Banana & chocolate pan (buns)

This one is another version of the vanilla pan I made before, which is my own variation to the melon pan. To be honest, they’re not quite different, only these are with banana and chocolate chips! I tried pretty hard on the pictures, so I wanted to show these anyway!
Look look! The texture is so nice!



To make it easier, here’s the adjusted recipe:
Note: I have no idea how much chocolate chips I used. I’m guessing half a cup to a cup, but for this you just have to use as much as you want. I haven’t done it myself yet, but making chocolate chip shapes on the buns seems like an awesome idea!

Ingredients:
Bread dough:
300 gram (white) bread flour
1 1/4 tablespoon instant dry yeast (6 grams)
36 gram caster sugar
1 teaspoon salt (5 grams)
1 1/4 teaspoon milk powder (6 grams) (I used powdered coffeemilk for this)
250 ml warm water
30 gram (unsalted) butter (room temperature)

Top layer:
80 gram (unsalted) butter (room temperature)
90 gram caster sugar
banana extract (or any other extract for a different taste)
80 gram egg
200 gram cake flour
2 gram baking powder
chocolate chips

Bread dough:
1. Sift the flour and add the sugar, salt and milk powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast as last and mix the mixture until everything is well blend in.
2. To let the water adjust to the texture, add the warm water a little at a time, in about 4 to 5 times (or more). Don't add it all in one time!
3. Mix the ingredients with a spoon or fork, until it is too firm to continue. Take the dough out and continue kneeding on a lightly floured surface.
4. Kneed the dough for about 5 minutes or until it no longer sticks to the surface. Add more water if the dough is too dry, or more flour if it is too wet.
5. Flatten the dough and butter in the middle. Fold the edges of the dough around the butter, to trap it inside. Start kneeding again. This will be a bit awkward (it was for me), but after a while the butter will be absorbed into the dough. This could take about 10 minutes.
6. Place the dough in a slightly butter-greased bowl and cover it with a damp towel or cling wrap. Leave it in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size. In the meanwhile start making the top layer.

Top layer:
1. Add the sugar and butter into a bowl. Mix these using an electric mixer until the mixture becomes creamy and pale.
2. Add a little bit of the vanilla extract and mix again.
3. Put the eggs in a different bowl and lightly beat them with a whisk or electric mixer.
4. Add the eggs into the butter-mixture, little bit at a time (about 3-5 additions). Mix well after each addition.
5. In a different bowl sift the cake flour and baking powder.
6. Add this mixture to the butter mixture in about 3-5 additions. With the electric mixer, or a spoon, mix everything well.
8. Now in the chocolate chips go! Make sure to mix these in as well! Then devide the mixture into 12 portions (this isn't neccisary). Leave the mixture in the fridge until you need it (or for half an hour).

While everything is rising and setting, let's take a look at a few pics of the buns in progress:







Bread dough:
1. Kneed and punch the dough again while making sure to press all the trapped air out.
2. Devide the dough into 12 portions and shape them into little balls. Place the balls onto a lightly greased or grease-proof paper-lined oven tray. Cover with a damp cloth or cling wrap again and leave to proof for about 10 minutes.

Finishing touch:
1. Remove the top layer from the fridge and devide it into 12 portions if you have not already.
2. Take two pieces of cling wrap or plastic bags and on one put a little dough ball. Flatten it a bit and put a flattened ball of pastry layer on top.
3. Cover it with the second cling wrap or platic bag and roll the bags with dough between your hands into a ball. Make sure the two mixtures "attach" to eachother.
4. Remove the cling wrap or plastic bags and put the ball back onto the oven tray. Make sure the top layer doesn't cover the bread dough all the way down to the tray. Leave about a centimeter/inch left for the dough to be able to rise in the oven.
5. Repeat the past steps 11 times, until all the buns are done.
6. When all balls are on the baking sheet you can start decorating them. Using knives, forks, cookie cutters or anything you can find to decorate the balls as you want.
7. Leave the buns for 50 minutes to an hour. Preferably in a warm place. It's not needed to cover them this time.
8. Bake the buns in a pre-heated oven at about 170 degrees Celsius or 340 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes or until they turn goldbrown and a food pin or fork comes out dry.

What do you think of my stunning buns? ;)