Pain Au Lait Buns
Posted On 17 September 2022
Saw someplace, read some recipes, made it more friendly.
Pain Au Lait Buns
Servings: 10 buns
Ingredients
- 500 grams all purpose flour
- 70 grams Baker's sugar (castor sugar, ultrafine sugar) (see note)
- 6 grams sea salt
- 10 grams instant yeast
- 200 grams whole milk, warm (~⅞ cup)
- 2 eggs (room temperature)
- 10-15 grams vanilla
- 113 grams unsalted butter, room temperature, cubed (1 stick / 4 ounces)
Finish
- 1 egg yolk (optional)
- 1 tablespoon water (optional)
- Pearl sugar (optional)
- Miniature chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Place flour in the mixer bowl. Add sugar on one side, salt on the other, yeast in a well in the middle. Mix briefly with dough hook.
- Add warm milk, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until a firm ball forms.
- Add the butter a bit at a time until all added.
- Knead until it comes away from the sides easily, ~10 minutes.
- Cover with a towel and let sit in a warm place for an hour. Dough should be about doubled.
- Knock down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface or a silicone mat.
- Knead a bit by hand and shape into a long tube.
- Divide into 10 or 12 equal portions (Should be ~83-100-grams each.)
- Shape the dough into a roll ~4-5" long and place apart on parchment lined baking sheets, 5-6 per sheet. Give them some room. You might be able to get all 10 on one sheet. (If adding chocolate, form dough flat, sprinkle ~2-3 teaspoons of the miniature chocolate chips, and roll around them.)
- Make 3-5 incisions on the top with scissors.
- Cover and leave in a warm place for 30-45 minutes. Toward the end of this proving time set oven to 350°F Convection (175°C with fan) with rack in middle.
- If desired, brush the top with the egg/water and (optional) sprinkle with chocolate chips or pearl sugar.
- Put into the oven and reduce oven temperature to 340°F Convection (170°C with fan). Bake for for 15 minutes, turning or switching racks if desired.
- Check for doneness — thermometer should read 190°F (88°C). Bake another 5 minutes if needed.
Notes
- About sugar: I’ve also done this recipe with 20 grams of brown sugar and 50 grams of Baker’s Sugar and that gives a nice flavor.
- If not using pearl sugar or chocolate, spray tops with water before baking for a darker finish.
- I’ve seen mini bread pans, but they’re usually 8 or 9 wells to a pan. I guess you could make these larger. Or bake two pans. Or do some math and figure out a better set of ratios for your pan. Would definitely be more uniform that way.
- I’ve wondered about adding chopped, dried, sour cherries to the interior and then either chocolate or pearl sugar on the top — if you try this before me, let me know how it turns out.
