Pumpkin Kaya Wholemeal Milk Bun 金瓜加椰全麦面包

Guess what I did to my yummy pumpkin kaya that I made yesterday? Yes, I paired it together with my Japanese milk bread recipe to make this Pumpkin Kaya Wholemeal Milk Bun. In line with the healthy nature of the pumpkin kaya, I braved myself to adapt my Japanese milk bread recipe to include wholemeal flour for a wholesome recipe. The experiment paid off handsomely. It was super delicious! A perfect combination. The bread remains soft and fluffy for two days because of the use of tangzhong method. Don't know about Day 3 though because we have already finished all the bread!

Pumpkin Kaya Wholemeal Milk Bun 金瓜加椰全麦面包

Makes 8 individual bread

Ingredients

Water roux/tangzhong
25 g plain flour
120 ml (1/2 cup) whole milk

Dough
2 tsp instant yeast
120 ml (1/2 cup) warm whole milk
300 gm bread flour
50 gm wholemeal flour
60 gm sugar
1 1/2 tbsp milk powder
1 tsp salt
1 large egg
40 gm butter

one portion kaya jam (recipe here)
black sesame seeds (optional)

Cooking Instructions

Tangzhong
Mix all ingredients together and stir until there is no lumps left. Put it in medium heat. Stir until the mixture thickens. Continue to fully cook the roux. Remove from fire, cover and set aside to cool .

Dough
1. Meanwhile, mix yeast into warm milk and sugar. Stir and set aside for 10 minutes until it becomes foamy.

2. Mix wholemeal flour, bread flour, milk powder and salt into a mixing bowl. Stir to mix. Make a hole in the middle. Add egg, tangzhong and yeast mixture into flour. If you have a bread machine/mixer, now is a good time to use it. Combine everything. Dough should be very sticky at this point. Knead for 10 minutes until dough is elastic and less sticky. Add in butter and continue to knead until butter is well incorporated. Form dough into a ball, brush with oil and cover loosely with clingwrap or cloth. Set aside for dough to proof. Dough should at least double the size before the next step. Depending on external conditions (temperature), it will take about 1 to 2 hours (I proofed overnight in refrigerator).

3. Punch dough to deflate. Divide into 8 portions. Roll one portion into a ball, roll into a disk and apply kaya jam. Seal the edges to make a ball again. Flatten and cut into 8 portions like the diagram. Twist individual portion to make patterns. Cover and set aside to proof for another hour or until the dough doubles in size.

4. Preheat oven to 170C. Meanwhile, brush top of dough with some eggwash and sprinkle some sesame seeds into middle for garnishing.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 mins. Remove and cool in wire rack.