the chocolate portion, I simply added a paste made of cocoa powder and milk that gives it a subtle but noticeable chocolate flavor.
If you do not have cocoa or simply prefer plain milk buns, you can omit the chocolate paste. You can experiment with all sorts of flavours for multi-coloured buns to always keep things fun and exciting when baking. Whether plain or chocolate, they are delicious either way!
Trust me, they taste so good you just got to try it for yourself. I dare say even, they are WAY better than those store-bought ones!
If you try this recipe, tag me on Instagram @thebakeanista or comment below. I’d love to know how it turned out for you.
Print Recipe
5 from 11 votes
Prep Time2 hours hrs
Cook Time30 minutes mins
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Keyword: Baking, Bread, Buns, Tangzhong, Thermomix
Servings: 9 buns in an 8″ square pan
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 20 g high protein bread flour
- 100 g water/milk
Chocolate Paste
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1.5 tbsp milk
Main Dough
- 30 g milk chilled
- 30 g whipping cream chilled
- 40 g castor sugar
- 1 large egg chilled
- 1 tsp yeast
- 270 g high protein bread flour
- 20 g milk powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 30 g butter softened at room temp
Instructions
Please note that I have included two methods below for tangzhong making and dough kneading using either Thermomix or conventional bread machine so do take note of the sub-headings.
[THERMOMIX] Tangzhong & Dough Kneading
To make tangzhong, place 20g high protein flour and 100g water/milk in mixing bowl, cook for1min/75°C/spd 2and let stand for 10-15 minutes until temperature lowers down to 37°C.
Whilst your tangzhong is cooling down, prepare Chocolate Paste by mixing cocoa powder and milk in a separate small bowl. Set aside.
Moving back to your mixing bowl, once temperature hits 37°C, add milk, whipping cream, sugar, egg and yeast, then mix30 sec/spd 2.
Add remaining 270g high protein flour, milk powder, salt and butter then mix 30secs/spd 6. Proceed to knead4 min.
Weigh out 330g of dough to pastry mat or greased bowl, shape into ballthen let rise, covered loosely with clingwrap/damp towel until doubled in size (approx. 45-60 minutes).
Add chocolate paste into remaining dough. Mix 15 secs/spd 6, then knead for 30 secs. Transfer chocolate dough to pastry mat or another greased bowl, shape into balland let rise, covered loosely with clingwrap/damp towel until doubled in size (approx. 45-60 minutes).
[CONVENTIONAL] Tangzhong & Dough Kneading
Prepare tangzhong by mixing flour in water and whisk together in a pot, ensuring the mixture is well combined with no lumps. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring consistently to prevent burning and sticking while you cook.
The mixture will gradually become thicker. Once you notice that some “lines” appear in the mixture for when you stir with the spoon, it’s done. Your tangzhong is ready.
Transfer into a clean bowl. Cover with a cling wrap sticking onto the surface of tangzhong to prevent it from drying up. Let cool.
You can pre-make the tangzhong ahead of time and store it chilled in the fridge for a few days. If you've chilled your tangzhong, ensure to return it at room temperature first before using.
Whilst your tangzhong is cooling down, prepare Chocolate Paste by mixing cocoa powder and milk in a separate small bowl. Set aside.
Add all ingredients into breadmaker; first the wet ingredients (tangzhong, egg, milk, cream), then followed by the dry ingredients (in order of sugar, salt, flour, milk powder, yeast).
Select "dough" mode and let knead until all ingredients come together, usually I let it knead for approximately 8-9 minutes.
Then add in the butter, continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic. My breadmaker's dough kneading cycle is 23 minutes. During the last 4-5 minutes, pause the machine, weigh out 330g of dough to pastry mat or greased bowl.
Add chocolate paste into the remaining half of dough in the mixing bowl and continue to knead until the cycle is complete.
Whilst your chocolate dough is kneading during this 5 minutes, shape your milk dough into a ballthen let rise covered loosely with clingwrap/damp towel until doubled in size (approx. 45-60 minutes).
Repeat the same steps with your chocolate dough – transfer chocolate dough to pastry mat or another greased bowl, shape into balland let rise, covered loosely with clingwrap/damp towel until doubled in size (approx. 45-60 minutes).
Dough Shaping
After both doughs have doubled in size, punch down to deflate. Divide milk dough into 5 equal portions weighing approx 65-67g each and roughly roll into a round shape. As for chocolate dough, divide into 4 equal portions also weighing approx 65-67g each and roll into round shape. Let rest, covered for 10-15 minutes so the dough will be easier to handle.
Shape each portion into tight round balls and place in a greased/lined 8" square pan alternately such as the below picture:
Let dough rise for its 2nd round of proofing, until double in size. This takes another 35-40 minutes depending on the weather. The best temperature for 2nd round proofing is 38C, humidity 85%. I usually heat up a cup of water in the microwave for 60 seconds then proceed to leave my dough, covered with a cloth/cling wrap, inside the microwave to rise.
During last 15 minutes, preheat oven to 180°C.
Lightly sift some flour over dough and bake at 180°C for 15 mins until golden brown.
Remove from oven, and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove bread from pan (handle with care as bread will be very soft) and transfer onto a wire rack to let cool completely.
Notes
I do not have whipping cream handy – what can I subtitute with?
Do not substitute the 30g of cream with another portion of 30g of milk. Both these ingredients have different % of fats etc. Instead, what you can do is to use my regular Tangzhong Milk bread here that calls for no cream, but follow the same portions and bun shaping steps in this recipe.
I do not have cocoa powder in my pantry.
Then you can simply omit the chocolate paste to make just milk buns – which honestly are also delicious plain!
I do not have an 8″ square tin.
You may use a 26cm/10″ round baking tin instead and alternate the buns as you like.
This recipe was adapted from Cookidoo and modified by The Bakeanista.
Few Things to Note
When it comes to bread making, there are many factors that will influence your dough and the end product. Recipes should be used as a guide, as you familiarize yourself with the process and dough.
For instance, your dough may require extra kneading time depending on the flour and its protein content. The method used to knead also needs to be taken into account as some machines work the dough quicker, whilst others may require a bit more kneading time.
Temperature and humidity plays a big part in how your dough rises. The amount of time required to proof your dough also varies depending on where you’re based at. For my second proofing, I usually heat up a cup of water in the microwave for 45 seconds, then proceed to leave my dough inside the microwave to rise for 25-30 minutes.
It’s also very important to try to get to know your oven, as every oven is different. My oven heats up quickly so when a recipe calls for 180-190°C, I sometimes have to drop it down to 160-170°C depending on which rack I use. Keep an eye out as the bread is baking. Adjust either the baking temperature or duration according to how your oven behaves.
FAQ
Can I omit milk powder?
You may opt to omit the milk powder but I wouldn’t recommend it. Milk powder adds fats, protein and flavour to the dough, that not only makes the dough richer and creamier in taste, but also helps dough rise higher. The addition of milk powder will also help yield a more tender crumb texture.
I wouldn’t suggest substituting milk powder with liquid milk as it is adding extra hydration to the dough, which may alter the texture of the finished product. In other words, adding milk powder gives you the same benefits of milk without the extra liquid, with a more concentrated % of milk sugar and protein that will benefit the dough.
Help! My dough is too sticky!
For bread maker users, check the dough 10 minutes into the kneading cycle. It should be smooth and the mixing bowl should be clean by now. If your dough is too sticky to manage, you may add 1 tbsp of flour at a time.
For Thermomix users, if you experience a stickier dough, you may want to add 1 tbsp of high protein bread flour at a time and knead for 15-20 seconds until incorporated.
Lightly oil your hands (and the pastry mat depending on how sticky your dough is) using neutral flavoured oil to shape dough into a ball. Apply the chafing technique by cupping your hands gently around the dough, apply a light, downwards pressure to the sides whilst simultaneously rotating the dough in a circular clockwise motion. Continue doing so until a smooth, even, and round ball is formed. I shared a video of how I perform this technique saved on my Instagram Story highlights.
How do I know if my bread is well proofed and ready to be baked?
You may perform the visual test to check. Lightly press the surface of the proofed dough with the tip of your finger for about 2 seconds and observe how fast the dough bounces back up.
- UNDER-PROOF: If it bounces back up too fast without any indentation, it isn’t ready yet, so give it more time.
- READY TO BAKE: It is supposed to bounce back up slowly, about halfway up and leave a slight indent.
- OVER-PROOFED: If the indent remains without bouncing back up, yes it is over-proofed, but don’t worry! You can still save it.
How to save an overproofed bread dough?
If the dough is overproofed, the gluten is being over-stretched and it will be unable to hold up the internal structure of the bread. The wall will highly likely fall after baking and the loaf would then collapse. If it isn’t severely over-risen, you have the option to quickly pop it into the oven to bake it right away. Otherwise what you can do to save it is by deflating your overproofed dough and reshape, then repeat the second proofing again.
Which oven rack and what oven setting should I use?
I suggest the second rack from bottom. I bake using top and bottom heat, with fan.
When to remove bread from tin?
Upon removing from oven, immediately remove it from the bread tin and let cool on a wire rack. This step is crucial in ensuring there is proper air circulation and that condensation does not happen causing your bread to get wet/soggy at the bottom.
How to store bread?
Ensure to store bread in airtight container or ziplock bag so the bread can stay soft and last for up to 2-3 days at room temperature.
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