Is there anything more comforting than an ultra-soft, pillowy and milky bread roll packed with fragrant scallions, topped with flaky sea salt, and slathered with creamy butter?
Maybe there is.
But these scallion milk bread rolls come pretty close.
These rolls are extremely versatile. They’re perfect as a side dish for lunch or dinner, or you can slice them in half for sliders filled with pulled pork or ham and cheese. Then there’s always the fantastic option to simply tear it apart, slather it with butter, and eat it for breakfast or as an afternoon snack. The opportunities are endless!
To make these scallion rolls, I used my basic milk bread recipe as the base. I adjusted the flour and butter portions, added the scallions in, and changed the shaping method. The only tricky part of this recipe is the shaping method. There is a slight learning curve to it, but once you understand, you’ll be rewarded with beautifully smooth and round rolls.
tips for success
- Just let the mixer knead the dough! – Before the first proof, you must let the stand mixer knead the dough for at least 10 minutes. The dough will be quite sticky, but it should eventually come together. To test whether the dough has been kneaded long enough, use the windowpane test. The windowpane test is where you pinch off a small part of the dough and stretch it into a very thin ‘windowpane’. You should be able to see light through it, but if the dough breaks when you try to stretch it, then you still need to knead the dough for longer.
- Be patient and let the dough proof! – There are two moments in the recipe where you place the dough in a warm place and let it rise for about an hour. Make sure you let it proof for the whole time, or until it’s ready, because otherwise the dough will not rise enough and you won’t get that soft and light texture that makes these rolls so tasty.
scallion milk bread rolls
makes 9 rolls
ingredients:
- for the tangzhong
- 3 tbsp (23 grams) bread flour
- 5 tbsp (74 grams) water
- 2 tbsp (30 grams) heavy cream
- for the dough
- 2 3/4 cups (330 grams) bread flour
- 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp (90 grams) whole milk, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60 grams) heavy cream, room temperature
- 2 tbsp (25 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 egg white
- 1 tbsp (6 grams) nonfat dry milk powder
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, (very) softened & cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 1/2 cup (100 grams) scallions, chopped
- to top off
- 1 large egg (for egg wash)
- flaky sea salt
instructions:
- for the tangzhong: in a small saucepan, whisk the flour, water, and heavy cream together until smooth over medium-low heat. Keep whisking until it forms a sort of paste, almost resembling mashed potatoes, about 5 minutes. It is done once the whisk is forming streaks within the paste. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool, covered with plastic wrap directly touching the paste, to prevent a film forming.
- for the dough: in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, add the tangzhong and all of the dough ingredients, except for the butter. Mix on medium-low speed until smooth, about 4-5 minutes. The dough will be sticking to the sides a bit. Add the butter, and mix on medium-high speed for about 10 minutes. The dough should be ‘slapping’ the sides of the bowl. Add the scallions, and mix on low speed until well-distributed. The dough will still be pretty sticky. Transfer to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let proof in a warm space for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Line an 8 by 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Punch the dough to deflate it, and divide the dough evenly into nine pieces. To shape, cup your hand around a piece of dough, and move your hand quickly in a circular motion with light pressure until smooth. Repeat with the rest of the dough, and place side by side in the prepared pan.
- Cover with plastic wrap, and let proof in a warm space for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, beat the egg until smooth to make an egg wash. Uncover the dough, and brush the tops with the egg wash. Sprinkle the tops with flaky sea salt. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.
- You can store these in an airtight container at room temperature, and they’ll stay soft for days!