Servings
Font
Back
0 from 9 votes

Coconut bun (Chinese cocktail bun)

Coconut bun or cocktail bun is a classic and popular bread among Hong Kong bakeries. This is a best homemade Chinese cocktail bun recipe that can compare with store is soft, sweet and delicious. 

Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Servings: 12
Calories: 507 kcal
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Asian , Chinese

Ingredients

Bread dough:
yeast mixture:
  • ½ cup Milk 2% (room temperature or warm them in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.)
  • ½ cup heavy whipping cream (room temperature)
  • 1 egg Large (room temperature)
  • 1 tablespoon  active dry yeast
  • ¼ cup sugar
Flour mixture:
  • 1 teaspoon  salt
  • ½ tablespoon  Dough enhancer
  • ½ tablespoon  vital wheat gluten
  • 1 & ¾ cups bread flour (add 1 and ½ cup first and slowly add ¼ cup later) 
  • ½ cup cake flour
Filling:
  • 1.5 cups unsweetened shredded coconut (chop them small pieces)
  • 1.5 sticks Butter (1 stick salted butter and ½ stick unsalted butter) (soften at room temperature)
  • ¼ cup cake flour
  • ¾ cup Instant non fat dry milk powder (chop them fine)
  • 1 & ¼ cups sugar (chop them fine)
Topping:
  • some sesame seeds
  • 1 egg (for brushing the bread before baking)
topping dough:
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (soften at room temperature or melt it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds.)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cake flour

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Add ½ cup of milk (warm the milk in the microwave for 10-20 seconds or leave it at room temperature for an hour before using it.), ½ cup of heavy whipping cream, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of yeast and ¼ cup of sugar into a mixer. Mix them a little bit. Cover the lid and wait for 5 minutes.
  2. At the same time, in a bowl add 1 & ½ cup of bread flour, ½ cup of cake flour, ½ tablespoon of vital wheat gluten, ½ tablespoon of dough enhancer, 1 teaspoon of salt and mix well.
  3. After that, slowly add the flour mixture into the yeast mixture until the dough is formed. At this moment, the dough is a little sticky. Then, slowly add ¼ cup of bread flour. Let the mixer run for 5-10 minutes at setting 3 (medium high speed) if you use a Bosch bread mixer.
  4. Next, put the dough into a bowl and cover with a wet cloth.
  5. Let the dough rise to double size. (Normally, it takes around an hour or more. I suggest preheating the oven at 200F and turning off. Then, let the dough rise in the oven, it will shorten the time for rising the dough in around 30 minutes.)
  6. While waiting for the dough to rise, work on the filling. First, put 1.5 cups of shredded unsweetened coconut into a chopper to chop them until they are smaller pieces. Then, add 1 & ¼ cup of sugar, ¾ cup of dry milk powder into the chopper and chop them until fine.
  7. After that, beat 1.5 sticks of butter (I like to use 1 stick of salted butter and ½ stick of unsalted butter.) in a bowl.
  8. After, add the chopped fine sugar, dry milk powder, shredded coconut from step 6 and ¼ cup of cake flour. Then, mix it well.
  9. Divide the bread dough into 9 bigger or 12 smaller pieces, the same as filling.
  10. The filling is a little crumble, so use your hands to press it to make it like an oval or long shape.
  11. Roll the dough into an oval shape.
  12. Next, place the filling in the middle of the dough. Then, fold and close it. Roll it like a long oval shape.
  13. Place them on a tray and cover with a wet cloth and let it rise. (I suggest preheating the oven at 200F and turning it off. Then, let the dough rise in the oven, it will shorten the time for rising the dough in around 15-30 minutes.)
  14. Meanwhile, work on the topping. In a small container, melt 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. Just a little melt, but not too much. Then, add 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon of cake flour. Mix them well.
  15. Put the topping dough into a small ziplock bag. Then, cut a small hole at the corner of the bag and push pressure to pipe the topping dough.
  16. Beat an egg and brush the egg on bread.
  17. Pipe two lines on the bread and sprinkle some sesame seeds and are ready for baking.
  18. Preheat the oven at 350F. Bake at 350F for 18-22 minutes until it's golden brown.

Notes

  • Make sure milk, heavy whipping cream, butter and egg at room temperature. (I normally leave them out for 30-1 hour before making it)
  • Divide 9 bigger dough or 12 smaller ones. Roll the dough into an oval shape and put the filling on it. Then, wrap and close the dough and roll a little bit to shape it like a long oval.
  • Bake at 350 F for 18-22 minutes until it’s golden brown.
  • Add milk, heavy cream, egg, sugar and yeast into a mixture bowl and wait for 5 minutes
  • In another bowl, mix bread flour (1.5 cup first), cake flour, salt, dough enhancer and vital wheat gluten and mix well. Slowly add to the yeast mixture.
  • I like to add vital wheat gluten and dough enhancer in this bread dough recipe. These two little ingredients make and connect the dough even better. After it’s refrigerated or left over when you warm them up in the microwave for 20-25 seconds, the bread still tastes great.
  • The dough is a little sticky then slowly add ¼ cup of bread flour.
  • Let the dough rise and cover with a wet cloth. At room temperature, it will take an hour or so to rise. It depends on your house temperature.
  • I suggest preheating the oven at 200 F and turning off. Then, let the dough rise in the oven, it will shorten the time for rising the dough in around 30 minutes.
  • Use unsweetened shredded coconut
  • Put the shredded coconut into a chopper to chop them fine and small
  • Beat butter, add sugar, dry milk, cake flour and chopped coconut and mix them well
  • The filling is a little crumble, so use your hands to press it to make it like an oval or long shape. It can make 9 bigger or 12 smaller ones.
  • Melt butter in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. Just a little melt, but not too much.
  • Mix well with sugar and cake flour
  • If you melt the butter too much, it will be runny. Let it cool off, then it will get a little bit harder.
  • Put the topping dough into a small ziplock bag. Then, cut a small hole at the corner of the bag and push pressure to pipe two lines on the bread.

Nutrition Information

Calories 507kcal (25%) Carbohydrates 54g (18%) Protein 9g (18%) Fat 30g (46%) Saturated Fat 21g (105%) Cholesterol 82mg (27%) Sodium 324mg (14%) Potassium 260mg (7%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 31g (62%) Vitamin A 652IU (13%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 106mg (11%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 507

% Daily Value*

Calories 507kcal 25%
Carbohydrates 54g 18%
Protein 9g 18%
Fat 30g 46%
Saturated Fat 21g 105%
Cholesterol 82mg 27%
Sodium 324mg 14%
Potassium 260mg 6%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 31g 62%
Vitamin A 652IU 13%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 106mg 11%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.