Coconut Buns

These buns are simply delicious. I used to have them for evening tea during my childhood.

Ingredients:

For Bun:
2 cups plain flour
4 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp active dried yeast
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg

Coconut Filling:
1 cup grated coconut
1/3 cup grated palm sugar (or more as per desired)
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp plain flour

Egg Wash:
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp water

Method:
Stir together the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

Heat milk and butter until the butter melts and the mixture is about 50° C warm. Pour into the flour mixture. Also add the egg into the flour. Knead the dough until smooth and shiny. The dough may be slightly sticky and this is normal and if you find it too sticky, add a little bit more flour. You may also have to adjust the liquid to get the right consistency. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Meanwhile, heat the water and palm sugar until the sugar dissolves. Add the grated coconut and flour. Stir constantly until the mixture becomes soft paste. Remove from heat and let the coconut filling cool.

Punch down the dough and knead gently on a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 12 equal sized balls. Flatten the each ball and fill with the completely cooled coconut filling and seal the bun neatly. Gently rotate the bun repeatedly until it forms a smooth-skinned ball. Place each bun into a greased baking dish. Cover the dish and let the buns rise again in a warm place until nearly double in size, approximately 45 minutes.

Beat together the egg yolk and water. Egg wash the buns. Bake in a preheated oven at 190° C for 20 - 25 minutes.

The bread is done when it make a hollow sound when you tap on it gently.

Also check out the improvised version of these adorable Coconut Buns along with Red Bean Buns using a Breadmaker. Recipe video HERE 👩🏽‍🍳