Sesame Cheese Filled ''Christmas Trees''

Well, Christmas is coming, but poppy seeds - one of the common ingredients in Poland - are illegal in Taiwan, so I swapped them for black sesame powder, which worked just great! I made the filling with cream cheese and shaped the buns / bread as Christmas trees. 

But oops, I forgot to make the tree trunk, which my husband pointed out afterward. Never mind - use your imagination to think it's a tree! But yes, if you make the tree trunk, they will look much closer to an actual tree. The cakes were super soft and fluffy. This dough recipe has to be my favorite, and I may come up with many more ideas using this recipe in the future.

Ingredients

For the Dough:

- 230g all-purpose flour  

- 5g instant yeast  

- 60ml warm milk  

- 1 egg  

- 40g sugar  

- 35ml oil  

For the Cream Cheese Filling:

- 150g cream cheese  

- 60g sesame seeds  

- 1 egg  

- 30g honey  

Instructions

1. Make the Dough:

   - In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, instant yeast, warm milk, egg, sugar, and oil.  

   - Knead using a mixer for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.  

   - Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rise in a warm place for 1 to 1.5 hours or until doubled in size.  

2. Prepare the Filling:

   - While the dough rises, mix the cream cheese, egg, and honey thoroughly until smooth.  

   - Add the sesame seeds and blend until well combined.  

3. Shape the Dough: 

   - Once the dough has risen, punch it down to remove excess air.  

   - Roll out the dough into a large round shape and cut it into 4 equal pieces. 

   - Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over 2 of the pieces.  

   - Cover with the remaining 2 pieces of dough.  

4. Form the Tree Design:

   - Transfer the layered dough onto a baking pan.  

   - Make several cuts on each side of the triangles.  

   - Twist each strip to form a tree-like pattern.  

   - You can use a small piece of dough to create a tree trunk at the base.  

5. Bake:

   - Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).  

   - Brush the dough with milk or egg wash.  

   - Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.  

6. Finish:

   - Allow the bread to cool.  

   - Drizzle with icing or dust with icing sugar before serving.