Pork floss buns
Pork floss buns are a sweet-and-savory favorite at bakeries in Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam. Soft, fluffy milk bread is spread with mayonnaise, then rolled in pork floss, scallions and sesame seeds for a rich, salty-sweet and fragrant bun that makes an easy, delicious breakfast.
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 18 min
- Rising or chilling
- 2 hr
- Total time
- 2 hr 58 min
- Method
- Oven-baked
Ingredients
Milk bread dough
Egg wash
Pork floss topping
Instructions
Step 1
Put 300 g bread flour, 40 g granulated sugar and 5 g instant yeast in the mixer bowl, add 50 g eggs and 170 g whole milk and knead on low speed until the dough comes together, then add 5 g salt and 30 g softened unsalted butter and knead for about fifteen minutes more. Adding the butter later lets the gluten develop first, so the crumb is soft, springy and stretchy. The dough is ready when it's smooth, glossy and stretches into a thin, almost translucent windowpane without tearing.
Step 2
Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise somewhere warm for about an hour. The first rise lets the yeast build flavor and makes the dough light and airy. It's ready when the dough has doubled and a finger poke slowly fills back in.
Step 3
Punch down the dough, divide it into ten equal pieces, roll each one into an oval, then roll it up into a long log like a cigar and set it seam side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Rolling tightly helps the buns rise tall and keep a nice shape in the oven. Each bun is ready when its surface is taut and smooth and both ends taper evenly.
Step 4
Cover the sheet loosely with plastic wrap and let the buns rise for about forty-five minutes more, preheating the oven to 180°C in the meantime. The second rise gives the buns their final lift, so the crumb turns out light and soft. They're ready when they've grown to nearly one and a half times their size and feel as soft as a pillow when pressed lightly.
Step 5
Brush the tops very thinly with 25 g beaten eggs, then bake at 180°C for about 15 to 18 minutes. The egg wash gives a glossy golden-brown finish and keeps the crust moist. The buns are done when the tops are evenly golden, the bottoms are light brown and they sound slightly hollow when tapped.
Step 6
Move the buns to a rack and let them cool for about fifteen minutes. If you spread on the sauce while the buns are too hot, the mayonnaise will turn runny and the pork floss will get soggy. They're ready when they feel only slightly warm to the touch.
Step 7
Spread 80 g mayonnaise all over the tops of the buns, then roll them in a plate of 80 g pork floss mixed with 10 g finely sliced scallions and 5 g toasted white sesame seeds. The mayonnaise works like glue, holding the pork floss in place and adding richness. The buns are finished when the tops are thickly covered in pork floss with no white patches of sauce showing.
Equipment
- Oven
- Stand mixer
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Pastry brush
- Kitchen scale
- Mixing bowl
- Plastic wrap
- Spatula
Tips
- You can stir a little sweetened condensed milk into the mayonnaise if you like the rich, sweet flavor of Vietnamese bakeries.
- Slice the scallions finely and make sure they're completely dry so the pork floss stays light and fluffy.
- Fine, fluffy pork floss clings to the sauce more easily than the dry, crumbly kind.
Storage
Once topped with pork floss, the buns are best eaten the same day, kept covered somewhere cool and airy. To keep them longer, store the plain buns in a sealed bag for up to two days and only add the sauce and pork floss when you're ready to eat.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The crumb is dry and dense.
- The dough wasn't kneaded or proofed enough. Knead until it stretches into a thin windowpane, and let it double before dividing.
- The pork floss turns soggy and clumpy.
- The buns were still hot when you spread on the sauce, or the scallions were still wet. Let the buns cool down and pat the scallions dry before mixing them with the pork floss.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
