Chinese Coconut Buns

A sweet coconut filling almost melts into the soft and tender dough of these Chinese Coconut Buns.

Each month, as part of the Secret Recipe Club, I get to choose a recipe from another blogger to make. This month, I got Betcha Can't Eat Just One. Katie's got all sorts of sweet treats, from Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies to Macaroons. While those recipes will make my "to make" list, as soon as I saw these Chinese Coconut Buns, I knew exactly what I needed to make first. We used to get these (and many other) baked goods in the bakery of Grand Asia. After moving here, we haven't found a bakery selling these delectable delights. So now you understand why I just had to choose these Chinese Coconut Buns. Unless you've never experienced them for yourself. In which case, try making them! They take a bit more time than most of my recipes, but not much more than most yeast breads. I followed Katie's recipe for the most part since I definitely didn't want to risk these coconut buns not working out. The biggest change I made was replacing the water with milk. I also slightly decreased the amount of butter and sugar.

What's a delectable delight you used to buy but no longer can?

Chinese Coconut Buns

by CJ Huang

A sweet coconut filling almost melts into the soft and tender dough of these Chinese Coconut Buns.

Prep time: 2 hours
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
Yield: 12 buns

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
		2 teaspoons		yeast
		3/4 cup		milk
		8 tablespoons		butter
			3	eggs
		1/4 cup		sugar
360 grams		3 cups		flour
120 grams		1 cup		coconut, shredded
		1/4 cup		honey
		1 teaspoon		sesame seeds

Methods:

1. Gather all materials.
2. Melt 6 tablespoons butter and mix in yeast, milk, sugar, and 2 eggs.
3. Gradually add flour until a soft but not sticky dough forms.
4. Place dough in a greased bowl, and cover with a moist towel. Allow dough to rise for about 1 hour.
5. Meanwhile, pulse the shredded coconut together with 2 tablespoons melted butter, honey, and 1 egg yolk. Save the egg white for Step 9.
6. Divide dough into 12 portions. Take one portion and flatten it into a rectangle.
7. Place ~1 tablespoon of filling down center of dough.
8. Fold two sides over filling, and form dough as desired. I played around with a few different options and found either the log or spiral easiest. Then I figured out how to make the infinity - make a ring after folding the two sides over, and then twist, placing the seam on the bottom. For the open infinity shown below, do the same thing, but don't fold the sides over the filling first.
9. Place dough on a baking sheet, brush beaten egg white on dough, and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Allow dough to rise ~20 minutes. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Methods with Images:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Melt 6 tablespoons butter and mix in yeast, milk, sugar, and 2 eggs.
	3. Gradually add flour until a soft but not sticky dough forms.
	4. Place dough in a greased bowl, and cover with a moist towel. Allow dough to rise for about 1 hour.
	5. Meanwhile, pulse the shredded coconut together with 2 tablespoons melted butter, honey, and 1 egg yolk. Save the egg white for Step 9.
	6. Divide dough into 12 portions. Take one portion and flatten it into a rectangle.
	7. Place ~1 tablespoon of filling down center of dough.
	8. Fold two sides over filling, and form dough as desired. I played around with a few different options and found either the log or spiral easiest. Then I figured out how to make the infinity - make a ring after folding the two sides over, and then twist, placing the seam on the bottom. For the open infinity shown below, do the same thing, but don't fold the sides over the filling first.
	9. Place dough on a baking sheet, brush beaten egg white on dough, and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Allow dough to rise ~20 minutes. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes or until golden brown.