I don't have a breadmaker but I've always wanted to make soft, fluffy Chinese buns at home. I came across Christine's Recipes for raisin buns and decided to give it a go. Breadmaking is a long ass process, taking about 3 hours total - a test of patience for someone who makes 30 minute meals. The first time I made it at 9pm and was too tired to go through all the proofing process. Luckily, it still turned out to be edible bread, but it had a hard crust and wasn't soft and fluffy like Chinese buns (more like dinner rolls you'd get at a Western restaurant). The second time around, my mom did most of the work. We gave the sufficient time for each proofing step and it was really an exciting moment to see the yeast successfully rise!!





First round of proofing: before and after


Third round of proofing: tried to make a bunny / six dough balls fill the circle pan


Result: soft and fluffy buns

However, the next day the bread was dry.

Bread is the most challenging (without a breadmaker) and time consuming thing to make, but also the most fun.

Recipe from Kirbie's Cravings / Christine Recipes

Ingredients

2½ cups bread flour
3tbsp+2tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
½ cup milk
120g tangzhong
2 tsp instant yeast
3 tbsp butter (cut into small pieces, softened at room temperature)

Tangzhong (approx 120g - halved original recipe)

Ingredients
1/6 cup  bread flour
1/2 cup water

Directions
1. Mix flour and water together and whisk until it is completely dissolved and no lumps remain. If you are continually stirring, the mixture will start to have “lines ” and then it is done.
2. Once the mixture is cooled, pour it into a bowl and cover the top using plastic wrap. Place the wrap directly onto the mixture to keep it from drying out and put it in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

Directions
1. Make sure you have tangzhong already made from the night before or a few hours before you are going to make the bread as it needs to cool for a few hours in the fridge.

2. Combine the flour, salt, sugar and instant yeast in a bowl. Make a well in the center. Whisk and combine all wet ingredients: milk, egg and tangzhong, then add into the well of the dry ingredients. Knead until your dough comes together and then add in the butter and continue kneading. You want the dough to be elastic. So if you were to take a part of it and stretch it out, you can stretch it to a very thin membrane without it breaking. (about 20 minutes)

3. Gather the dough into a ball shape. Take a large bowl and grease with oil.  Place dough into  greased bowl and cover with a wet towel. Let it proof until it’s doubled in size, about 40 minutes.
4. Deflate and divide the dough into six equal portions. Knead into ball shapes. Cover with cling wrap, let rest for 15 minutes

5. Roll out each part with a rolling pin into an oval shape. Place a handful of raisins across the surface of dough. Roll the rolling pin on top of the surface of the dough so that they raisins get embedded in the dough. Take one end of the dough and fold to meet the middle of the oval. Take the other end and fold to meet on top. Turn the dough over, so that the folds face down and roll and flatten dough with pin. Flip dough again, so folded side faces up. Roll the dough up from top to bottom.  Knead into a ball shape. Repeat this step of rolling and wrapping fillings with the rest of your dough. With seals of the dough balls facing down, place the six balls into a greased 8 inch springfoam baking pan, covered with cling wrap or a wet towel. Leave it for the second round of proofing, about 45 to 60 minutes, until double in size.

6. Whisk an egg and brush egg wash on surface of buns (this will create the shiny finish). Bake in a pre-heated 350F oven for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer onto a wire rack and let cool completely.