I am writing this from Kuala Lumpur where a bout of jetlag is keeping me awake in the early hours of the morning, making it an ideal time to either watch TV or catch up with some writing. Doing the former would be too noisy and bright, and I should try to catch some more rest before heading out. A quiet activity it is then.
KL is a city brimming with bakeries, and they are mostly all good. When I was growing up here there were very few households with ovens. My mother had one of the first ovens in our neighbourhood (1977) which was fired by gas from a portable canister. Thus began my love for all things baked.
Having successfully made plain milk bread and with additions of sausage and tuna mayo, this version has chopped spring onions topped with sesame seeds. Once made, each roll can be quartered as a snack when your guests arrive, or they can be halved and filled with e.g. ham and cheese as a sandwich. It also makes a handy emergency snack to carry when you are travelling and cannot trust in-flight catering.
How to Make:
Start with one recipe for Milk Bread. Whilst this is on its first rise, finely chop 180 g spring onions using both the green and white sections. Fry this in 5 tablespoons of sunflower oil along with 1½ teaspoons of fine sea salt, for around 5 minutes over a medium heat. The spring onions should soften but not brown.
After the dough is made, use an oiled silicone spatula to scrape it into a large oiled mixing bowl. Pull the sides of the dough gently towards the middle, then turn it over to make a ball. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in a warm spot to proof until doubled in size. This takes around 1½ hours (or 1 hour in an oven with a dough-proofing function). You can also keep the dough overnight in the refrigerator, to have a longer proof of 8 hours. Bring the dough back to room temperature before continuing with the recipe.
This time I used a deep rectangular tupperware for the proofing, to help with the shape later when the dough is rolled out before filling.
After the first rise, roll out the dough into a large rectangle on a well-floured surface. In my rush I quite forgot that this is best done on a silicone mat (like Silpat – read all about it here). How large a rectangle? My board below measures 50 x 36 cm, but please just roll out to a size you can manage.
Spread the spring onion all over the dough, leaving the oil behind to brush on top later.
Roll up the filled dough from the long side nearest to you until you reach the opposite edge. If you have used a silicone mat this should be easy. I found it slightly tricky on my board even though I had floured it well.
Using a sharp knife, slice the roll into 10 – 14 slices. I think 12 slices is ideal but it all depends on how thinly or thickly the dough has been rolled out initially.
Place the rolls in a baking tin lined with non-stick baking paper. When all the rolls have been formed, cover with a piece of cling film and proof for around 45 minutes, until doubled in size.
Towards the end of this second proofing heat the oven to 180 C / 160 C fan. Brush the spring onion oil over the top of the buns. Sprinkle over some sesame seeds.
Bake the buns for 20 minutes until golden brown. They are best served warm from the oven, but they keep for a day or two and reheat well. As you can see from the photo below the buns were not uniform in shape and size. My oven was being used for other baking and I had to divide the rolls into two smaller baking tins. The next batch will look better when proofed and baked on a large and flat tray, allowing it to expand into circles without being squashed.
