Soufflé Buns
182kcal
Ingredients
The Sweet Stiff Sourdough Starter (Night Before)
- 8 g Sourdough starter culture
- 30 g Water
- 60 g Bread flour
- 5 g Sugar
The Enriched Cream Cheese Dough
- 200 g Bread flour (100%)
- 60 g Active sweet stiff starter (30% - From the stage above)
- 55 g Milk (27.5%)
- 50 g Heavy cream (25%)
- 1 Large egg (approx. 50g / 25%)
- 40 g Soft cream cheese (20% - Softened completely to room temperature)
- 15 g Soft unsalted butter (7.5%)
- 40 g Sugar (20%)
- 4 g Fine sea salt (2%)
- 0.5 g Dry instant yeast (Optional helper pinch to fully neutralize any natural sour notes)
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (Fitted with a dough hook attachment)
- Square Baking Pan (An 8x8 or 9x9 inch cake pan works perfectly)
- Aluminum Foil (Crucial for blocking top heat during baking)
- Plastic Wrap or clean kitchen towel
Method
Day 1 – Stiff Sweet Starter Setup
- 10:00 PM: Fully dissolve the 5g of sugar into the 30g of water inside a small glass jar. Whisk in your 8g of starter culture, then add the 60g of bread flour.
- Knead the mixture briefly inside the jar into a firm, tight dough ball. Cover loosely and let it ferment at room temperature 74–78°F (23–26°C) overnight for 8 to 10 hours until it at least doubles in volume and looks porous and airy.
Day 2 – The Enriched Mix, Multi-Stage Proof, and Cold Retard
- 8:00 AM – The Hydration Autolyse: In your stand mixer bowl, combine the 55g of milk, 50g of heavy cream, 1 large egg, 40g of sugar, 60g of your active sweet stiff starter, and the optional 0.5g of dry yeast. Pour all 200g of bread flour over the liquids, mix until no dry flour spots remain, cover, and let autolyse undisturbed for 30 minutes.
- 8:30 AM: Attach your dough hook attachment. Mix the dough on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or on a KitchenAid mixer on speed 3 for 3 to 4 minutes) until a unified mass forms. Add the 4g of salt and continue mixing for 2 more minutes until the dough gathers cleanly into a firm ball.
- The Fat Incorporation: Add the 40g of soft cream cheese and 15g of soft butter. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and knead continuously for 10 minutes until the fats are completely incorporated, the bowl sides are spotless, and the dough passes a flawless windowpane test.
- Cover the bowl and let bulk ferment for 3 to 4 hours at a warm 76–80°F (24–28°C). Perform 2 separate rounds of structural stretch-and-folds during the first 2 hours of the rise until the dough looks light and slightly puffy.
- 1:30 PM: Transfer the covered dough container directly into the refrigerator for a cold fermentation retard lasting 6 to 9 hours to chill the dairy fats.
- 10:00 PM – Shaping the Buns: Remove the cold dough from the fridge. Using a bench scraper and a kitchen scale, divide the dough cleanly into 9 equal pieces weighing roughly 55g each.
- Take a dough piece, pinch all the outer edges tightly down into the bottom center, and roll it firmly against your counter under a cupped hand to create a smooth, tight skin. Repeat for all 9 pieces.
- Arrange the 9 shaped buns side-by-side in rows inside a lightly greased square baking pan. Cover loosely and let them proof on your counter overnight for 8 to 10 hours at a stable 70–74°F (20–23°C) until they completely double in volume and fill the pan snugly.
Day 3 – Pale Staged Soft Bake
- 7:00 AM: Preheat your oven to a gentle 335°F (168°C). Dust the tops of your puffed buns lightly with a fine coating of flour (or brush cleanly with an egg wash).
- Place the baking pan onto the middle rack of your oven and bake uncovered for exactly 8 minutes.
- The Soufflé Shielding Hack: Quickly transfer the pan up onto the absolute top rack of your oven to shield the buns from direct top heat. Cover the top of the pan loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil to block browning, and bake for an additional 15 to 17 minutes (total baking time: 23–25 minutes). Take them out and enjoy them while they are completely hot, light, and pillow-soft!
Nutrition
Calories182kcalCarbohydrates27gProtein5gFat6gSaturated Fat3gPolyunsaturated Fat1gMonounsaturated Fat2gTrans Fat0.1gCholesterol33mgSodium198mgPotassium57mgFiber1gSugar6gVitamin A220IUVitamin C0.03mgCalcium23mgIron0.4mg
Notes
- The Secret to Keeping Them Completely Pale: Traditional sweet rolls rely on intense top heat to develop a deep, caramelized golden crust. To give these buns their unique, delicate, soufflé-style appearance and texture, moving the pan to the top rack and tenting it with foil halfway through the bake is completely mandatory. This shields the expanding starches from intense browning, leaving the outer skin remarkably soft, thin, and pull-apart tender.
- Why the Cream Cheese is a Game-Changer: Adding 40g of soft cream cheese directly into the dough matrix does wonders for the final texture. The lactic fats and proteins in cream cheese integrate deeply with the wheat structure, mimicking the texture of a traditional Japanese tangzhong starter. This process locks in moisture, giving the buns a signature melt-in-your-mouth bite that won't dry out.
- Why Low Hydration Starters Turn Down the Sourness: Building your overnight starter at a low hydration level (using double the amount of flour to water) combined with a touch of sugar creates a true sweet stiff starter. This environment encourages your yeast cells to multiply rapidly while suppressing the bacteria that produce sharp, tangy acetic acids. This ensures your Soufflé Buns maintain a beautifully clean, sweet, and milky flavor profile.
- Expect a Tiny Bit of Post-Bake Shrinkage: Because these buns are incredibly light and airy—very much like a true dessert soufflé—it is completely normal for them to wrinkle or shrink slightly as they cool down on your counter. This minor deflation is simply a sign that the delicate interior matrix is exceptionally soft and filled with tiny, feather-light air pockets.