Cheddar & Bacon Maple Milk Buns

These buns are made up of the softest, bounciest milk bun dough stuffed with sweet onions, a mustardy bacon bechamel, a sweet and herby thyme maple glaze and more crisp bacon piled on top. Its the ultimate mix of sweet and savoury.

The bechamel remains melty and is packed full of sharp cheddar cheese. I love the way the crispy bacon pops against the soft sweet onions and punchy warm bechamel. The milk bun dough is tender and keeps quite well for a day or two. The thyme maple glaze is the cherry on top. Not only does it add a wonderful sticky sweetness, but it also keeps everything looking and tasting fresh.

Ingredients - Makes 8
Caramelised Onions:
2 onions, thinly sliced
Glug of olive oil
Large knob of butter
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

Milk Bun Dough:
Tangzhong:
25g strong flour
55ml whole milk
55ml water
Dough:
340g strong flour
7g active dried yeast
10g caster sugar
5g salt
1 egg
100ml whole milk
55g unsalted butter, room temp
egg, to egg wash

Bechamel:
20g unsalted butter
200g whole milk
20g plain flour
70g mature cheddar, grated
10g parmesan, grated
1 tsp wholegrain mustard 
Salt/pepper
4 rashers of cooked/crispy smoked streaky bacon, chopped

Maple Thyme Glaze:
80g maple syrup
20g unsalted butter
3 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only

To Finish:
6 rashers of cooked/crispy streaky bacon, finely chopped (for topping)
Parmesan, to finish

Method
The day before
For the caramelised onions; place all of the ingredients into a saucepan and cook on low for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden brown. Place into a container in the fridge until needed.

For the milk bun dough; you’re going to start with the Tangzhong. Place all the Tangzhong ingredients into a saucepan over low heat. Stir everything together and continue to cook until a paste has formed. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Into the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook, place all of the milk bun dough ingredients apart from the butter. Add in the cooled Tangzhong. Mix on medium speed until the dough has come together. Continue to knead on medium-high for 5 minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic. On low speed, gradually add in the butter a few small pieces at a time. Once all the butter has been added, scrape down the bowl if needed and knead on medium-high for 5-10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and slapping the sides of the bowl.

Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave to prove for 1 hour at room temperature or until doubled in size. Knock back the dough, recover and refrigerate overnight.

For the bechamel;
Melt the butter down in a saucepan over medium heat until bubbling. Whisk in the flour and cook it out for a few seconds before gradually adding in the milk while whisking. Whisk until no lumps remain and continue to cook the sauce until its bubbling and silky. Remove the sauce from the stove and add the cheddar, parmesan and mustard. Whisk to combine and add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the bechamel into a container and place clingfilm on the surface. Refrigerate overnight.

The next day
Prepare two baking trays lined with baking paper. Take the dough from the fridge and tip it out onto a lightly floured surface. Weigh the dough and divide it into eight equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and put onto your prepared baking trays. Make sure they are well spaced apart as they will grow a lot during proving and baking. Cover and leave to prove for 1 hour, at room temperature, or until just under doubled in size.

Once the buns have proved, pre-heat the oven to 170°C. Take the bechamel from the fridge and mix it with a spoon to loosen it. Add in the 4 chopped rashers of crispy bacon and stir to combine. Spoon the bechamel into a piping bag and set aside until needed.

Take a small cup that fits in the middle of the buns but leaves a thick boarder of dough. Dip the base of the cup into flour and press into the centre of the proved buns. Lift the cup off to leave an indented circle. If needed, dimple the indents with floured fingertips so you have a deep well in the middle of each bun.

Brush the edges of the buns with egg wash. Place roughly a tbsp of caramelised onion into each indent. Cut a large hole in the bechamel piping bag and pipe a large dollop into each bun. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

While the buns are baking, place all of the ingredients for the maple glaze into a saucepan and heat until just bubbling. As soon as the buns come out of the oven, brush them liberally with the maple glaze, being careful not to knock the hot bechamel. Pile some chopped bacon on top of the bechamel and leave to cool. They are best served on the day they’re made but can keep in a sealed container until the following day.