Milk Buns with Coconut Cream

FOR THE STARTER:
1/2 cup of whole milk

1/4 cup of all purpose flour

INGREDIENTS:
2 Tablespoons of melted unsalted butter

2 Tablespoons of avocado oil (may sub for any oil)

4 cups of all purpose flour

1/4 cup of all purpose flour (to be added during kneading)

1/2 cup of sugar

1 cup of warm water (not too hot!)

2 packets of INSTANT yeast or 1 Tablespoon ( I recommend this brand for this recipe)

FOR THE COCONUT CREAM FILLING:
1 can (14 ounces) of COCONUT CREAM (do not use coconut milk)

1/4-1/2 cup of powdered sugar (depending on how sweet you like it!)

3 cups of prepared whipped cream (may sub for full fat cool whip or make your own. I use Rich's Whipped Cream where I purchased from Cash N Carry)

OPTIONAL:
desiccated coconut flakes (unsweetened)

melted unsalted butter

16 inch disposable decorating bags

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Melt your butter in the microwave. Stir in your oil and set aside.

2. Make your starter/roux by combining 1/4 cup of all purpose flour with whole milk. Stir well and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Mix well. Microwave on high, again, for additional 30 seconds. Mix well. If your mixture has not thickened and isn't resembling dense, mashed potatoes at this point, microwave for an additional 15 seconds. Mix well and allow for this mixture to cool down to warm (about 15 minutes).

3. Into your stand mixer, add in 4 cups of all purpose flour and sugar. Stir. Add in your yeast, warm water, melted butter/oil, and then your warm roux. (Make sure to follow that order.)

4. Using your dough hook attachment, knead for 1 minute. Add in your salt and 1/4 cup more of all purpose flour. Continue to knead for 8 more minutes until dough is soft and has formed a ball underneath the dough hook.

5. Place dough onto a clean work surface. Knead until you form a smooth ball.

6. Spray mixing bowl with some cooking spray. Place your dough into mixing bowl and spray over it with more cooking spray. Cover with saran wrap and wait for it to double in size.

7. Place dough onto the counter and punch it down to release any air bubbles. Using the fold-over method, knead the dough back down to its original size and until most of the air bubbles are gone.

8. Divide dough into 16-18 equal sized pieces. (Watch my video below for a visual.) Cover your unused dough pieces with a clean, dry cloth. Next, use your hands to make each little piece into a smooth ball, and then using a rolling pin (I use a plastic one used for fondant), roll it out a bit, but making sure to keep it in a circle. Pinch the sides up to create a taco shape, pinch to seal. Place the shaped buns onto a baking sheet fitted with some silpat or parchment paper. Repeat with the rest.

9. Cover your shaped buns with a clean, dry cloth and wait for them to get puffy (not exactly doubled in size; these will rise quite a bit during baking!), about 20-30 minutes.

MAKE YOUR COCONUT FILLING:

Into a large COLD mixing bowl (I put mine in the freezer for a bit), add in your coconut cream and powdered sugar. Whip for several minutes until thickened. (Coconut cream does not whip into stiff peaks.) Using a flat spatula, gently fold in 3 cups of prepared whipped cream. (Store bought, full fat whipped cream would be you your best bet because it's more stabilized.) Place your coconut cream into the fridge until ready to use.

Preheat your oven to 350 Degrees F.

10. Bake your buns for about 20-25 minutes or until tops have become slightly browned.

11. Remove your buns from the oven, and one by one, brush the tops with melted butter and then coat in coconut flakes. Allow for these to cool for 30 minutes before slicing and filling. Taste best eaten the same day!

NOTES:

-Good yeast is important in this recipe. I buy Red Star's Platinum Superior Instant Yeast w/dough enhancers from Safeway and will only use it for this recipe. It really does make the buns softer, but since it's more expensive, I will not use it for everyday baking. But yes, you may use whatever brand of instant yeast you can get your hands on.

-I purchase Rich's whipped cream from Cash N Carry. Pastry Pride is the other one that's great for this recipe!

-My kids prefer these filled with some basic whipped cream. Works great for this recipe, too, because it's more stabilized and not runny!

-Homemade coconut cream does not get stiff like heavy cream, just fyi.

-The coconut cream splashes EVERYWHERE so I would recommend using a stand mixer to whip it or whip half a can at a time to prevent a mess!

-If you DO NOT finish your buns with coconut flakes after they've come out the oven (I prefer it this way!) I would recommend leaving the buns on the hot baking tray on the counter, COVER the baking sheet with a clean dish towel, and allow for them to cool down for 30 minutes under the cloth. This method keeps the bread nice and soft!

-These are best eaten the same day, but if you want to keep these soft, I recommend wrapping up each one individually in saran wrap and then placing them into a large ziplock baggie. The following day, reheat the buns in the microwave for 15 seconds to soften them up a bit. Good as new! :)

-These make wonderful dinner rolls! Just shape into rounded balls and bake as directed! I would reduce the sugar and salt called for, though.

Homemade Dinner Rolls

These dinner rolls are to die for!

I would probably sell my first born for these...

Okay, I may be exaggerating just a TEENY bit, but you get what I mean.

Homemade dinner rolls that are soft and fluffy like these, are hard to come by. I will admit, that you do have to order one of the items in the ingredients list online at Kingarthurflour.com, but I promise you that I will make it worth your while. :)

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of warm water

7 grams (2 tsp) of active dry yeast

25 grams (2 Tbsp) of sugar

300 grams (2 1/2 cups) of all purpose flour plus more for kneading

19 grams (3 Tbsp) of Baker's Special Dry Milk

9 grams (1 Tbsp) of vital wheat gluten

8 grams (1+ 1/4 tsp) of salt

31 grams (2 Tbsp) of unsalted softened butter

You will also need:


An egg white beaten with some water

softened butter for the baking dish

melted butter for when they come out of the oven

a pastry brush

a food processor

vegetable oil

9x9 baking dish (preferably ceramic)

INSTRUCTIONS:


1. Sprinkle your yeast into your warm water (not too hot, you don't want to kill your yeast). Stir. Add in your sugar. Stir once more and set aside until foamy.
2. While you are waiting for your yeast to bloom, add your all purpose flour, baker's special dry milk powder, and vital wheat gluten into a mixing bowl. Mix to combine.
3. When your yeast is ready, give it a quick little stir to loosen up the sugar that has sunk to the bottom, and pour it into your dry ingredients. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix it until it starts to pull away from the sides.
4. Sprinkle in your salt and mix just until combined.
5. Add your dough into your food processor and pulse for 1 minute.
6. Flatten out your dough a bit, spread on your softened butter, and then make sure to cover the butter with your dough before you pulse again for 20-30 more seconds.
7. Place your dough onto a lightly floured surface and QUICKLY work it into a ball. It will seem tacky at first, but do not add anymore flour. As you start to work it, it will begin to form a ball (it doesn't have to be perfect).
8. Place your dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and wait for it to double in size. It may take 1 hour or more.
9. Generously, butter your baking dish with some softened butter.
10. Onto a lightly floured surface, shape your dough into a log (about 14 inches across), and then equally slice them into 12 pieces. Move them to the side, and keep them covered with a dish towel.
11. One by one (with quick hands), start forming your rolls. Add flour to your work surface as needed. (Please watch the tutorial below for a better idea on how to roll out your dinner rolls!) Once finished, place your dinner roll back under your dish towel, and proceed with the rest of them. Always keep them covered to prevent them from drying out.
12. Once you are finished with all 12 rolls, let them rest for 5 minutes to relax the gluten a bit.
13. Reshape them into dinner rolls AGAIN, but this time, place the finished rolls into your buttered baking dish.
14. Cover your finished rolls with saran wrap and let them rest until they have doubled in size. This can take anywhere from 1 hour to several hours, depending on how warm it is.
15. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
16. Gently brush an egg wash over your rolls and bake them for about 8-10 minutes. Once the tops look browned, TURN OFF YOUR OVEN, rotate your pan, and then leave them in there for an additional 5 more minutes. All oven times vary, depending on how hot your oven gets, so you have to watch them!
17. Fresh out of the oven, brush them with some melted butter, and wait at least 30 minutes before removing them from your baking dish.

NOTES: Your dinner rolls might look a little uneven in color when you first pull them out, but the tops will continue to brown while they are cooling in your baking dish. Once you serve them, they will look like perfect little clouds! Also, if you want your dinner rolls to stay nice and fluffy, you must leave them in the baking dish to cool down slightly before removing them onto a serving platter.

The Ultimate Cinnamon Roll Recipe

Mmm..Cinnamon rolls!! Not just any cinnamon roll...these are super soft, HUGE, and taste HEAVENLY!! They may not be forgiving for my figure, but what the hell, I was having a terrible day and the fat girl inside of me was DYING to come out and play! Try this recipe out and you won't be disappointed!!

-Sav the savage

For the dough you will need:

1 cup of warm water
2 tsp of active dry yeast
1/4 cup of sugar
1 extra large beaten egg
3 1/2 cups of unbleached all purpose flour
1 T of potato flour(NOT POTATO STARCH/POTATO STARCH FLOUR)
*3 T of bakers special dry milk powder
1 T of vital wheat gluten
*1 tsp of diastatic malt powder or dough enhancer(use 2 tsp of malt powder if you are using this dough for baked bbq buns!!)
1 1/2 tsp of salt
Vegetable oil
Softened butter for pan

For the filling you will need:

1/3 cup of brown sugar
3 T of white sugar
1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
2-3 T of melted butter

For the frosting you will need:

2 pkgs of softened cream cheese
1 stick of SALTED butter
1 1/4 cup of powdered sugar(or more if you like it sweeter)
1 tsp of vanilla extract
*This frosting makes enough for two batches so cut recipe in half or keep the rest in an airtight container and keep in fridge for later use).

*You can purchase the diastatic malt powder and baker's special dry milk from King Arthur's website! I wouldn't skip out on these two items because I KNOW, it's what sets my recipe apart from others. The result is a softer and fluffier cinnamon roll. Bakers dry milk powder is NOT the same as the dry milk powder found in your local grocery store! A lot of people use milk in their recipe but I find that dry milk powder works best, especially when using with yeast. If you MUST use milk, use skim milk instead of whole milk.

Here's a link to King Arthurs website: http://www.kingarthurflour.com

Take your warm water and add in your sugar. Sprinkle in your yeast and allow to proof for about 5-7 minutes or so. You know your yeast is activated when your mixture looks foamy/creamy.

While your yeast is proofing, take your all purpose flour, potato flour, vital wheat gluten, salt, diastatic malt powder, and bakers dry milk powder, and combine them in a large mixing bowl.

Take your egg and slightly beat it with a fork and set aside.

Once your yeast is activated, give it a small stir to loosen up the sugar that has sunk to the bottom. Pour it into your flour mixture along with your beaten egg. Mix it with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated.

Pour your dough into a food processor and pulse for about 1 minute and 20 seconds. Take a small handful of flour and spread it on a clean work surface. Dump out your dough onto the counter and work quickly with your hands to make a small, more manageable ball. It doesn't need to be completely smooth for this part. It'll be slightly tacky and wet, but try to refrain from adding any additional flour.

Place your dough into a slightly oiled bowl. Toss the dough to coat to prevent a crust on the tops. Cover the bowl with saran wrap and allow to double in size, about an hour.

While your dough is rising, make your filling. Mix your cinnamon, brown sugar, and white sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

After an hour or so, remove your dough from the bowl, and place it on a lightly floured surface. Take your lightly floured rolling pin and shape your dough into a large rectangular shape, trying to make it as even as possible.

Take some melted butter and spread it over the dough but not all the way to the edges.

Take your brown sugar and cinnamon mixture and spread it on the melted butter, leaving at least 1/4 inch space along the borders.

Roll up your dough into a tight log and pinch to seal the seams. Do the same to the ends.

Take a pastry cutter or serrated knife and lightly coat it with some baking spray. Cut your log in half at first and then proceed with cutting the rest into even slices. If you want really big cinnamon rolls, cut 6 to 8 slices instead of 10-12. The bigger the slices, the faster the second rise as well!

Take some softened butter and spread it in your baking dish.

Place your rolls cut side down in your baking dish, spray some cooking spray(like pam) on a piece of saran wrap, cover your pan, and then wait till tripled in size. Don't forget to allow some room for your rolls to grow(at least 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch in between each roll). Let them rise in a warm, draft free place until tripled in size! Two hours is a good time for me but may differ for you!

Once your rolls are ready, bake them in a preheated 325 degree oven for 25 minutes.

While your rolls are baking, take your softened cream cheese, softened butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract and beat until nice and creamy. Taste check and add more powdered sugar if you wish. Set aside.

Once your cinnamon rolls are done baking Take some melted butter and lightly coat each roll. This will add to the overall softness of it. Immediately, take your cream cheese frosting and slather them all over the rolls while they are still hot. Serve warm and ENJOY!!

Notes: If you wish to make these ahead of time and want to have some ready for breakfast then you can place the rolls in the fridge, overnight, during their last and final rise. In the morning, take the rolls out and allow them to come to room temp before baking. If you want to speed up the process, pre heat your oven to the LOWEST temp you can(mine is 170 degrees) place a pot of boiling water in the bottom of your oven, and then place your rolls in there and allow them to puff up for about 15 minutes or so. I must admit though, that I have NOT tried the overnight method with my recipe yet but plan on doing it soon! If there's any problem with this method, please do bring it to my attention! Thanks ahead of time! :)