Sweet bun with two flavors

Few days back, I won the Open sesame 2 contest. Thanks for my fellow buddies who voted my Wheat idlis. First time, I won a contest and received a sweet and lovely gift sponsored by Anjali Darmela.I received a hand written letter from her about the spice and some ideas how to use it. What could be the next? I wanted to try out other than chai!
I just felt in love for the aromatic smell, the small bottle of spice extract is a great idea. You can just add a drop in ur cuppa and flavor the ordinary tea into extraordinary one!
If you are addict to tea, u can even sneak under your papers/files in ur work place and flavor it instantly. Check out her site, she carries many flavors….

So now, let’s move to the recipe I came up. I really wanted to use this extract other than tea!
Tea and bun go well together! As this month, small bread event is anounced by Aparna; I just wanted to make bun which is little sweet. I borrowed a baking book from my local library and found a bun recipe. But made lots of twists and changes except the dough recipe remains the same.
I decided to bake off bun with the extract of “Tea masala” and the other off my favorite “pain au chocolat”.
In France, “Viennoiserie “ referred to morning breakfast pastry delicacies, like croissant, pain au chocolat, Danish pastries, pain aux raisin, etc…
Those viennoiseries were my morning breakfast for many years! I really miss those fresh pastries in US. Only some French boulangerie carries those items. So I sneaked some nutella, well I didn’t had any chocolate around and turn the bun into chocolate!

Now, coming to those sweet buns toped with tea Masala sugar and some stuffed with nutella!
Feel free to stuff or top whatever you like, the bun dough is dense but little sweet!

Sweet Buns

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Ingredients:

Dough:
Milk: ½ cup
Butter melted: ¼ cup or (4 tbsp)
Sugar: ¼ cup
Egg: 1 (beaten)
Rapid yeast dry: 1 packet
Salt: ½ tsp
All purpose flour: 2 cups and more for kneading

Egg wash: one egg + 1 tsp water beaten well

*Topping no 1: Tea masala Sugar (I made this topping for for 4 buns)

Ingredients

Sugar: 4 tbsp
Tea masala extract (Cinnamon, Cardamom, Cloves, Peppercorns, Nutmeg and Ginger): 2 drops or more depending ur taste

Method:
Mix those drops with sugar. Well if you want to stuff the bun with calories, go ahead with 4 tbsp of softened butter and flavored sugar and stuff in middle of the bun.

Filling to Pain au chocolat: Chocolat bread

Ingredients
Nutella or dark chocolate

Method:

Heat the milk into saucepan when they reach around 105F. In a large bowl , pour the milk and sprinkle the yeast, add a pinch of sugar. Let it rest 5 minutes, it should foaming, if not throw it :) yes, it is waste to continue if the yeast is not foaming!
Now, add the melted butter, sugar and 1 cup of flour + egg. Mix well it should come out creamy.
At this stage, add the salt and sprinkle the remaining flour and mix with a spatula, when they come together.
Dust some flour in work surface, and pour the dough and knead well until u get smooth and shiny dough. It takes approximately 5 to 8 minutes.
Add little oil in a clean bowl, transfer the dough and let coat the dough with oil in all side. Wrap with plastic and let it rest at least 1 hour, mine took 2 hours. It really depends of your room temperature.
Once the dough is double in bulk. Take it out and make approx 8 to 10 same size balls.
To insert the filling:
Now, flatten the dough with ur finger into any shape (mostly u get a rectangle shape), sprinkle some flavored sugar of topping 1 or topping no 2 add a dollop of nutella/or a chocolote square!
Close the edges carefully and give a pinch, now seam side down try to shape with help of your palm like this.
Place the bun in tray and cover it. Let it raise until it double! Probably another 1 hour or more…
After the bun doubled in shape. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle some flavored sugar (optional) Preheat the oven for 375 F and bake for 20 to 25 min or until the top turn golden brown.


Note: Till now, i baked only cookies, cakes, etc... Did I mentioned, I am baking bread for first time! Only thing, I worried the bottom started to brown slightly. Any baker friend’s could you help me where I made mistake?
Is it the oven temperature/cooking time or placing the tray, I placed in middle of the oven and lined with wax paper my tray. I would like to hear your suggestion which could help improve my bread making skills!


My flavored buns are participating Bread making day event hosted by Aparna, originated by Zora.
As, the tea masala contained Nutmeg, I am sending to think spice Nutmeg originated by Sunita and guest host this month is Aparna.
Well, the plain bun is flavored with tea masala so, I am sending to click event hosted by Jai & Bee.