This bacon scallion milk bread is reminiscent of the bacon scallion buns you can find at Chinese bakeries. We’ve made it in the style of a pull-apart bread, which makes it great for sharing and fun to make with kids!
A Variation On Our Famous Milk Bread
Our easy all-in-one milk bread recipe has become the base for many of our Chinese Bakery recipes. We describe it as an “all-in-one” recipe because all the dough ingredients (including yeast!) are added at the same time.
It’s a simple enriched dough that never fails to yield soft, pillowy bread. We made a couple minor modifications, like adding a little less salt to account for the saltiness of the bacon.
This bacon scallion variation is savory rather than sweet, and it’s a great option at breakfast time.
This recipe is the equivalent of half of our original milk bread recipe (to fill a small round pan). If you’d rather make individual buns, you could make 6-8 buns with this recipe, or double it to get 12-16.
Make-Ahead Tip:
If you’d like to prepare this bread in advance, you can make it all the way through Step 8 of this recipe (assembling the bread in the pan), and then cover and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, take it out of the refrigerator, and let it come up to room temperature, proof for 1 hour, and bake.
Bacon Scallion Milk Bread: Recipe Instructions
Take the heavy cream, milk, and egg out of the refrigerator. Allow them to come up to room temperature, 30-45 minutes.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment or a large mixing bowl, add the ingredients in the following order: heavy cream, milk, ½ of a beaten egg, sugar, cake flour, bread flour, yeast, and salt.
You can use all purpose flour!
We have since extensively re-tested this recipe using just all-purpose flour instead of the mix of cake flour and bread flour. The results are not meaningfully different, so by all means, go ahead and substitute both with all-purpose flour!
Turn the mixer on to the lowest setting (or stir with a wooden spoon), and mix until a dough forms. Knead the dough on the lowest setting for 15 minutes, occasionally stopping the mixer to push the dough together. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl, but stick to the bottom of the mixing bowl. If kneading by hand, extend the kneading time by 5-10 minutes.
If you’re in a humid climate and the dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it pulls away from the sides. Avoid adding too much additional flour, or the bread will be dense and less fluffy.
Cover the bowl with a damp towel and place in a warm spot for 60-90 minutes, or until doubled in size. I like proofing it in a closed microwave with a large mug of boiling water next to it.
While the dough is proofing, cook the bacon on both sides, until crisp but still pliable.
Cool and chop into ½ inch pieces. Prepare the scallions by washing them, wiping them thoroughly dry, and finely chopping them. Thoroughly grease an 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pan with butter or oil.
After the dough has doubled in size, punch the air out of it and knead for 5 minutes.
Form it into a round ball, and roll it out into a ¼ inch (0.66 cm) thick rectangle or rough circle. Sprinkle the scallions and bacon evenly over the dough.
Cut it into small 1.5 inch (4 cm) squares.
Fold each square in half like a taco with the bacon scallion filling on the inside. Nestle them in the pan standing up on one end of the taco.
At this point, you can cover and refrigerate the dough overnight if making this recipe in advance. The next day, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Let it come up to room temperature, and proceed with the next step.
Proof the dough for 1 hour. Towards the end of the proofing process, place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat it to 350°F/175°C.
Brush the top of the proofed dough with egg wash.
Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Take the hot bread out of the oven. Immediately brush with the sugar water mixture to give it a nice shine! Cool, and enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Bacon Scallion Milk Bread
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup heavy cream (at room temperature)
- 1/2 cup whole milk (at room temperature)
- 1/2 large egg (beaten, at room temperature)
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 cup cake flour (tap measuring cup to avoid air pockets)
- 1 3/4 cups bread flour (tap measuring cup to avoid air pockets)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces bacon
- 1 cup scallions (chopped, about 8-9 scallions)
- egg wash (whisk the remaining 1/2 egg with 1 teaspoon water)
- quick simple syrup (2 teaspoons sugar, dissolved in 2 teaspoons hot water)
Instructions
- Take the heavy cream, milk, and egg out of the refrigerator, and allow them to come up to room temperature, 30-45 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment or a large mixing bowl, add the ingredients in the following order: heavy cream, milk, ½ of a beaten egg, sugar, cake flour, bread flour, yeast, and salt.
- Turn the mixer on to the lowest setting (or stir with a wooden spoon), and mix until a dough forms. Knead the dough on the lowest setting for 15 minutes, occasionally stopping the mixer to push the dough together. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl, but stick to the bottom of the mixing bowl. If kneading by hand, extend the kneading time by 5-10 minutes.
- If you’re in a humid climate and the dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, add a little more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it pulls away from the sides. Avoid adding too much additional flour, or the bread will be dense and less fluffy.
- Cover the bowl with a damp towel and place in a warm spot for 60-90 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- While the dough is proofing, cook the bacon on both sides, until crisp but still pliable. Cool and chop into ½ inch pieces. Prepare the scallions by washing them, wiping them thoroughly dry, and finely chopping them. Thoroughly grease an 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pan with butter or oil.
- After the dough has doubled in size, punch the air out of it and knead for 5 minutes. Form it into a round ball, and roll it out into a ¼ inch (0.66 cm) thick rectangle or rough circle. Sprinkle the scallions and bacon evenly over the dough, and cut it into small 1.5 inch (4 cm) squares.
- Fold each square in half like a taco with the bacon scallion filling on the inside. Nestle them in the pan standing up on one end of the taco. At this point, you can cover and refrigerate the dough overnight, if making this recipe in advance. The next day, remove the dough from the refrigerator, let it come up to room temperature, and proceed with the next step.
- Proof the dough for 1 hour. Towards the end of the proofing process, place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat it to 350°F/175°C.
- Brush the top of the proofed dough with egg wash. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Take the hot bread out of the oven, and immediately brush with the sugar water mixture to give it a nice shine! Cool, and enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Hi – I have a fewvquestions:
1. Can half and half be substituted for the milk + heavy cream? If so, how much h&h?
2. What size egg do you use?
2. Can this be made using a hand-held mixer that has a single dough hook “beater”?
Many thanks.
(oops – “a few questions” – sorry about the typo!) Happy Thanksgiving!
You may be able to sub half and half, though it is made with light cream rather than heavy cream. Just use 1/3+1/2 cup to replace the cream and milk. Large eggs! And not sure of that tool as we haven’t used one, but you can always hand-knead.
Looks so good, but we’re vegetarians. Would it work if we double the scallions or add something else? No meat!!!
Hi Diane, you could try something like tempeh bacon as a substitute, or yes, just use scallions and maybe sesame seeds for added richness!
Hi Diane, you can caramelize some mushroom (to get rid all the liquid) and replace with the bacon with the mushroom :-)
Is the second kneading for 5 minutes by hand or mixer?
Hi Rena, 2nd knead is also by mixer.
Just made this and it is brilliant. I didn’t have enough green onion so added some shallots (which makes the bread have a sweeter taste). Can you please clarify if 350f (180c) is for conventional oven or fan assisted? I used 160c for fan assisted and found 25 minutes baking time was not enough and had to bake for total 40 minutes. Appreciate if you can clarify if oven temperature is based on conventional oven or fan assisted oven.
Hi Tiffany, our recipe is based on regular oven since not everyone has the convection oven feature.
This was a hit with the family! I used the make-ahead method and we had it for breakfast. It smelled and tasted just like it does in a Chinese bakery. One question I have for you: if I want to make the bread slightly chewier, what do you recommend?
You’d want to increase the gluten in the bread—try using all bread flour.
Thanks! I’ll try that next time.
Hi Judy! I love love LOVE this bread and make it all the time. How would I change the baking time if made a bunch of mini pull-apart loaves in those disposable mini loaf pans instead of the regular cake pan? I would love to give them as gifts to family and friends.
Hi! This recipe is loved by everyone who ever tasted it!
Can I make this recipe till step 8, two days ahead? I was wondering if the cold temperature of the fridge was bad for the dough… Please let me know:)
Much love from the Netherlands!
Hi Kim, you can do the final proofing as follows: once the dough is arranged in the baking pan, cover and keep in the fridge overnight. Take it out next morning, let it come to room temperature, and proof until it doubles in size before baking.
This makes me so happy because my favorite Chinese bakery is in NYC and I am in NC. I miss going in there and picking up my favorite items. (my fave: Sesame balls) Thank you so much for all of the recipes!
Hi Priscilla, sesame balls are very easy to make, here is our recipe.