Honeycomb Buns
Honeycomb patterned buns with cream cheese filling inside soaked in sticky honey/sugar syrup. They are easy to make with ingredients you likely have in your pantry. To start, add one cup and two tablespoons of warm milk in a large mixing bowl, four tablespoons of milk and a tablespoon of active instant yeast. Stir the mixture to try and dissolve the milk, instant yeast does not require sitting for the yeast to activate so you will proceed. If you are not using active yeast, you will cover your mixture and let it sit for about 15 minutes for the yeast to be activated.
You can prepare this dough either by hand or by a dough mixer, whichever way, the steps are the same. After mixing the ingredients, add a quarter cup of oil, one egg one egg white and half a teaspoon of vanilla. Stir everything until well combined. Add three and a quarter cups of flour then start kneading the dough until there is no visible flour. If you are using a dough mixer, you will knead the dough for 6 to 7 minutes at medium to high speed. If kneading by hand, you will need about 10 minutes depending on the speed you are kneading the dough. Knead consistently until you get a smooth dough.
Once the dough has come together well, place it in a bowl cover it and let it sit for 35 minutes. After chilling, your dough will have doubled in size, place it on your working counter and lightly knead the dough to degas it then cut the dough into about 40 pieces. Place the cut dough on a baking tray, cover them and let them proof again for about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, grease your baking tray with butter then set aside. Once the dough has set enough, place half of the dough aside for the cream cheese filling and the other half for the chocolate filling.
Take each piece of the first batch of the dough and flatten it then add half a teaspoon of cream cheese. Fold the cream cheese in and roll the dough into a ball then lay it in the greased baking pan. Take the other batch of the dough and fill it with chocolate chunks. You can use any chocolate of your choice, and chop them into small chunks that can be filled into the dough without tearing the dough. Line them in the pan then cover the prepared dough for the last time and let them rest for about 35 minutes.
Prepare cheese sauce which you are going to drizzle over the buns; measure half a cup of sweetened condensed milk, to that, add 3 pieces of cream cheese and 1 tablespoon of vanilla essence. With a vertical blender, blend everything until you have a smooth sauce. Place the sauce in the fridge until used. By now your buns should be ready to be baked, brush them with egg wash then bake them in a 190-degree preheated oven for 22 to 25 minutes.
Once baked and golden brown on top, remove them from the oven and onto a wire rack to cool. After about 10 minutes, drizzle the cream cheese sauce over the buns and serve. These beehive buns are light, soft and delicious. Open them to see the cream cheese and chocolate filling and enjoy.
Ingredients;
- 3 1/4 cups (390 grams/13.76 oz) of flour
- A tablespoon of instant yeast
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 cup (236ml) of milk
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) of oil
- One egg and one egg white
- 4 tablespoons (50grams/ 1.7Oz) of sugar
For the filling;
- Cream cheese/chocolate for the filling
Cheese Sauce;
- 1/2 cup (118ml) condensed milk
- 3 pieces of cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
Egg Wash;
- 1 large egg or just the yolk
- 1 tablespoon cream or milk or water.