My 20th experiment: Tuna buns with water roux

I can't resist the urge to make buns. This time, to continue testing the 65C water roux. From my previous experiment in which the rolls turned into a loaf, I gathered that more flour would help if I want the buns to hold their shapes. This time I use 1/4 cup more of high gluten flour, and I add the high gluten flour at the beginning of the dough making. This way, the gluten may get to develop as soon as possible. I also added just a little more milk (1 TB more than last time), though I don't think that it makes such a great difference. 

Recipe: Tuna buns with 65C water roux

Ingredients:

Dough

- water roux made from 1/2 cup water and 2 TB flour

- 1 cup Giant brand unbleached flour

- 1/2 cup high gluten flour

- 3 TB non-fat milk powder

- 1 TB white sugar

- 1/4 tp table salt

- 1 tp active dry yeast dissolved in 1 TB warm water

- 1 egg

- 1 TB butter, melted

- about 1/8 cup Giant brand unbleached flour for dusting
Filling

- 1 can tuna flakes in brine, squeezed out all water

- 1 TB finely chopped onion

- 2-3 TB mayonnaise


Procedure:

To prepare filling:

Mix tuna, onion and mayonnaise.

To prepare the dough:

1. Mix together 1 cup of unbleached flour, 1/4 cup of high gluten flour, milk powder, honey powder, salt in a bowl.

2. Dissolve active dry yeast in warm water. Then add to the dry ingredients.

3. Save some egg white for egg wash later. 

4. Add water roux (water roux is usable when it's lukewarm) and the remaining egg to the mixture. Stir to mix until a dough is formed. 

5. Keep stirring for 10 minutes until gluten has developed.

6. Allow to rest until the volume has at least doubled. Put it in a warm oven to speed up the resting time if needed.

7. Punch down the dough. Rub in the melted butter.

8. Dust a dry counter with high gluten flour. Then place the dough on the counter to stretch a bit. Then cut into small pieces with the tip of a glass.

9. Place a teaspoon of fillings on each piece of dough. Hold the dough like a cup in the circle formed between the thumb and the fingers.  Allow the dough to slowly fall through the circle, then catch it and close the edge of the dough to form a ball that wraps up the filling. 

10. Grease a baking pan. Place the dough balls on the pan and allow to rest until the volume almost doubles. Place the dough balls in warm oven (heated at 150F for 5 seconds) if necessary. If dough is warmed in oven, brush the surface with water to prevent drying during the proofing.

11. Preheat oven to 450F. 

12. Brush each dough ball with egg white. Place the baking pan into oven. Adjust temperature setting to 375F. Bake for 15 minutes.

Results:

10:19am, initial dough mixed:

12:09pm, dough has been risen for almost 2 hours. The use of a warm water roux helped the yeast's fermentation. 

12:10pm, texture of the dough after rising:

12:15pm, adding melted butter to dough:

12:20pm, dough rolled out. This dough is very soft and smooth. But it has good elasticity and is not too sticky to work with by hand. It has the texture that is perfect for making small rolls and buns. 

12:27pm, dough cut into pieces with a glass:

12:44pm, dough with tuna filling. Observe that the filling needs to be semi-solid and not too moist. It has to be able to stand on its own. Else the moisture from the filling can spoil the buns.

12:45pm, dough balls being closed:

12:58pm, dough balls getting ready to rest in a warm oven heated at 150F for 5 seconds:

2:12pm, dough balls rested for over an hour in warm oven, then brushed with egg white, and preparing to be baked:

2:29pm, buns baked at 375F for 15 minutes:

2:29pm, bottom of a bun:

2:33pm, the interior of a bun, with tuna fillings:

Observations:

1. This time the composition of the dough is just right. It is so perfect that it makes the buns without any problem. The dough balls are able to stand and hold their shapes during proofing. They bake really well too. 

2. The baking time may be shortened to 10 or 12 minutes. 

3. The bun baked on a flat surface is on the top rake in the oven, while the ones in the mini-cake pan are baked in the middle rake. It turns out that the bun on the flat surface turns dark faster than those in the mini-cake pan.