Chinese Ham and Cheese Buns

Soft and airy, topped with loads of cheese and ham, with a delectable sweet corn mayonnaise sauce that will make you fall in love with these Chinese ham and cheese buns.

Introduction

Believe it or not but I actually grew up eating Chinese ham and cheese buns also known as Hong Kong ham and cheese buns.

Every time I went with my parents to a Hong Kong bakery shop I would always be sure to grab at least 1-2 of these delicious savory snacks to bring home with me.

As someone that doesn’t have too much of a sweet tooth and instead prefers more savory baked goods, I’ve always been a fan of Chinese bakery style ham and cheese buns that you typically find being sold at Chinese bakeries.

These buns are comprised of a sweet and ultra soft milk bun, stuffed with ham inside, and topped with a cheese corn, and Japanese mayonnaise blend that gives it a wonderful sweet and tangy kick.

These ham and cheese buns have become a staple of Chinese bakery shops due to their sweet and savoury contrasting flavours and fit perfectly well with other Chinese baked goods such as the ever so famous Chinese pineapple bun and BBQ pork buns.

Today I’m going to share with you my recipe for making Hong Kong ham and cheese buns so that you too can enjoy these delicious delectable buns at home, without having to leave your front door.

Ingredients

Tangzhong:

125ml Water

25g Bread flour

Dough:

300g Bread flour

80ml Milk (lukewarm)

5g of instant yeast

6g of milk powder

20g of unsalted butter (room temperature)

40g of white granulated sugar

2g of table salt

1 egg (room temperature)

Filling:

10 ham slices

Topping:

100g of corn (cooked)

100g of shredded mozzarella cheese

4 Tbsp of Japanese mayonnaise (kewpie mayo)

1 tsp of dried parsley flakes

Egg wash:

1 egg

Splash of milk

Directions

In a small sauce pan, add in your water & bread flour to make the Tangzhong. Heat this mixture well over low heat while constantly stirring it.

 

Cook the mixture until it becomes a thick viscous like substance. Then remove it from the stove and transfer it to a small bowl or dish. Cover it with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for at least 20 minutes prior to using to cool the Tangzhong down before using.

Next in a large mixing bowl, add in your bread flour, sugar, salt, yeast, milk powder, egg, and the cooled down Tangzhong from earlier.

Using a stand mixer, give it a quick whisk then slowly add in your milk as well to the dough and continue kneading the dough for about 3-4 minutes.

For this recipe, you’d want to use a stand mixer preferably as we are working with a sticky dough that is difficult to knead by hand.

That’s not to say that you can’t knead the dough by hand, just that it will be more difficult to work with by hand.

After 3-4 minutes, add in your room temperature unsalted butter as well to the dough and continue mixing for an additional 9-10 minutes until the dough becomes nice and smooth.

To check when your dough is finished kneading, you can grab a small piece of the dough and try to stretch it out until it becomes somewhat translucent. If the dough does not tear when you doing this then it has been sufficient kneaded.

Now transfer the dough to a greased large bowl, shape the dough into a round ball, and then cover it with plastic wrap or a towel and let it proof in a warm place until double in size (about an hour).

After an hour has passed, de-gase the dough and transfer it to a lightly floured working surface.

Shape the dough into a round ball and then weigh the dough.

Now divide the dough into 10 pieces and weigh out each piece so that you get equal portion sizes.

Next, shape each dough into a round ball and then cover the dough with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.

Let the rough rest for about 10-15 minutes to relax the dough.

Afterwards, grab each piece of the dough and roll it out into a rectangular shape, slightly larger than the size of your slices of ham.

Now place a slice of ham on top of the dough and then roll the dough from one end into the other into a log shape starting from the wide end.

Now pinch the ends of the dough to seal it and roll it out using the palms of your hands to make it more smooth.

Then, bring the two ends of the dough together, pinch the two ends to seal them together.

Next, make a cut all the way to the end of the dough but just before the ends where you sealed it meet. You want to have a little bit of dough still together as we will need to fold it now. Leave about 2-3 inches uncut at the end.

Now, separate the two ends of the dough where you made a cut and lay the dough flat on the countertop.

Repeat these steps for all of the other pieces of dough.

Once finished, place all of the dough onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper and cover the dough with plastic wrap or a towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place for about 45-50 minutes.

In the meantime, you can prepare the egg wash and toppings for the bun.

For the egg wash, combine 1 beaten egg with a splash of milk and mix well.

For the topping, combine the cooked corn, mozzarella cheese, Kewpie mayo, and dried parsley together.

Once the buns have finished proofing, apply the egg wash to the buns then add in a generous amount of the topping to the top of the buns as well.

Finally bake the buns in a pre-heated oven at 350°F (180 °C) for about 18-20 minutes or until the buns are golden brown.

F.A.Q’s

Why is my dough not rising?

There could be a number of reasons why your dough isn’t rising such as the following:

Your Yeast is Dead

Solution: Test out your yeast prior to proofing. Add in a small amount of yeast to a warm bowl or cup of water along with about 1 tsp of sugar and mix everything together. Wait about 10 minutes and see if foam and bubbles start to form at the top of the water along with a strong yeast type of smell. If you can see this then your yeast is still good. If not then unfortunately you will need to replace your yeast.

Your Environment is too Cold

In order for yeast to thrive and activate properly it needs to be in a warm enough environment. How warm you ask?

King Arthur Baking has suggested a temperature between 75°-78°F (24°-26°C).

While Harold McGee suggests in their book “On Food and Cooking” that the ideal temperature range is 85°F (29°C).

Based on my own personal experience I tend to get the best results somewhere between 80-90°F(27°-32°C).

So ideally you’d be looking at a range somewhere between 75°-90°F (24°-32°C)

Your Water Was too Hot

Believe it or not, but mixing yeast with water that is too hot can actually kill off the yeast.

According to Bob’s Red Mill, a yeast manufacturer, anything at 120°F or more (49°C) will negatively affect yeast.

Never use piping hot water with yeast as it will kill the yeast.

Salt Interfered With You Fermentation Process

Salt due to it’s nature can inhibit and interfere with yeast activity limiting it’s growth. It’s best not to leave the yeast with salt combined for too long.

Can I use dry active yeast instead of instant yeast?

Yes, provided that you activate the dry active yeast first prior to mixing it with instant yeast.

Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?

You can substitute bread flour with all-purpose flour, however due note that due to the lower protein content found in all-purpose flour, the texture of your bread will be different and not produce the same level of structure and chew compared to bread flour. In addition, based on my own experience, the bread tends to not rise as much compared to using bread flour which may be attributed to the lower protein content found in all-purpose flour.

I’m lactose intolerant, can I substitute cow’s milk with another milk?

Yes, you can, however please be aware that different milk’s have different fat levels to them and this will affect the texture of the bread.

Can I hand knead the dough?

Yes you can! However, I don’t recommend that you do, as the dough is very sticky and difficult to handle.

If you do decide to hand knead the dough however, be prepared to spend a bit more time kneading the dough and also make sure not to add too much flour or any at all as this will affect the hydration level of the dough.