Cheddar Chive Buttermilk Buns

The Origin of Milk Bread

Milk bread is a very springy bread that is light and airy due to many tiny air pockets. Rumors have it that English pastry chef Robert Clarke, who opened a bakery in Japan in the 1860’s, created the milk bread. The Japanese named it “Shokupan” which is a Japanese term for a regular old loaf of bread. Read more about the brief history of milk bread here!

How to Make Buttermilk Buns with Cheddar and Chives:

What are These Soft buttermilk buns made of?

This buttermilk buns recipe have the usual pantry baking ingredients and uses a classic milk bread method which is both sweetened and enriched. A sweetened dough has sugar or sweetener added, and an enriched dough has fat added such as milk, eggs, or butter. I further enhance these soft buttermilk dinner rolls with sharp cheddar and herby chives to make it extra special.

Mix the Dough:

This dough is a sweetened and enriched dough which means it contains both fat (milk, eggs, & butter) and sweetener (granulated sugar). However, what’s really important here is mixing the yeast with warm water. Since active dry yeast needs to be activated with warmth to work, and the buttermilk is cold, it needs to mix first with warm water to allow for proofing. It also can’t be too hot or else you will kill the yeast which occurs at 120*F. Use a mixer to make kneading the dough much easier than hand kneading, and mix until it passes the windowpane test. The windowpane test demonstrates the gluten development in dough (explained more below).

When your dough is done kneading add in the shredded cheese and chopped up chives, and mix just until incorporated.

Why we knead bread:

Flour is composed of starch and protein, and the proteins are called glutenin and gliadin which are long and tangled. Together, glutenin and gliadin form gluten. Kneading rubs these “subproteins” together to stretch them out, line them up, and cross-link themselves to create a net that helps retain gasses during the proofing stage. Kneading also incorporates oxygen in the dough which helps yeast breath and produce carbon dioxide. The windowpane test proves if you have developed enough gluten strands for proper structure to help retain those gasses for the final rise. 

Test for the windowpane by taking a small portion of dough and roll into a ball. Stretch it out gently starting in the middle. Stretch it into a square and until the center is a thin film. If your dough easily stretches thinly without tearing, then the dough is strong enough and enough gas can be retained in the network of gluten strands. If it rips easily, then you need to develop more gluten strands by more kneading/mixing. You should also see the network of gluten strands. It’s called the windowpane test because light should be able to pass through like through a window.

why we proof bread dough:

Proofing dough leads to light and fluffy bread instead of a dense brick. After all that work of mixing and providing a GREAT net of gluten strands, the dough needs a break. During that break the yeast activates, eats the carbohydrates, and releases carbon dioxide which leads to rising. That net you just weaved kneading is now doing its job. The amount of time it takes to proof will depend on your environment. The warmer it is, the faster it will proof; the colder, the longer. Also, the dough will be colder than most doughs due to the cold buttermilk, so be patient! After your dough has proofed, you can easily portion out into 85g balls.

Roll into Balls and Final Proof:

Definitely see my tips below for rolling dough into balls as it can be tricky for first timers! Always make sure to have a flour-less surface to work on because you don’t want to slip and slide. You need a barely tacky surface so I will usually keep a spray bottle or wet towel nearby to make a tackier surface. Once they’re all rolled out, it’s time for a final proof before baking! So lay a towel or plastic on top and wait a bit more.

Egg Wash and Bake The cheddar chive buttermilk buns:

The egg wash is small but mighty. It aids in nice, even browning on top and also gives it that shine. Make sure to get in all the crevices too for when the dough rises in the oven. The cheddar chive buttermilk buns are done when they turns golden brown, but if you’re nervous, you can check with a thermometer; it should be 190*F. You can also opt to brush these soft buttermilk dinner rolls with melted butter right after coming out of the oven. Enjoy at room temperature or warm with your Thanksgiving dinner!