After making tangzhong loafs a couple of times lil’ bun and I were decided we were going to be brave enough to venture into making intricate buns with the dough. Lil’ bun wanted to make the tuna, corn and mayo buns they sell at Asian bakeries so we decided to use that desire of hers a springboard for these buns. As much as I enjoyed having those buns as a kid I always thought that they were a little messy to eat. In order to resolve that problem, I decided that we would make Braided tuna fishies so that all the goodness could be contained inside. Doesn’t it look like a little tuna fish?
We probably could have just stuffed the filling inside a bun and had an equally delicious result but the intricacy and beauty of the braided look in the buns we made was amazing to look at. The braided look also made our rolls turn out to look almost like little fish when you turn them on their sides! I mean aren’t these Braided tuna fishies the cutest little things? Tuna filling for tuna looking rolls? Best idea ever.
Ingredients (10 buns):
2 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons yeast
1/2 cup milk (or soy/coconut/almond milk)
1 egg (substitute by adding 2 tablespoons more milk/oil)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons coconut oil (or butter)
Tangzhong:
40 mL bread flour
1/2 cup water
Filling:
1 can white tuna
1/4 cup mayo
optional: corn nibblets, herbs, spices, salt, pepper, cheese
Swim on over to the kitchen!
1. Make the tangzhong by putting the 40 mL bread flour and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the tangzhong until it thickens and swirls form. Then remove from heat and stir it for another 30 seconds so it can thicken a little more.
2. In a measuring cup mix the yeast, warm milk and a sprinkle of sugar together; set aside until foamy. Then, put the sugar, salt, bread flour,and coconut oil in a large bowl.
3. Whisk in an egg then our the milk mixture and the cooled tangzhong into the flour mixture.
4. Stir everything together to form a dough (if it still feels sticky you may need to add a bit more flour).
5. Knead the dough for 15 – 25 minutes until smooth and elastic and then let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
6. While the dough is rising, prepare your tuna mixture by emptying the can of tuna into a bowl and adding in the mayonnaise. Mix everything together until creamy.
7. When the dough is done rising, split it into 10 equal dough balls.
8. Roll out each portion of the dough with a rolling pin into an oval shape and spread your tuna mixture into the center of the oval. Now it’s time for the braid, slice the sides of the oval at an angle into 3/4″ tabs. Alternately fold the tabs over the tuna pressing gently at the end of each side to seal in the goodness.
9. Place the completed rolls onto a baking sheet and let rise for 30 minutes in a warm place until it doubles.
10. Bake at 350F for 20-30 minutes until golden.
