Korean bean paste buns

Oh my god. I can't believe I actually made my favorite korean bread all by myself over here in Switzerland! This is going to go down in history... I'm so proud of myself! The bread turned out just as I had expected and the flavour and taste were just... so... so.... goooood!!!! I couldn't stop myself from eating 2 whole breads before dinner. This baking session sure made my day! Yaay!
In Korea, you find these breads filled with sweet red bean paste in almost every bakery! The bun is usually just made out of plain white sweet yeast dough... I decided to give mine a subtle green tea flavour by adding some matcha powder to the flour! Plus, I didn't use red beans because I didn't have any. Instead, I made mung bean paste which tasted almost exactly like red bean paste. This is my new "special bread" which I created out of pure craving~ They look so pretty!!!!!




Ingredients


Sweet yeast dough

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup bread flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 fresh yeast (8g)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons matcha powder
• 1 large egg , beaten, at room temperature
• sesame seeds
• egg yolk mixed with 2 tablespoons of milk for eggwash

Filling

• 250g dried green mung beans
• 120g sugar
• 700ml water + 300ml water
• pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preparation

Soak mung beans in water for 2-3 hours.

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar and matcha powder and mix with a spatula. In a small bowl pour in milk and add the butter. Microwave for 1 minute until the butter has melted. Take out and add 1/4 cup of water. Let it rest for 1-2 minutes until the milk mixture is no longer hot, but still warm. 40-45°C. Break in the fresh yeast and mix with a fork until the yeast has dissolved completely. Pour the milk mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix well with a rubber spatula until combined. Add the egg and mix well again. Add the remaining 3/4 cups of flour and knead with your hands. The dough will be sticky and that's just how we want it! Knead for 2-3 minutes and place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a damp towel and leave it  to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

2. Boil the soaked mung beans in a medium sized pot with 700ml water and a pinch of salt until the beans are soft. This will take about 30-40 minutes. Stir occasionally. Once the beans are soft, take away from heat and let it cool down for 10-15 minutes. Then put the beans in a blender, add 300ml of water and blend until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add some more water. Pour the blended beans into a frying pan, add the 120g of sugar and simmer over medium heat. This is the hardest part... You have to keep stiring the mixture so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan... Keep stiring until the mixture is no longer runny and is able to "hold it's shape" for a few seconds. Let it cool down to room temperature.

Notice: Once the mixture has cooled down, it will become more firm than when it's hot! 

3. Your dough should have risen to double it's size by now. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and deflate your dough by kneading it. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces and roll them into bun shaped balls. Place them onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and cover slightly with wrap. Leave to rest for 15 minutes.

4. Once the beans are no longer hot, scoop one heaped tablespoon at a time into your hands, gently make a ball out of the beans and place on a large greased platter. You should be able to make around 10 balls! Preheat your oven to 170°C now.

5. Now, to make the buns, flatten your dough balls into approx. 0,8cm thick, palm sized,  round batches. (use some flour if too sticky!) Place the batch in the palm of your hand and place a bean ball into the centre. Close the dough around the bean ball firmly by pressing together with two fingers. Be sure that there are no holes in the dough... This is not an easy thing to do, but I succeeded on my first try, so, you will too!

6. Place 5 filled buns (ugly side down) onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and using the palm of your hands, gently flatten them out to 1,5cm thick patches. Using a kitchen scissor, cut the edges of the buns 5 times as shown in the picture below. Eggwash the tops of the flower buns and sprinkle some sesame seeds over them. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy the flower bread with a cup of coffee in the morning or eat them as a snack!

Tip 1: Freeze them and eat them some other time after defrosting and quickly microwaving them!

Tip 2: The day after the baking day, the breads tend to become a little bit hard. Simply pop them into the microwave for 1 minute and your flower breads will be soft again!