Soft Chocolate Milk Bread Buns

Milk bread is one of my favorite things to eat – I’ve always loved to grab a loaf at an asian bakery and eat it plain! These soft chocolate milk bread buns are perfect as they pull apart into 16 delicious little buns! You can stuff them with chocolate chips for an extra chocolately oomph!

📚 History

Milk bread has been popularized by Japan, typically prepared in a in loaf pan, and is known for being extra fluffy, soft and easy to pull apart. Milk bread is an enriched dough which means it has a high percentage of fat from butter, milk and/or eggs. There’s a variety of methods and recipes for milk bread such as adding in “Tangzhong” or “Yudane” which helps give the bread a fluffier texture. This recipe does not require you to use either method but it does have heavy cream which helps keep the bread extra moist!

🛒 Ingredient notes

• Bread Flour: Bread flour has more protein than all purpose flour so this ingredient is crucial in getting the texture right for these buns!
• Yeast : Use Active dry yeast – I haven’t tried with with instant dry yeast!
• Sugar: Granulated white sugar will help your bread rise more than brown sugar!
• Cocoa Powder: I used regular cocoa powder but dutch process cocoa would taste even better!
• Heavy Cream: Since there’s no egg or butter in the mixture this is how your buns will stay extra moist.
• Milk: Use whole milk to keep your bread rich!

👩‍🍳 Top tips 

1. Make sure milk does not go over 120F as it is too hot for the yeast!
2. Allow dough to rest – there’s a lot of waiting time in between each steps but it’s to ensure your buns are extra soft and pillow-y!
3. Keep your dough resting in a warm environment – too cold and it won’t proof properly!
4. Weigh your dough and then divide into 16 pieces so that each bun will be an equal size when you bake it!

📖 Recipe 

Soft Chocolate Milk Bread Buns

These chocolate milk buns are incredibly soft and pillowy!

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Prep Time 2 hrs 45 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine Japanese

Servings 16 Buns

Calories 112 kcal

Ingredients

  

Chocolate Buns

• 2 Cups Bread Flour (240 Grams)
• 1 Package (Active Dry Yeast) (7 Grams)
• 1/3 Cup White Granulated Sugar (67 Grams)
• 3 tbsp Cocoa Powder (21 Grams)
• 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream (120 Grams)
• 1/2 Cup Whole Milk (125 ml)
• 1 tsp Salt

Optional Filling

• 1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips (85 Grams)

Egg Wash

• 1 tbsp Water
• 1 Egg (Room Temperature)

Instructions

 

• Heat milk to 105F-115F and mix in yeast and add 1tbsp of sugar from the 2/3 cup of sugar. Wait 5 minutes until it is frothy.
• In a separate bowl, add in bread flour, cocoa powder, remaining sugar and salt and mix together. Then pour in heavy cream.
• Add yeast mixture into the bowl.
• Keep mixing dough on dough hook until the dough is smooth.
• Grease a separate bowl and let dough rest for 1 1/2 hours covered in a warm area.
• Weight and separate dough into 16 pieces and let it rest in a warm covered area for 15 minutes.
• Flatten dough into a circle, add in chocolate chips and fold back into itself until it forms a sphere.
• Grease a 8"x8" square pan and place dough spheres in and let it rest for another hour in a warm area.
• Preheat oven to 350F and brush egg wash mixture over each sphere.
• Bake for 15-18 minutes and sprinkle on powdered sugar once cooled.

Notes

Soft Chocolate Milk Bread Buns:

Flour: 910 Calories

Cocoa Powder: 36 Calories

Heavy Cream: 511 Calories

Sugar: 255 Calories

Egg: 78 Calories

Total: 1790 for entire pan (112 Calories per Roll)

Keyword Chocolate, Soft Chocolate Milk Bread Buns, Yeasted Bread