One of the most popular snacks among children is definitely the Chocolate Chip Buns.
Small sweet buns filled with a myriad of dark chocolate chips, perfect for dipping in milk in the morning or eating alone as a snack.
For the making of these buns, I tried for the first time a dough with tang zhong, a Chinese bread-making technique that allows you to obtain incredibly soft leavened products that keep their freshness for several days.
At the base of this technique is a mixture of water and flour that is thickened over low heat, and once cooled, it is added to the base dough as a starter for leavening. It may seem difficult, but I assure you it is not.
Now take a minute to read the recipe and then let’s cook and eat!!
See also
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 3 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 15
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp instant dry yeast (or 12 g fresh yeast)
- 3 tbsps sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg (medium)
- 1 1/2 tbsp butter
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsps milk
Tools
- 1 Stand Mixer
- 1 Kitchen Scale
- 1 Small Bowl
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Plastic Wrap
- 1 Metal Scraper
- 1 Work Surface
- 1 Baking Tray
- 1 Parchment Paper
- 1 Brush silicone
- 1 Cooling Rack
Steps
To prepare the chocolate chip buns, first, make the tang zhong.
In a small bowl, combine the flour and gradually add the water while whisking to prevent lumps.
Then transfer the mixture to a saucepan, place it over heat, and cook on low until it thickens.
Transfer the tang zhong to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap in contact with the surface, and let it cool.
Then proceed to prepare the dough. In the bowl of the stand mixer, combine the flour, yeast, and sugar, and start the mixer to blend the dry ingredients. Then add the cooled tang zhong and start kneading.
Then add the milk gradually and subsequently the egg.
Once the egg is completely absorbed into the dough, add the butter, one piece at a time.
Only after the dough is perfectly combined, add the chocolate chips chilled from the fridge (to prevent the heat generated by the mixer from melting them into the dough). Start the mixer again at low speed to incorporate them evenly into the dough.
At this point, transfer the dough into a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise until doubled (about 2 hours).
Once risen, transfer the dough onto a work surface and divide it into pieces of about 50 g each. Shape each piece by bringing the outer edges inward and then rolling it between your fingers on the work surface (called pirlatura) until you get a smooth, uniform ball.
Then transfer the buns to a baking tray lined with parchment paper, cover them, and let them rise again for one hour. Once the second rise is complete, brush the surface of the buns with a mixture of egg and milk.
Then bake them in a preheated static oven at 355°F (180°C) for 15-18 minutes.
Once baked, let the buns cool on a cooling rack before serving😉.
