Pork Floss and Scallion Star Bread

This pork floss and scallion star bread recipe is as delicious as it is beautiful. Filled with fresh scallions, savory pork floss, and brushed with toasted sesame oil, this fun take on the traditional Chinese pork floss bun will be an instant showstopper.

Course Bread

Cuisine Asian Fusion

Keyword savory star bread, star bread, star bread recipe, star shaped bread

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 1 55

Servings

Calories 1842kcal

Author takestwoeggs

Ingredients

Tangzhong

¾ cup (180 g) water
¼ cup (34 g) bread flour

Dough

1 cup (250 g) warm milk 100-105°F (38°C)
1 tablespoon (13 g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon (10 g) instant yeast or active dry
4 cup (543 g) bread flour
1 teaspoon (5 g) salt
1 large egg room temperature
5 tablespoon (70 g) unsalted butter, room temperature

Scallion & Pork Floss Filling

1 ½ cup (120 g) scallion thinly sliced
1 cup (85 g) pork floss
1 teaspoon salt
3 ½ tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Egg Wash

1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk

Garnish

Toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

Tangzhong

In a small saucepan, add the water and bread flour on medium heat and using a rubber spatula mix until there are no more lumps and the mixture has thickened, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue mixing for an additional 1 minute. Remove from heat, and transfer the tangzhong into a small bowl and place the plastic wrap tightly over the a plastic wrap. Make sure plastic wrap is touching the tangzhong because we don't want a film to develop. Refrigerate until it has cooled to about room temperature.

The Dough

Bloom the yeast. In a small bowl or large measuring cup, mix together warmed milk (100-105°F or 38°C) sugar and instant yeast for dough. Let it bloom for ~5 minutes* (blooming time will vary depending on the yeast used see notes below) or until it has risen and there is a layer of foam about 1/4 inch thick at the top.
Make the dough. In the bowl of your stand mixer with a dough attachment, mix together the bread flour and salt. While the mixer is on low, add in the yeast mixture and tangzhong and egg. Continue mixing until the mixture forms into a dough about 2 minutes.
Add butter and knead. When the dough has just formed, add the softened room temperature butter and knead on low until combined about 1 minute. Then increase the speed to medium-high and knead until smooth, 7-8 minutes. Dough should form into a nice ball and be slightly sticky. If it's TOO sticky (meaning it's sticking to the bottom of the mixer, add in 2 tablespoons more bread flour.) The dough should be smooth and elastic.
1st Proof. Shape the dough into a ball and place in greased mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and proof in a warm place for about 1-1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. This may more or less time depending the humidity and temperature in your home.
Prepare the filling. While the dough is proofing, chop your scallions, prepare a small bowl of sesame oil with a pastry brush, and measure out your pork floss and salt. Set aside.

Assemble the Star Bread

Divide and roll out the bread. Punch down the dough to release the air. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 4 equal pieces and using a rolling pin roll each piece into a thin 10-inch circle. Gently place the bottom circle on the prepared baking sheet. If it lost its circle shape, use your hands to form the edges back into a round shape.
Add the filling. Using a pastry brush top the first layer with sesame oil, sprinkle a pinch of salt, and generously coat with scallions and pork floss. Then continue to layer the remaining circles and filling on top. If the dough on the top layers shrinks too much, gently pull them to the edges or gently use a rolling pin to evenly spread the dough. The top layer does not have filling on it, so only 3 of the 4 circles will be topped with filling. Using a sharp knife, pizza cutter or bench scraper cut any scraps around the edges so you have an even circle.
Create the star. Place a 3-inch round object or bowl in the center and make an indent. This is the center of the star. Cut 16 even strips from the edge to the center 3-inch circle. Using both hands, grab two strips and twist them away from each other twice, then pinch the two ends tightly together to make a point. Your star bread will have 8 points.
Second proof. Gently cover the shaped bread with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and let it rest for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). While the bread is proofing, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C)
Bake the bread: Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the star bread with egg wash and sprinkle on the toasted sesame seeds. Pinch the edges of the star if they have come un-done. This ensures a beautifully shiny golden brown bread. Bake for about 25- 30 minutes or until golden brown on top. If you notice the top or points browning too quickly, loosely tent the star bread with aluminum foil. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes.

Notes

Do not overheat your milk! The ideal temperature for activating yeast is 100-110 degrees F. (My sweet spot is usually 105 degrees F) Anything hotter will instantly kill the yeast and the yeast will not rise. Measure the temperature with a thermometer to make sure it is at the right temperature.
Instant Yeast v. Active Dry Yeast blooming time: Instant yeast will take a considerably shorter time to bloom than active dry yeast. Instant yeast can bloom anywhere from 2-5 minutes whereas active dry yeast may take up to 10 minutes. Ideally, the foamy yeast layer should be about 1/4 of an inch thick. Keep a close eye on the yeast mixture to make sure it doesn't overly bloom!
Make sure to use room temperature butter. Using softened room temperature butter will allow even mixing into the dough without making the dough overly wet. Moreover, if you use melted butter for the filling it will cause the filling to leak out before baking.
Use a room temperature egg. Using a cold egg may shock the dough and may affect the yeast preventing the dough from rising.
Flour your work surface and rolling pin before rolling out the dough. The dough may be fairly sticky since it is a wetter dough. To prevent any tearing, make sure the work surface and rolling pin are generously floured.

Nutrition