Asian-style strawberry filled buns (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Tangzhong

01 - 30 g boiling water (2 tbsp)
02 - 25 g bread flour (2½ tbsp)

→ Cream Cheese Filling

03 - 170 g cream cheese (6 oz), softened
04 - 70 g strawberry jam (¼ cup)
05 - 20 g sugar (1½ tbsp), or to taste
06 - 1⅓ tablespoon freeze dried strawberries (pulverized into powder)

→ Bun Dough

07 - 250 g bread flour (2 cups)
08 - 30 g cake flour (¼ cup)
09 - 30 g sugar (2 tablespoon + 1 tsp)
10 - 15 g honey (a little bit less than 1 tbsp)
11 - 1 teaspoon instant yeast
12 - 25 g beaten egg (½ large egg or ⅛ cup), save the rest for cookie top
13 - 80 g milk (⅓ cup)
14 - 60 g water (¼ cup)
15 - All of the tangzhong paste
16 - 4 g sea salt (½ tsp)
17 - 30 g cold unsalted butter (2 tbsp), cut into 6 pieces

→ Cookie Top

18 - 70 g butter (5 tbsp), softened
19 - 60 g powdered sugar (¼ cup + 2 tbsp)
20 - 25 g beaten egg (use the rest of the egg from making bread dough)
21 - 20 g condensed milk (1 tbsp)
22 - 120 g bread flour (1 cup), plus more for dusting
23 - 2 tablespoon freeze dried strawberries (pulverized into powder)

# Instructions:

01 - Measure 25 grams of bread flour in a bowl. Set the kitchen scale to zero with the flour and bowl on it and pour in 30 grams of boiling water. Stir until combined to form a sticky dough. Let it cool down before storing in the fridge overnight or at least 4 hours.
02 - Mix cream cheese and jam together until smooth. Taste before adding sugar as the sweetness of the jam depends on the brand you use. Adjust the amount of sugar based on your taste. Pulverize the freeze dried strawberry before adding to the cream cheese mixture and mix until well combined. Cover and store in the fridge until ready to use.
03 - Add all the ingredients for the dough except for sea salt and butter into the stand mixer and knead on low speed until the dough is formed. Cover the mixing bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.
04 - When it's done resting, add salt and continue to knead the dough until you can pull and stretch the dough for 2" (5 cm) without breaking. Add butter cubes one at a time and knead until the dough is very smooth and passes the windowpane test. (This takes about 6-7 minutes, with 5 minutes on low speed and 1-2 minutes on medium speed. The actual time depends on your mixer.)
05 - Form the dough into a ball (it will be very sticky, but if it's too sticky to handle, add a little bread flour and knead for another 1-2 minutes) and put it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover, and let it rise for 1 to 1.5 hours in a warm place (about 82°F to 90°F) until it doubles in size.
06 - Meanwhile, make the cookie top. In a bowl, mix butter and powdered sugar together. Add the egg mixture in four batches, incorporating one batch before adding the next. Add condensed milk and mix well. Add bread flour and the pulverized freeze dried strawberries, fold a few times until the butter mixture is all coated with flour before pouring onto a working surface.
07 - Use a bench knife (dough cutter) to fold and press with your palm until the flour and the butter mixture are well combined. Place the cookie top mixture on a piece of plastic wrap and roll it into a log. Twist the two sides to seal and store it in the fridge until ready to use.
08 - Transfer the dough onto a working surface and cut it into 8 even pieces. Form each piece into a ball by tucking the edges into the bottom. Cover them all with a piece of greased plastic wrap and let rest for 5 minutes.
09 - Take the cream cheese filling out from the fridge and set it aside. Take one piece of the dough, flatten it with your finger to form a round 3½" (10 cm) diameter disk with the edge thinner than the middle part. Place a scoop of cream cheese filling in the center and wrap the edges together over the filling and pinch to seal. Repeat for the rest.
10 - Take the cookie dough out from the fridge, cut it into 8 even pieces. Dust some flour on the working surface and just a little bit on the top side of the cookie dough. Using a rolling pin, roll each cookie dough piece out to be big enough to cover the surface of the bun. Place the cookie dough on the bun with the top side (the side with less flour) touching the bun and wrap it over carefully.
11 - Use a bench knife to make the classic criss-cross patterns on the top of the buns if you like. You can also just let it split naturally after proofing. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for around 50 minutes or until the expanding dough causes cracks/separation in the cookie top.
12 - Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) towards the end of the proofing process. Adjust the rack such that one is in the middle, and the other is 2-3 levels above. Place the tray with buns on the middle rack, and an empty tray on the rack above to prevent the buns from browning too quickly. Bake for 16 minutes or until the top is very crispy.
13 - Place the buns on a cooling rack and let them cool down for 15 minutes before enjoying.

# Notes:

01 - A scale is recommended for this recipe for best accuracy.
02 - The tangzhong method creates softer, fluffier bread that stays fresh longer.
03 - If you cannot work fast enough before the cookie dough begins to soften, store half in the fridge until you are ready to use.
04 - Placing an empty tray above the buns while baking prevents them from browning too quickly.

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