taiwanese sourdough scallion buns

 

 

I miss Taiwan. I miss the sound of seven elevens and going grocery shopping with my grandma. I miss the local market and the MRT (the clean efficient beautiful functional public transit ). And I miss the food. THE FOOD. For the past eight years I have spent every summer in Taiwan eating my weight in chicken soup and mangoes and 燒餅. The thought of spending the summer in Taipei gets me through the worst Minnesota winter days (we’re talking polar vortex level) and is something I look forward to all year. 

Then came 2020, the coronavirus, a global pandemic, big life changes, and hours upon hours of baking in my mom’s kitchen. I can’t go to Taiwan anytime soon. Until I return, I’ll be here, baking scallion buns, trying to replicate the feeling of walking into a sweet cloud of AC that is a Taiwanese bakery in the summer. 

This bake was requested by my mom. Scallion buns are a classic Taiwanese bread and one of her favorites. These buns are 100% leavened with with natural yeast. They are fragrant and soft and make me nostalgic for all the lovely summers I have spent in Taipei. I hope they bring you joy too.

 

Taiwanese Sourdough Scallion Buns

Adapted from this recipe: https://caroleasylife.blogspot.com/2015/06/blog-post_10.html

Dough

150g bread flour

25g all purpose flour,

9.5g fine granulated sugar,

1/4 teaspoon salt (1.5g),

100 g sourdough starter

1 egg (about 50g)

40 ml almond milk

20g softened unsalted butter

Topping

50g scallions

15g olive oil 

1 egg

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon white pepper

 

1. Combine flours, sugar, salt, starter, and egg. Begin mixing with dough hook and gradually add milk in 2-3 additions. If your dough feels too wet do not add the full amount, if it feels too dry add some extra milk.
2. Knead with a stand mixer for about 5 minutes or until ingredients are evenly combined. Add softened butter. Continue kneading for 10 minutes. 
3. Dump the dough out on a lightly floured countertop.  Knead using the slap and fold method: hold a corner of the dough, slap it onto the counter, and fold it in half. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat. Do this about 100 times. 
4. Perform the windowpane test to see if your dough is kneaded enough: take a small piece of dough and stretch it out. If it breaks easily and has jagged edges, continue kneading. If you can see light through the dough and it does not break easily, it is ready.
5. Form dough into a ball, place in a bowl, cover and let rise for about 2 hours. You can adjust rise time based on the temperature of your kitchen. 
6. Deflate and remove the dough from the bowl. Divide dough into 6 equal pieces, about 66g each. 
7. Form each piece of dough into a ball by pinching upwards and rolling it gently on the countertop under your palm with a caged hand. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. 
8. Use a rolling pin to roll the ball of dough into a flat oval. Then, starting from the top of the oval, gently roll the dough up, pressing down with each roll, and pinch the seam and the ends closed. Repeat with each ball of dough. 
9. Place rolled buns on a baking sheet. Take a sharp knife or razor blade and make a deep gash in the center of each bun. 
10. Spray buns with water, cover, and proof in the UN-preheated oven for 2 hours.
11. Remove the buns from the oven about 10 minutes before 2 hours is up and preheat the oven to 190 degrees celsius or 375 degrees farenheit.
12. Make your scallion mixture: 
    1. Wash scallions and pat dry.
    2. Slice scallions and place in a bowl.
    3. Add oil, egg, salt, and pepper, and mix to combine. 
13. Spread a large spoonful of the shallot mixture onto each bun. Try to pile on as much as possible without letting the shallots fall off. 
14. Bake in your preheated oven for 15-16 minutes or until the buns are golden yellow. 
15. Cool buns on a wire rack. Enjoy!