These lye buns carry no butter or oil in the dough at all. Softness comes from a scalded flour paste mixed the night before, and the flavor from two pantry jars: sweet fermented rice and rose jam. The shaped dough goes into the freezer rather than a proofer, which firms the twists so they hold their flower shape through the lye bath.
Chinese · Bread
Rose and Rice-Wine Lye Buns From an Overnight Tangzhong
A tangzhong made the night before keeps this lean dough soft, while fermented rice wine and rose jam fold a faint floral sweetness into buns that get their dark crust from a lye dip.
- Prep40 min
- Cook20 min
- Serves10
- LevelMedium
Ingredients
| 50 g | bread flour , for the tangzhong |
| 5 g | sugar , for the tangzhong |
| 0.5 g | salt , for the tangzhong |
| 50 g | boiling water , for the tangzhong |
| 400 g | bread flour |
| 15 g | brown sugar |
| 130 g | water |
| 110 g | fermented sweet rice , with some of its liquid |
| 50 g | rose jam |
| 12 g | fresh yeast |
| 5 g | salt |
| 100 g | tangzhong |
| 3 g | dried edible rose petals |
| 500 g | water , for the lye bath |
| 20 g | baked lye , food grade, for the lye bath |
Method
- The night before, stir the flour, sugar and salt for the tangzhong together, pour in the boiling water, mix until smooth, cool slightly and refrigerate overnight.
- Knead everything except the rose petals for about 10 minutes: two minutes at low speed to bring the dough together, then eight minutes at medium high. The dough should be smooth and just past the expanded stage, not a thin glove membrane.
- Add the petals and knead one more minute. Keep the finished dough between 23 and 26 C and never above 28 C.
- Skip the bulk rise. Divide the dough into ten pieces, round them loosely and rest them, covered, in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Roll each piece into an oval, flip it over, flatten into a small rectangle, thin the bottom edge and roll it up tightly. Twist two ropes together into a five petal flower and pinch the joint closed.
- Freeze the shaped buns, uncovered, for 35 to 40 minutes.
- Wearing gloves, dissolve the lye in the water. Dip each chilled bun for about 20 seconds per side, drain on a rack, then move to a lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 175 C in a fan oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until the crust turns deep reddish brown. Cool on a rack.
Notes
- The lye bath is caustic; gloves are not optional, and a silicone lined tray protects the pan.
- Chilling rather than proofing is what keeps the twist definition sharp during the dip and bake.
- This is a low fat, chewy bun, so it stales faster than an enriched loaf; bag it once fully cool.
Ratios and technique checked against 蔡蔡烘焙记 on Douguo (玫瑰酒酿碱水包). The method here is written by Stellaok; the photograph is the source kitchen's, credited on the image above and linked back to the page it came from. No recipe text is reproduced.