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These delicious Blueberry Cream Cheese Buns are made with soft, fluffy milk bread dough and filled with a rich cream cheese filling and sweet blueberry jam. Each bun is topped with juicy blueberries and baked until golden brown, creating a bakery-style treat that’s a perfect balance between creamy, fruity, and lightly sweet.
These Blueberry Cream Cheese Buns are the softest and most delicious treat! The milk bread base gives these buns their signature pillowy texture, that lasts for days! While the cream cheese center stays smooth and slightly tangy after baking. Whether you’re making them for brunch or breakfast or a special dessert these homemade blueberry buns taste like they came straight from the bakery.
If you haven't tired the tangzhong method (the method used in milk bread), you'll never want to go back after you try it. It might sound like an extra step, but it a simple and quick extra step that will make for extra fluffy dough!
For more bread recipes, try my Giant Cinnamon Rolls, Caramel Cinnamon Rolls and Lemon Rolls.
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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Tangzhong dough: The dough for these buns is so soft and incredibly delicious! You'll never want to make another dough than this one!
- Cream cheese filling: Each bun is filled with the sweet cream cheese filling that has a hint of lemon zest.
- Blueberry jam and blueberries: The buns are filled with blueberry jam that melts right into the center and they are topped with lots of delicious blueberries.
INGREDIENT NOTES
These are some of the key ingredients for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
- Yeast: I use fresh yeast but you can also use instant dry yeast
- Butter: Take it out of the fridge 1-2 hours before baking.
- Whole milk and water: Heat the milk and water up to 37ºC, make sure it's not warmer as it can kills the yeast if it's too hot.
- All-purpose flour: I use all-purpose flour. It is used both in the tangzhong and with the rest of the dough.
- Cream cheese: It's important that it's full-fat cream cheese and it's at room- temperature when using it. Take the cream cheese out of the fridge 1-2 hours before baking.
- Blueberries: You can use fresh or frozen for these buns. I used frozen as I like the look that it gives the buns, as they give off more color. Fresh blueberries works just as perfectly and gives a 'cleaner' look.
WHAT MAKES THEM SO SOFT: TANGZHONG MILK BREAD METHOD
Tangzhong origins from Japan’s yokone (or yudane). Tangzhong is a method used in yeasted bread and was popularized around Asia by Taiwanese cookbook author Yvonne Chen. It is a slurry that is made of flour and a liquid before adding it together with the rest of the ingredients. By precooking the flour and milk, it makes your bread incredibly soft and fluffy, more tender and extends the shelf life.
Source: King Arthur Baking
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Here is how to make and bake these Blueberry Cream Cheese Buns. This recipe needs a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment and two large baking trays lined with baking paper.
The full recipe is down below in the recipe card.
STEP 1: Start by making the tangzhong for the dough. Add the milk and flour to a small saucepan. Place it on the stove over medium-high heat and constantly stir until it becomes a thick paste. Add the tangzhong to a small bowl and place it in the fridge until room temperature.
STEP 2: Heat up the milk and water until it’s lukewarm (37ºC). Crumble the fresh yeast into your mixing bowl and pour in the heated milk and water. Stir it together until the yeast has melted. If you are use instant yeast, mix it instead together with the flour before pouring over the milk and water mixture.
STEP 3: Add the granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, tangzhong, egg and using the dough hook, mix the dough on low speed for 4 minutes.
STEP 4: Continue on medium speed and add salt and the butter in two parts. Add the second part of the butter, once the first part has mixed into the dough.This part looks messy but don’t worry. Once the second part has incorporated, keep mixing the dough for 6-8 minutes. It should end up looking smooth and glossy.
STEP 5: Add the dough to a clean slightly oiled bowl, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Place it in a warm room temperature area in your house. Let it rise for 1 hour. See FAQ above for overnight rising.
FILLING AND ASSEMBLING
STEP 1: For the cream cheese filling, mix together all of the ingredients until one paste and set it aside.
STEP 2: After the first rise, divide the dough into 12. Roll the dough into balls and place them on two baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Gently press the buns down to get more of a donut shape. Let them rise for a second time on the kitchen counter for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 190ºC/ 375ºF conventional oven.
STEP 3: After the second rise, use your fingers to gently press down the sides and middle to create an indent for the filling. Pip the cream cheese filling into the middle.
STEP 4: With the back of a spoon, make an indent in the cream cheese filling. Add the blueberry jam into the indent and top the buns with blueberries.
STEP 5: Bake them for 17-19 minutes or until golden brown. After they have baked, place them on a wire rack to let them cool down a bit. Dust them with powdered sugar and enjoy them lukewarm or cooled down completely.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Use a kitchen scale: My default setting for my recipes is grams. It is the most precise way of measuring out your ingredients, I therefore highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
- Don't over mix your batter: I always use a spatula after everything has mixed together, to give it one final gentle fold together. This makes sure everything in the bottom of the mixing bowl has been mixed into the batter.
- Light vs. dark baking pans: For the best result, use an aluminum baking pan, greased with butter and lined with baking paper in the bottom. Aluminum pans are light in color and therefore attract less heat. That means it bakes more gently which results in a softer cake. If you use a black baking pan it'll attract a lot more heat. That will then give a darker crust, which can result in a dryer cake.
FAQ
Yes, start by reducing the yeast to 2 g instant yeast or 6 g fresh yeast. Mix the dough together as written, then let it rise for 20 minutes on the kitchen counter before letting the dough rise the rest of the 1st rise in the refrigerator overnight, proofing for no more than 16 hours. Then follow the recipe instructions and let the dough do its 2nd rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes depending on how warm your home is.
Yes, you can use black current, raspberry or strawberry jam.
You can test if they are done proofing with a finger poke test. Lightly press the surface of the bun with your fingertip. If it springs back slowly, leaving a slight dent it is perfect and ready to bake. If it bounces back immediately it needs more rising. If it doesn’t spring back at all it is overproofed.
HOW TO STORE
Store the blueberry cream cheese buns in the fridge covered tightly with cling film or in an airtight container for 2-3 days. To reheat them, warm in the microwave for 15–20 seconds.
Other Bread Recipes To Try
Make sure leave a STAR REVIEW if you loved this recipe! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @juliemarieeats. To get more ideas by following me on Pinterest.
Blueberry Cream Cheese Buns
Equipment
Ingredients
BUNS
TANGZHONG
- 30 g all-purpose flour
- 150 g whole milk
DOUGH
- 90 g whole milk
- 90 g water
- 6 g instant yeast or 18 g fresh yeast
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 510 g all-purpose flour
- 1 eggs preferably 60 g egg with shell
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 100 g butter room temperature
CREAM CHEESE FILLING
- 400 g cream cheese room temperature
- 5 tablespoon powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
BLUEBERRY TOPPING
- 12 tablespoon blueberry jam
- 400 g blueberries fresh or frozen if using frozen, DO NOT defrost
- 1 egg for egg wash
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
TANGZHONG
- Start by making the tangzhong. Add the milk and flour to a small saucepan. Stir it together with a whisk until the flour has mixed together with the milk. Then place it on the stove over medium-high heat. Keep constantly stirring until it becomes a thick paste, similarly to smooth mashed potatoes. Take it off the heat and add it to a flat surfaced bowl so it can cool down faster. Place it in the fridge to cool down so it becomes room temperature. It’ll take about 20-30 minutes.30 g all-purpose flour, 150 g whole milk
DOUGH
- Heat up the milk and water until it’s lukewarm (37ºC). Crumble the fresh yeast into your mixing bowl and pour in the heated milk and water. With a spatula stir it together until the yeast has melted. (If you are use instant yeast, mix the yeast instead together with the flour before pouring over the milk and water mixture)90 g whole milk, 90 g water, 6 g instant yeast
- Add the granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, tangzhong, egg and using the dough hook, mix the dough on low speed for 4 minutes.50 g granulated sugar, 510 g all-purpose flour, 1 eggs
- Continue on medium speed and add salt and the butter in two parts. Add the second part of the butter, once the first part has mixed into the dough. This part looks messy but don’t worry. Once the second part has incorporated, keep mixing the dough for 6-8 minutes. It should end up looking smooth and glossy.1 teaspoon salt, 100 g butter
- Add the dough to a clean bowl, with a bit of vegetable oil, and cover the bowl with cling film and a tea towel. Place it in a warm room temperature area in your house. Let it rise for 1 hour. See FAQ above for overnight rising.
CREAM CHEESE FILLING
- Mix together all of the ingredients until combined and set it aside.400 g cream cheese, 5 tablespoon powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon lemon zest, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
ASSEMBLING
- After the first rise, it should be double in size. Tip the dough out onto a lightly oiled surface, using vegetable oil, divide the dough into 12. Roll the dough into balls and place them on two baking trays lined with parchment paper. Gently press the buns down to get more of a donut shape. Let them rise for a second time on the kitchen counter for 45 minutes under some cling film and a tea towel.
- Meanwhile preheat the oven to 190ºC/ 375ºF conventional oven.
- After the second rise, add a small bit of vegetable oil on your fingers and use your fingers to gently press down the sides and middle to create an indent for the filling. Add the cream cheese filling to a piping bag, or add it with a spoon, and pip the cream cheese filling into the middle.
- Whisk an egg together and brush the sides of the buns with the egg wash. With the back of a spoon, make an indent in the cream cheese filling. Add the blueberry jam into the indent and top the buns with blueberries. Gently press down the blueberries so they don’t fall off.12 tablespoon blueberry jam, 400 g blueberries fresh or frozen, 1 egg
- Bake them for 17-19 minutes or until golden brown. After they have baked, place them on a cooling rack to let them cool down a bit. Dust them with powdered sugar and enjoy them lukewarm or cooled down completely.powdered sugar
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