Chicken Floss Buns

Kenwood sevice centre called yesterday to inform me that my mixer could be repaired & it would cost me $105. Hurray! That's less than 10% of the price of a new similar set! But more important, I get to keep my 30-year-old Kenwood mixer! When you have something for that long, it sure   has some sentimental value... don't you think? Besides, it's a hand-me-down from my mum. In fact,  I was the only one who has been using the machine ever since my mum bought it. This is only the second time I've sent it for repair. Even then, it's because it had a bad fall... . It happened about two weeks ago when I was mixing the dough for my cinnamon roll. It's normal for the machine to move about when mixing dough. But I didn't learn my lesson .... as I turned my back to wash my hands, suddenly, ....the loud thud! I was dumb with disbelief.  I did it again! Yup, that was the second time it fell from the cabinet top! Previously, the machine was still working after the fall. But this time, it went kaput. Anyway, I'm happy it's ready for collection, but I don't think I'm going to use it to mix any bread dough again. Don't think I want to take the chance.

I sent the mixer on Saturday, so on Sunday, I mixed the dough for my chicken floss buns using my bread machine. This time I used a recipe by Alex Goh. The method to prepare the dough is quite different from the ones that I've ever tried before. We've heard of the Tanzhong method. Now we have the gelatinized method. You can refer to Miss B's blog  for more details about this method.

Chicken Floss Buns
Recipe by Alex Goh of Magic Bread & The World of Bread.
Source: Everybody Eats Well in Flanders.

Basic Sweet Bread Dough
[Makes about 1000-1100 grams of sweet bread dough]

INGREDIENTS A - this is for the scalded or gelatinized dough.
100g bread flour
70g boiling water

INGREDIENTS B
300g bread flour
100g plain flour
80g sugar
6g salt (about 1 tsp)
20g milk powder (about 2 tbsp)
9g instant yeast (about 1 tbsp)

INGREDIENTS C
175g cold water
60g cold eggs (1 large egg)

INGREDIENTS D
60g butter (diced)

Topping:
Egg - beaten
Mayonnaise
Chicken floss

Method:

1. Add the boiling water from A into the flour and mix until well blended to form dough. Cover and set aside to cool. Keep in the fridge for at least 12 hours. (Scalding the dough with boiling water increases the water-binding capacity of the dough, so that less moisture is lost during and after baking. Resting and chilling the dough overnight helps to make the dough stronger and more extensible, and hence easier to stretch and form into different shapes. ) 
2. After 12 hours, mix B until well-blended. Add in C and knead to form rough dough. Add in A (cut into small pieces) and knead until well-blended. 
3. Add in D (cut into small pieces) and knead to form an elastic dough. 
4. Leave dough, covered, to rise for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. 
5. Divide dough into 60g portion, shape into balls & leave to rest for about 10 minutes. 
6. Shape dough into round or oval shape & place them on a greased baking tray. (I line my baking tray with silicone paper.) Leave to prove for 45 minutes. 
7. Brush with egg wash & bake on the center rack of the oven at 190 deg C for about 12 minutes or until cooked & buns turn golden brown. 
8. Transfer buns to a wire rack & leave to cool. 
9. To make Chicken Floss Buns: Once cooled, spread some mayonnaise on top of buns. Then top buns generously with meat floss. Serve. 

PS:  I used my breadmaker to mix the dough. I threw in all ingredients B & C into the bowl, except salt. Once a dough is formed, I threw in the butter. Once well mixed, I added the salt. (Salt has a retarding effect on the yeast, so always add it last whenever mixing bread dough. We practised this during the bread-making course at BITC.)