Bun Worthy
Singapore has a penchant for light, pillowy buns with all types of fillings in them
Local buns are inexpensive, and come in a wide range of savoury and sweet delights
TRADITIONAL SINGAPORE bakery buns are not the same as shiao pan, which are Japanese in origin and have a salted, chewy crust – like little rolled baguettes. While shiao pan are popular at the moment, traditional bakery buns remain a crowd favourite – they are cheap, and come in a wide range of savoury and sweet delights.
You’ll find these traditional buns at neighbourhood shops and bakeries, in HDB towns and in shopping centres.
While buns come in many shapes and sizes, the most common are round and submarine-shaped. Buns are sold individually or in a pack of 4 or 6.
Tangzhong method
Local buns are usually made using the tangzhong method, an Asian bread-making technique that uses a cooked paste of flour and liquid (roux) to make bread soft, moist and fluffy. By incorporating this tanzhong roux into the flour, the dough absorbs and retains more water, resulting in a tender chew and a longer shelf life for the finished bread.
Favourite traditional buns
Coconut bun – Round buns filled with grated coconut that is infused with gula melaka and pandan
Kaya bun – Buns filled with kaya (coconut curd made with coconut milk, eggs and sugar, and infused with pandan)
Red bean bun – Buns filled with mashed, sweetened redbean (azuki)
Curry bun – Buns filled with sauteed dry curried potato
Butter sugar bun – Buns with no filling, topped with a glaze of butter and sugar
Bolo bun – Originating in Hongkong a bolo bun has a sugary top crust and a fluffy buttery dough. It resembles a pineapple hence its name, but does not contain any pineapple
Floss bun – Buns with no filling, topped with pork or chicken floss
Raisin cream bun – Pillowy bun with raisins and filled with cream or cream cheese
Bakeries that hit the spot
BreadTalk – 313 Orchard Road #B2-31, Singapore 238895, 313@Somerset. Plus islandwide
Four Leaves – Thomson Plaza, 301 Upp Thomson Rd #01-03, Singapore 574408. Plus islandwide
Swee Heng – 682 Hougang Ave 4, #01-354, Singapore 530682. Plus at Anchorvale and at Compassvale
Jiang Jiang Bakery – 21 Ghim Moh Rd #01-189, Singapore 270021. Plus at Jurong West
Sembawang Bakery – 6 Beach Road #01-4869, Singapore 190006. (Near Golden Mile Food Centre)
Coconut buns
Recipe
Makes 12 buns using the tangzhong method
Preheat oven to 180°C
INGREDIENTS
Tangzhong
1/4 cup bread flour
5 tablespoons milk
In a saucepan over medium heat stir milk and flour together until you get a thick, roux-like paste.
DOUGH
All of the tangzhong above
2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups plain flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup milk
Set aside a little milk for glazing top of bun dough
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
COCONUT FILLING
5 cups grated coconut
1 cup gula melaka, crumbled (for white coconut use cane sugar)
2 tablespoons pandan juice (blend 3 pandan leaves with a little water and extract)
Pinch of salt
Mix all well and set aside in refrigerator to cool.
MAKE THE BUNS
In a large bowl use your fingers or mixer with dough hook to combine the ingredients except the milk and coconut filling. Combine well while drizzling in the milk bit by bit until the dough comes together into a moist, sticky ball.
Knead the dough for about 8 minutes, and set aside to prove. Knock back dough and shape into 12 balls, and let rest for 10 minutes.
Flatten a dough ball slightly and add a portion of coconut filling, pinch and fold to seal and place it sealed side down onto a greased baking pan. Let rest and prove for 10 minutes. Brush a little milk on top of the dough buns, and bake in the oven until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the buns from the pan and cool on rack.
Enjoy with a cup of your favourite tea or coffee.