I know nobody can resist soft and fluffy milk buns, right? The ones that spring back after you pressed them?
Well today I'm sharing these Asian style milk buns that are exactly that. Yep yep yep!
And hey, they can also serve as dinner rolls.
Let's get started!
Super Soft Fluffy Pillows
They do look like super soft and fluffy pillows, right?
And if you've been following my bread recipes (or any of my recipes) then you'll know that they are all simple recipes with great results. Sorry, I don't mean to be bias but they really are.
And this recipe is no different. Yet another simple one that if you're a baker enthusiast like me then you'll absolutely LOVE it!
The ingredients are super basic ones in the bread world. So no surprises there.
I'm NOT even using tangzhong or water roux in this recipe. That's how easy it is.
They Are Awesome With Everything
We've eaten these super soft and fluffy buns with almost everything.
We've spread them with homemade baba ganoush, with salami or cured sausage, dipped in curry, spread with butter, spread with jam, as small sandwich buns and even plain as they are.
I will list down below my curry recipes that are simple divine to dip with these beauties.
So be free, enjoy them as your heart desire.
How To Get Them In Equally Beautiful Size
Usually when cutting bread dough into smaller portions, I always eyeball it. I roughly cut the dough with a dough cutter like this and that's it. No weighing nothing.
It's totally different in this case though.
If you want that beautiful equal size look then you will need to weight the dough.
What I do is I weigh it after it's risen. For this recipe it weighs around 1.7 lb (777 g). But you weigh your own dough, alright? Yours might weight slightly different than mine.
For my square tin size of 9 inch (23 cm), I like to make 25 cute buns. Which means each raw bun weighs around 1.1 oz (31 g). The size is perfect for me.
But that's just me. If you want to eyeball it, go ahead, no problem at all. Do as you want, no rules.
In Summary
These soft and fluffy milk buns are:
- exactly that! Soft and fluffy!
- simple recipe with basic ingredients
- so fun to make especially when you see the look after the buns have risen. Dreamy white pillows!
- so versatile that they can be enjoyed both as sweet or savoury buns
- DELICIOUS! Yep yep yep!
Other Bread Recipes
- Whole wheat pull apart bread
- Japanese milk bread rolls
- Savoury monkey bread
- Curry bread with spinach dip
- Pumpkin dinner rolls
Recipe Video
📖 Recipe
Soft & Fluffy Milk Buns
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cup bread flour (455 g)
- 1 tablespoon honey (20 g)
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast (10 g)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg , room temperature
- 1 cup warm milk (250 ml)
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter (30 g), room temperature & cubed
Instructions
The Dough
- Add all of the ingredients except for butter in a stand mixer bowl. Mix to incorporate & then knead for 10 minutes. Add in butter bit by bit, mixing well after each addition. Then continue to knead for another 10 minutes.
- Form dough into a ball and very lightly coat it with some oil. Place in a greased bowl and cover tightly with cling film. Leave until it rises double its size.
Assembling
- Remove risen dough onto a working surface. Using a dough cutter, cut the dough into 25 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball and arrange them in a 9-inch (23 cm) square pan that has been greased and lined with overhung baking sheet.
- Loosely cover with cling film and leave until they rise double their size. Once they've risen, lightly dust some flour on top. Bake in a preheated oven at 300ºF (150ºC) for 22 minutes or until fully cooked.
- Remove from the pan by grabbing the over hanged baking sheet and lifting everything up. Cool completely on rack.
Notes
- Pro Tip: I strongly recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh the dough and divide it into equal pieces to get that beautiful final look.
- How To Serve: These super soft and fluffy buns are great to be enjoyed as sweet or savory buns. Spread some butter, jam, peanut butter, Nutella, and hummus. Dip in curries, and baba ganoush, and use them as small sandwich buns. They are very versatile.
Sean says
Best bread rolls I've made. So soft.
I ended up hand kneading due to appliance failure and they turned out great. Also made 75% of the recipe for a smaller tin
Aulie says
Amazingly easy and super fluffy! Thanks!
Barbara says
Where it says Jump to recipe and Print it does not allow me to print it 🤔😕🙁🥲
Bea & Marco says
Hi Barbara! We checked and it works without problem from our end. Can you tell us the error message that you got?
Louise says
Sorry just realised I have already reviewed the rolls (sorry!)
Louise says
This recipe is absolutely amazing, thank you so much! I bake ALOT and love to try new recipes and experiment. I have made these rolls at least ten times now and it is a go to recipe for my family. I get so many compliments on how flavoursome soft and fluffy they are. They are so versatile too, i often make them larger and cut into 8 for fillings etc. The recipe is very consistent and they always turn out fantastic. 5 big stars and highly recommend this recipe.
Bea says
No matter how many times, I'm just super happy to hear that you're loving it. Many have made it (even beginners) and simply loved it. Thank you so much for your feedback, Julie! 🙏❤️
Louise says
This recipe and method is absolutely amazing. Rolls are beautiful, fluffy, soft and melt in your mouth. My family polish them off including my fussy 2 year old!
I want to make the buns ahead of time for family coming over. What would the best way to store these? How long will they stay fresh for without drying out? Also do they freeze well?
Sorry about all of the questions and thank you!
Bea says
Hi Louise! Sorry for the late reply, we were away for a vacay. Ohh I'm happy to hear even the little one approves! They freeze great, thaw at room temperature and heat them for a few minutes at 350ºF (175ºC) to bring them back to life (microwave works also). They last up to 2-3 days in an air-tight container, room temperature. Hopefully my answers help. Thank you for leaving your feedback!
Nita says
How long will it be soft n fluffy.
Thank you
Bea says
Hi Nita! They'll keep soft and fluffy for a few days, 3-4 top. Heat for a few seconds in the microwave to bring them back to life, if anything. Hope it helps!
Veronica Sanchez says
Delicious my family really enjoyed for our Thanksgiving dinner love them🥰
Bea says
That's awesome, I love to hear that. Thanks for your comment Veronica ❤️!
Elynna says
I made them last night and i was so amazed at how easy it was! So white and so soft just like how I like my rolls to be. This will be a staple in my house from now on. My teener loves them as much as I do. Thank you for this recipe! Btw, i doubled the honey just because I love them sweet too.
Bea says
That's great Elynna! I'm happy that everybody loved them. Do check around here for more fluffy bread recipes. Thank you so much for your feedback!
Giuliana says
Made it tonight and it was just perfect.. so fluffy and soft. I just added a tiny bit of white sugar since I like then sweet. My girls were so excited to try them and they enjoyed as much as I did. Thank you 😊
Mimay says
Hello,
Is 300F is conventional oven or convection oven?
Thanks.
Bea says
Hi Mimay! It's conventional oven. Hope it helps.
Susan says
This came together so well! Mine are a bit too white but cooked to perfection.
The First Rise took and hour and the second was about 45 minutes! This is a keeper!
Gord says
300F seemed a little on the cool side for baking bread/buns but I tried it. The buns took much longer to bake than 22 minutes and were still very pale. I looked up another 6-8 recipes for Hokkaido/Japanese milk bread/buns and all of them suggested 350F.
I'm going to bake these again, tomorrow. Is there any reason I shouldn't try the warmer oven temperature?
Bea says
Hi Gord! Every recipe is different as they're by different people. In my recipe, the colour of the buns is meant to be pale, to imitate milk, as the name of the buns. It's not meant to be golden brown like dinner rolls. You could, of course, bake them to your personal liking, no problem at all. Hope it helps.
Sara says
Made these to serve with dinner...the teenagers ate almost all of them! Soft and light, as you promised, and amazingly delicious with butter! Thanks for the recipe!
Bea says
Awesome! Glad that they loved them. Thanks Sara!
Rose says
Hi! Would these stay soft for days without having to reheat? And can I use sugar instead of honey?
Nino Aramilo says
Muy buen día..
Soy Venezolano y como sabrás, pasamos por malos momentos pero esperanzados en que Dios nos ayudará..
Nunca hemos horneado pan y necesitamos hacerlo, deseo una receta de pan tipo artesanal y tostado..
Mil Gracias...!!
Bea says
Hola! Puedes mirar aqui donde tengo todas mis recetas de panes. Espero te sirva, un saludo!
David Mitchell says
Hi Bea,
I don't suppose you have a recipe for soft fluffy vegan buns? I'm desperately trying to find one that's super light but doesn't have eggs or dairy.
Thanks in advance,
David
Bea says
Hi David! Unfortunately no, I don't have vegan buns recipe. Wish could help, sorry!
Reggie says
Nice and easy recipe no complications.
Bea says
Happy to hear that Reggie!
Anna says
I love this recipe! Its easy to follow and stayed soft for days. My friends and husband are huge fans as well! I am keeping this recipe for life. Thanks for sharing it!
Bea says
Right? It's one of my favs. Glad that everybody liked it, thank you so much Anna!
yeni says
It was a success! First time making it and love how it turns out. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Edith says
Hello! Thanks for this amazing recipe. I made some changes since I had been looking for a si militar kind of buns but sweet. I tried adding some sugar and vanilla, sometimes raisins. The result has been perfect. Now I bake these beauties twice a week and share with my neighbors and friends.
Bea says
That's great! Yes, feel free to adjust it to your likings, no problem at all. Your neighbours and friends are so lucky! Thank you for your feedback Edith!
Tu says
Thanks for this great recipe. You made it so easy to follow. I made the buns today and the texture is just perfect. Love it!
Bea says
Thatt's great, I'm glad! Thank you for your feedback! 😀
Maia says
Will this work with a filling? Would I need to adjust cooking time? Thanks!
Bea says
I haven't tried it but I'm thinking, why not? 🙂
Joyla says
Can you use regular active yeast in this recipe instead of instant yeast? If so, how is it done?
Barb says
Hi! Can i put it on the refrigirator overnight before i pop it in the oven the day after?
Bea says
Hi Barb! I haven't tried it like that so I can't really say, I'm sorry though!
Li Xian says
Hi!
Does anyone know whether there are any difference if salted or unsalted butter is used?
Thanks 🙂
Bea says
Hi! The only difference is one has salt and the other no. If you use salted butter then skip the salt mentioned in the recipe. Hope it helps 🙂
Wai says
Hi, This is very easy to make and the rolls turned out great! Thank you for your recipe!
Bea says
Glad that you liked it Wai, thank you!
Al Yari says
Awesome recipe!
Thank you for sharing 🙂
Bea says
No problem Al Yari! 🙂
Patricia Tan says
Can I used bread machine instead of stand mixer?
Will it be the same? Thank you!
Bea says
Since I'm not familiar with a bread machine (don't have one) so I can't really say, sorry!
Nia Mohd says
Definitely a keeper! Thank you for sharing! 😍
Bea says
Glad that you liked it, thank you so much Nia! XO
Daniel says
Hi, I made the buns with great success first time but have had different results last three attempts, the buns are coming out with heavier texture almost like a scone. Any idea what could be causing this.
Bea says
Hi Daniel! Most probably it has to do with your yeast? Either it has expired or not properly activated. Try looking into it. Hope it helps.
Clarice says
Hi, can this be frozen? I make several batches of bread for my family’s consumption. I just freeze then after baking then just thaw it out a day before consuming.
Bea says
Yes, it can Clarice. That's how I always do also 🙂 . You might want to heat it a bit after thawing to bring it back to life.
WT says
I did this, turned out really well. Great recipe!
Bea says
Hi! I'm happy to know that 🙂 Thanks for your support!
shyet Siow says
Hi, can I bake this recipe in sandwich loaf tin? Do I need to adjust the temperature?
Thank you in advance.
Sf
Neelakanta Rao.H.S says
This recipe good and easy and simple tasty. &
Shannon says
Do you proof the yeast in the milk or do you throw in with the dry mixture?
Bea says
I'm using instant yeast which doesn't need to be proofed, so I throw it in with the dry ingredients. Hope it helps.
theza says
Hi can I used bread mix? And also the the paste yeast? Thanks
C says
Hi there, what i have is a convection oven but I have read an article that this mode makes the inside of bread dry.
Mine has an option to turn it off. If I will turn it off, will the heat should be ON to both upper and lower sources to be like conventional oven? Thanks in advance.
Bea says
Yes, I do all of my bakings using conventional mode with both top and bottom heat on, unless stated otherwise. Hope it helps!
Rennie says
Hi, can I use plain flour instead? Or is it the same thing as bread flour? Thank you
Bea says
Plain flour is not the same as bread flour, and I don't recommend for this recipe. Hope it helps 🙂 !
Nicole says
Tried this on Monday and they came out looking so pillowy and wonderful. Have to say that I was skeptical at first as the buns looked so 'pale'. Have tried different bun recipes and have to say that this is the best and simplest so far. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe! (:
Bea says
Haha! Yes the pale look is on purpose because we want to have that white-milky look 🙂 . I'm happy that you tried the recipe and loved it, thank you so much Nicole! XO
Wen says
Very easy recipe to follow. I dusted flour on the dough before 2nd rise instead of after it has risen 2nd time. Not sure if it made any difference, but it came out from looking good and tasted fantastic!
Thanks for sharing recipe!
Bea says
Hi Wen! No it doesn't really make such difference from dusting the flour before or after second rise. I'm happy that you liked it, thank you! 🙂