Chinese Coconut Milk Bread/Buns
OMG. This bread is so good! I’ve been trying to re-create this bread (also found in Chinese bakeries as “Coconut buns”) for a long time… I finally figured out the trick – ditch the butter and milk, and use coconut oil and coconut milk instead! Coconut oil is a solid at room temperature – similar in texture to shortening or lard – and it makes a HUGE difference in the flavor of this bread. I found coconut oil at Trader Joe’s – but I have also seen it at health food/farmer’s market type grocery stores. Technically, you could substitute regular butter for the coconut oil… but the end result just won’t be as good… so get yourself a jar of coconut oil!!!!
I made this bread as three mini-loaves that can be pulled apart into three buns each. You could make this as one large loaf instead if you don’t have mini-loaf pans – but in that case, you would want to start with four ovals of dough (instead of 9), and you will want to bake the loaf for 30-35 minutes (instead of 22 minutes for the three smaller loaves). Enjoy!
Coconut Milk Bread:
Coconut Oil is actually a solid fat at room temperature
- 2 1/2 c. bread flour
- 1/2 c. coconut milk
- 1 egg
- 3 T. coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 4 T. sugar
- 2 tsp. active dry yeast
- 1/2 c. tang zhong
Tang Zhong:
- 1/3 c. bread flour
- 1 c. water
- 1 c. sweetened flaked coconut
- 3 T. coconut oil
- 3 T. sugar
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 egg yolk + 1 T. water
1. First, make the tang zhong. Combine the bread flour and water in a small sauce pan, and whisk over medium high heat until thick and swirl lines appear. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. Then, make the dough. Combine all the ingredients in a bread machine (I LOVE my Zojirushi Bread Machine
3. To make the filling, put all the filling ingredients into the workbowl of a food processor