Sri Lankan Tea buns

The Sri Lankan tea bun is a a very popular,very soft, sweet bread roll. Most of them have them as a light snack to accompany tea. These buns are made with different toppings such as strawberry jam in the centre, sprinkled sugar and crumbles. I have made my childhood favourite, tea bun with crumbles on top, also called "Dot buns". You can make these buns with any topping you like. 

(makes 6)

Ingredients

For the roux

2 tbsp all purpose flour

3 tbsp whole milk

3 tbsp water

For the dough

300g all purpose flour

1 tbsp instant yeast

2 tbsp milk powder

4 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup whole milk

1 large egg

4 tbsp melted butter + extra for brushing

For the crumble topping

3 tbsp all purpose flour

3 tbsp sugar (grind them)

2 tbsp cold butter (grate them or cut into small pieces)

For glaze

1/4 cup fresh milk

Directions

1. To make the roux, combine all the ingredient in a small saucepan and mix well until no lumps remain. Cook the roux about 4-5 minutes over very low heat, whisking continuously, until the roux becomes a thick paste.  Transfer it to a bowl and let it cool for sometime. 
   
2. In another bowl, combine all the dry ingredients first to make the dough. Then add the egg, melted butter, milk, water and the roux. Knead well to form a smooth and elastic dough. (It took me 10 minutes to knead this dough)
3. If the dough is very sticky, add 1 tsp flour. But do not add any extra flour. The dough will not stick once you start kneading. The dough consistency should be quite sticky unlike other bread dough. After kneading the dough, shape it into a ball and put the dough ball into a greased bowl and cover it. Let it rise for at least 2 hours. 
   
4. After 2 hours, punch the dough to deflate the air and divide it into 6 equal pieces.(measure weight of each ball if necessary) 
5. Shape each piece into a ball. Place them in a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Gently press them to make it like a thick disk. 
6. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for another 1 hour. 
   
7. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. 
8. Make the crumble topping by mixing all the three ingredients together. Make it like bread crumbs using your hand. 
   
9. After the dough balls have risen, brush the dough balls with milk and sprinkle the crumble topping carefully scattering everywhere. 
10. Bake the tea buns for 30 minutes until the buns are golden brown. 
11. As soon as you remove the buns from the oven, apply melted butter and close it using a foil paper or a cloth to make the buns sweat. (The buns become soft when it sweats.) Serve when the buns are very soft. Enjoy!