Gordon Gee's video: TAngzhong Cream Cheese Potato Buns II

Super-soft, Tangzhong method cream cheese potato buns. They keep very well, remaining very soft and fresh and re-heat wonderfully by moistening the surface and placing in a 350°F oven for 5 – 10 minutes. I prefer to brush mine with milk for a lighter finished bun that will brown when they are re-heated. For a nicely browned, glossy surface, brush with an egg/milk mixture. For the potato, I simply score and cook my potatoes in the microwave, peel and then smash by hand and then I just use the whisk to make it a bit finer. When kneaded into the dough, the potatoes will break down further, so don’t be too obsessive running the pieces through a ricer or food mill, but you certainly may. Rather than do the Tangzhong on the stove, I simply mix the flour and milk together and heat it in the microwave oven, mixing part-way and returning to the oven. As you can see, once removed and mixed, the actual temperature is much higher than the initial reading. It’s only necessary to heat it to between 155°F and 165°F which is the temperature at which the starches gelatinize and where the magic happens. I add warm milk to the dough being careful not to overheat as you don’t want to kill the wild yeasts in the sourdough starter. I use my homemade Kefir “Labneh”, but any lighter cream cheese, or even sour cream can be substituted. I mix everything together, letting it rest a bit and I like to add the whole wheat flour partway through so the glutens get a chance to form a bit. I check for “window paning” and then it’s time to go into an oiled bowl to rest and proof. After 2 or 3 sets of stretch and folds with a rest period between until the dough feels “right”, you can either allow it to proof overnight in the fridge, or form into buns and bake at this stage. Brush with milk or egg wash and top with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, etc. Bake at 390°F to 400°F for about 15 minutes to an internal temperature of 185°F to 195°F. Tangzhong 150 g milk 25 g AP flour Dough 415 g AP flour 50 g sugar 5 g salt 200 g potato 100 g whole wheat flour 1 egg 100 g milk 75 g kefir labneh cream cheese 55 g butter 160 g sourdough