We were buying our pork direct from a local farm last year and it was some of the most delicious pork I’ve ever had. It seemed only right to give this wonderful meat a freshly baked bun each morning. I wanted something between a Japanese-style milk bun and a brioche, soft and slightly sweet but one that actually held together. We served these pork buns with coriander aïoli, pickled red onions and mint. They are also great with butter and jam for breakfast – so bouncy, sweet and buttery.
MAKES 10 large, 20 small
• 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 7g fast-action dried yeast (1 packet)
• 75g caster sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom seeds
• 75g butter,softened
• 1 egg,beaten
• 250ml whole milk
• 1 egg, beaten, for eggwash
• onion seeds or sesame seeds, for sprinkling (optional)
EQUIPMENT
• stand mixer fitted with a dough hook
• baking tray
Alternatives
fennel seeds; black pepper
Get everything ready before you begin. Weigh out the flour and add the dried yeast to it in a large bowl. Weigh out the sugar and add the salt to it in a smaller bowl. Add the cardamom to the salt and sugar.
Weigh out the butter. Beat the egg in a separate bowl.
Heat the milk in a pan until warm, not hot. Test it with your finger to check. Remove from the heat and add a couple of tablespoonfuls of the warm milk into the egg, mix, then add the milk and egg back into the milk pan. Add the sugar, salt and spice and whisk until it has dissolved.
If you are using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine everything into the bowl: the flour, yeast, sugar mix, butter and milk mixture, and mix for 10 minutes.
If you are doing it by hand, combine everything in a large bowl and bring it all together with a spatula. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes. It is quite a light sticky dough, so you may need to keep flouring your hands.
Bring the dough into a ball, place it in a large bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm spot for about an hour, or until it is doubled in size. It starts out about the size of a melon. The weather and temperature of the day have a huge difference on how quickly this happens. It won’t take long on a warm sunny day and you’ll get sick of waiting in the winter! When it has risen, knead the dough again for 10 minutes, either by hand on a floured work surface, or in the mixer.
Now it’s time to form the buns. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Tip out the dough and weigh it. For tiny buns divide by 20 and for larger buns divide by 10. If you make 10 they end up roughly the size of a burger bun. Cut off the correct amount of dough, usually about 95g for the larger buns, then holding your hand like a claw with the dough under it, move the dough round in circular motions on the work surface. You might need a little flour if it is really sticky, but I find it easier to form without. The motion should be pushing the edges round and under and forming a neat little ball. I then dip the bottoms in flour and place them on the lined baking tray a few centimetres apart. Cover them with clingfilm and leave for another 30 minutes in a warm place.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Brush the tops with beaten egg and sprinkle on onion or sesame seeds or salt too, if you like. Bake for about 15 minutes for the larger buns and 10 minutes for the small. I turn the larger ones after 10 minutes if they are not browning evenly. You want an even golden colour all over and they should sound hollow when you tap the bottoms. Leave them to rest on a wire rack, for 30 minutes before you dive in.