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6 round tuna buns in a black wire basket lined with blue and off white tea towel.
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5 from 1 vote

Tuna Bun with corn and Mozzarella Cheese

The pillowy milk buns filled with savory tuna, corn, and mozzarella cheese make these the perfect delicious grab-and-go snack or picnic meal. Follow my detailed step by step instructions with pictures and tips and you can also recreate these delicious buns at home!
Prep Time3 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time13 minutes
Total Time3 hours 43 minutes
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Asian
Servings: 8 buns
Calories: 320kcal
Author: Edwina

Ingredients

Yodane (Water Roux) Paste

  • 30 g boiling water
  • 25 g bread flour

Milk Bun Dough

  • 250 g bread flour plus more for dusting.
  • 30 g cake flour
  • 10 g dry milk powder 1 tablespoon
  • 30 g sugar
  • 15 g honey a bit less than 1 tablespoon
  • 25 g beaten egg about ½ large egg, ⅛ cup. Save the other half for brushing.
  • 80 g cold whole milk
  • 60 g cold water
  • all the Yudane (water roux) paste
  • 1 teaspoon instant yeast preferably saf instant yeast
  • 4 g sea salt ½ teaspoon
  • 30 g unsalted butter (softened) cut into 6-8 pieces.

Tuna and Corn Filling

  • 1 7oz canned tuna I used chunk light tuna in water, which has lower mercury level.
  • 1 cup corn kernel frozen or canned both work.
  • 3 tablespoon Kewpie mayonnaise
  • 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper or to taste.

Egg Wash

  • leftover egg from the dough
  • 1 teaspoon water

Topping

  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • dried oregano optional.

Instructions

Make Yudane (Water Roux) Paste the Night Before.

  • Measure 25 grams of bread flour in a bowl. Set the kitchen scale to zero with the flour and bowl on it and pour in 30 grams of boiling water. Stir until combined to form a sticky dough.
  • Let it cool down before storing in the fridge overnight or for 12 hours. Use it within 48 hours.

Make Milk Bun Dough

  • In a stand mixer, mix all the dough ingredients except yeast, sea salt and unsalted butter until a rough dough is formed, about 3-5 minutes.
  • Cover and and let it rest for 30 minutes. This step is called the autolyse method, which will help shorten the kneading time later and prevent the dough from getting too warm (which negatively impacts the texture of the buns).
  • After resting, add yeast and knead for 1-2 minutes on medium speed before adding salt. Knead for another 2-3 minutes before adding unsalted butter, one piece at a time.
  • Knead on medium high speed until the dough is smooth and able to pass the windowpane test (see FAQ for more details). About 8-10 minutes. Make sure the dough stays cool during the entire kneading process. If the temperature of your dough becomes higher than 82°F (28°C) when it's done kneading, place it on a tray and chill it in the freezer for 1-2 minutes before proofing.
  • Place dough in a greased bowl, cover and proof in a warm place (82°F / 28°C) for an hour or until the dough just about doubles in size. You can also let it proof in the fridge for 12-24 hours, see FAQ for more details.

Shape the Buns

  • Divide the dough into 8 equal portions with dough cutter (don't tear it!)
  • Flatten the dough with your palm before folding the edges to the center, pinch them together to form a ball and flip it over so the seam side is down. Cover the dough with a damp tea towel and let it rest for 15 minutes.
  • Take one piece of dough ball, dust a bit of flour on the working surface and the dough before rolling into a 4" round. Repeat the same for the rest of the dough and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  • Cover with greased plastic wrap (I use oil spray, but you can also use your hand and apply a thin layer of vegetable oil on it.) and let them proof in a warm place (82°F / 28°C~ 95°F / 35°C) for 50 minutes.

Make Tuna and Corn Filling

  • In a bowl, stir all the filling ingredients together until well combined and store it in the fridge. When mixing, try not to smash the tuna too much.

Assemble the Buns and Bake

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C, adjust the oven rack to the middle.
  • Mix the leftover egg with water and set it aside.
  • Use a cup that's around 2" (5cm) diameter on its bottom and dip it in the flour. Place the cup in the center of the dough and press it down to make a dent before brushing the surface of the dough with egg wash.
  • Place some tuna and corn filling in the indented area before topping with shredded mozzarella cheese. I sprinkled mine with some dried oregano to add more flavor, you can also sprinkle other kinds of herb you like or sliced scallion.
  • Bake the buns for 13-14 minutes or until golden brown. When it's done baking, transfer the buns to a cooling rack and let them cool for 10 minutes before enjoying.

Notes

  • Measure your ingredients with a kitchen scale! Especially for flour and liquids, because your one cup can be very different from my one cup.
  • Start with cold liquid - I learned this from professional bakers in Taiwan. Since the dough needs a lot of kneading, using cold liquid prevents the final dough from becoming too warm (which negatively impacts the texture of the bun). In summer, I would even place the milk in a freezer until a thin layer of ice forms near the edge before I use it.
  • Do the autolyse (30 minutes rest) in the fridge if you have space. This will keep the dough cool and prevent it from getting too warm after kneading.
  • When you make the dent, some big air bubbles might appear on the edge, if that happens, just pop them with the tip of a small knife.
  • The best proofing temperature is between 80 - 90°F (26.5 - 32°C). If your indoor temperature is too low, you can proof your dough in a sealed oven over a separate tray/pan on the bottom rack that's filled with boiling water.
  • If your oven has a proofing function, then for the first proof, only use this function for the first 20 minutes so that the temperature won't be too high. For the second proof, however, you can turn on the proofing function for the whole time as we need a higher temperature for the second proof.
  • Don't overproof your dough! This will affect the texture and the taste of your buns.
  • Freezing is the best way to store these buns if you are not eating within a day. Place the buns in a Ziploc bag once they cool completely and freeze it for up to three months. Never store these in the fridge as they will dry up.
  • To reheat the buns from frozen, let the buns thaw for 30 minutes or so before baking in 350°F (180°C) for about 5 minutes, and it will taste as good as fresh ones!

Nutrition

Serving: 1bun | Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 378mg | Potassium: 185mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 266IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 112mg | Iron: 1mg