Nutella Buns (Tangzhong Method)

If you don't have a breadmaker, you might knead the dough by hand or with a stand mixer instead. It’s a bit challenging to wrap Nutella fillings. If the weather is too warm, just chill it to a workable condition, yet not too hard to roll it out. Cake flour is a kind of low-protein flour, available at Asian grocers.

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 3 hrs
Yield: 9 buns, each about 60 grams

Ingredients:

30 gm whisked egg
80 ml water
85 gm tangzhong (refer this recipe)
½ tsp salt
40 gm caster sugar
20 gm milk powder
200 gm bread flour
55 gm cake flour
6 gm instant yeast
20 gm butter, melted

Fillings:

200 gm Nutella
50 gm hazelnuts, slightly roasted, peeled and roughly chopped

Method:

To make the tangzhong, follow this recipe and measure out 85 grams of it for later use. (The remaining tangzhong can be used to make other tangzhong breads. See the links below. Tangzhong can be kept in fridge up to 5 to 7 days in an air-tight container.)
To prepare the fillings: Mix two-thirds of the hazelnuts with Nutella. Keep the rest for garnish.
To make the buns: Put all the ingredients (except the butter) into a bread machine, wet ingredients followed by dry ingredients. (I use to make a well in the middle of flour and place yeast in it.)
Select the “dough” setting. Knead until all ingredients come together. Add the butter. Let the machine finish kneading. The dough should be smooth and elastic and can be stretched to form a thin “membrane”. Let the dough sit inside the machine and finish the 1st round of proofing, until doubled in size.
Transfer to a clean floured surface. Deflate and divide the dough into 9 equal portions. Knead into ball shapes. Cover with cling wrap, let rest for 15 minutes.
Lightly press and flatten each portion. Wrap a heaped spoon of fillings. Tightly pinch the edges. With the seal upward, roll into an oval shape. Fold into half and make 3 to 4 cuts in the middle but don’t cut to the end. Unfold the dough. Hold one end and rotate the other end towards one direction while stretching into a longer tube carefully. Curl it into a round shape tucking the ends under. Place in a mould. Repeat this step with the remaining dough portions and fillings. Cover with a plastic wrap or clean towel. Let proof for 40 minutes, until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Brush the dough with whisked egg on top. Sprinkle some hazelnuts. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the surface turns golden brown. Remove from the oven. Let cool on a wire rack. Enjoy !

Christine's Recipes Printable Version

Nutella Buns (Tangzhong Method)