While we’ve made Inside-out coconut buns, before on this site, that coconut bun recipe was a bit nontraditional. After much trial and error, we now come to you with a much more traditional cocktail buns––reminiscent of Chinese bakeries past––using our trusty milk bread recipe as a base. My thing about coconut cocktail buns is that they usually have this big spoonful of filling kind of globbed together in the middle of the bun. As a kid, I’d scrape a little of the filling out of the center and spread it on the rest of the bread as I ate it, trying to get a little bit of filling and bread into each bite. Now that I’m old enough to operate a mixer, I have a better way. We spread the filling onto the cocktail buns and roll them into a cigar shape, so that all of the filling is evenly distributed. So I’ve basically been planning this recipe since I was five. Enjoy this one guys!
Chinese Coconut Buns (Cocktail Buns): Recipe Instructions
Start by making the bread dough, and be sure your ingredients are at room temperature. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the heavy cream, milk, egg, sugar, cake flour, bread flour, yeast, and salt (in that order). Using the dough hook attachment, turn on the mixer at its lowest setting. Let it go for 15 minutes, occasionally stopping the mixer to push the dough together. (Note: if you’re in a humid climate, and the dough is too sticky, add more flour ¼ cup at a time until the dough comes together). After 15 minutes, the dough is ready for proofing. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and place in a warm spot for 1 hour. The dough will grow to about 1.5X its original size. Meanwhile, prepare the filling by thoroughly combining all the filling ingredients in a bowl. Set aside. After the bread dough has proofed for an hour, put the dough back in the mixer and knead slowly for another 5 minutes to get rid of air bubbles. Dump the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into 12 equal pieces. Flatten each piece of dough with your hands into a rough oval shape, about 4 inches long and 3 inches wide. Spread about a tablespoon of filling onto the middle of the dough, and roll it into a cigar, tucking the ends under the bun to completely seal the filling in. We like this method because it evenly distributes the filling throughout the bun. Transfer the buns to a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise for another 45 minutes to an hour. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. For the topping, mix together 1/3 cup cake flour, 3 tablespoons softened butter, and 4 ½ teaspoons caster sugar, and transfer to a piping bag or small zip top bag with a small corner cut off. Set aside. Once your coconut buns have risen, brush with egg wash. Pipe two stripes of your topping mixture onto each bun, and sprinkle each with sesame seeds. Bake for 15-17 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and brush with the sugar syrup. Once they are cool to touch, your Chinese cocktail buns are ready to eat!