Cocktail Buns and Sweet Buttery Buns

According to wikipedia, the cocktail bun, a specialty of Hong Kong, originating in the 1950s, is a type of bun stuffed with a filling made of unsold buns, sugar, and shredded coconut. At the time, the proprietors of bakeries found aversion to the wasteful disposal of unsold, but nonetheless edible, buns. As a solution to this problem, the cost-saving cocktail bun was formulated.

By mashing the left-over buns and adding granulated sugar, buns left unsold could be resold. This hodgepodge of ingredients likened it to the bakery counterpart of alcoholic cocktails, thus deriving its name. Later on, shredded coconut was added to the recipe, producing an even more appetizing flavor.

The shiny golden-brown exterior color comes from a combination of a light egg wash and/or sugar glaze. The chewy interior is bread-like with the coconut filling. The exterior also often has some swoosh mark made from the coconut filling and may have sprinkled sesame seeds.

Now back to my story..It's quite embarrassing to tell you that despite living in Hong Kong more than 8 years, I didn't know about this cocktail bun until a week ago ! Although, I've seen it sold in every single bakery shop in HK but I never realized that it's kind of Hong Kong's signature bread/bun ( apart from pineapple bun or bau lor bau )  and thus, didn't bother to try and didn't know either that it contains a filling !!
 
Like I said above, I've known about this bun just a week ago when I came accross it from this site to begin with and I then did some research on the net and finally I bought some from a shop to find out how it really tastes.. then what's next ?? ... and you know it!! 
 
I decided to make the dough using water roux method ( again! ) ..this is to make sure that I would get a soft and fluffy bun. As for the filling, I adapted from the recipe posted by Jun (the blog I've found out about the bun from ) of Jun-blog and tried to make it as similar as the one I bought. What's the result ? Of course, it's not the same as sold by those bakery shops but it's good enough and certainly pleased myself  and my tasters..Anyway, I might make it again using a different recipe next time! 
 
Now, speaking of the sweet buttery buns, They are one of my favorite breads which I always buy it from a local bakery shop ( where I think they sell the best of it in town!) when I go back to my home country , Thailand. But with all political crazy things that have been done by a group of mad people, the red shi(r)ts in Bangkok, it has caused me to stop making a trip back for many months so far and one of things I've been missing is this bun ! 
 
This is the first time that I made the buns with water roux method and it turned out fabulous..not only satisfied my craving but it also made me made at those red shi(r)ts a bit less ! lol... Seriously, if you like Japanese style breads/buns, you shouldn't miss it out ! Yummmm
 
The recipe for the dough ( makes 10 pieces )
 
285 g white strong bread flour
2 tbsp milk powder
50 g caster sugar
1/2 scant teaspoon salt
7 g package of instant yeast
84 g water roux stater
85 ml lukewarm milk
35 g beaten egg
35 g butter at room temperature

Egg wash :

1 egg + 1 tbsp milk

To make the dough : 
 
1. Mix all ingredients except the butter in the bowl and using a dough hook on low speed to form a ball. Add the butter bit by bit and mix until incorporated. Increase to a medium speed and knead the dough unitl smooth and elastic about 15-20 minutes. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled in volume.

2. Deflate the dough and briefly knead for seconds, then divide into 10 equal pieces to be used ( 5 for cocktail buns and the other 5 for sweet buttery buns )
 
For the Cocktail Buns ( makes 5 pieces )
 
The coconut filling :
 
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1.5 tsp honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp butter, melted
Some sesame seed to sprinkle on top
 
Use a food processor/blender to grind the coconut into finer flakes. In a small bowl, mix the coconut flakes with the rest ingredients until it has a paste-like consistency.
 
Roll each piece into a 5- by 3-inch rectangle. Place 1.5-2 tablespoons of the filling lengthwise along the center. Bring the the long sides up and over the filling and pinch all the edges to seal. Make sure the edges are adequately sealed to prevent the coconut filling from spilling out while the buns are baking.
 
Place the pieces with the seam-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper around a 1/2-inch space between buns. Cover with plastic wrap and let the buns rise for another 45 minutes -1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. When the buns are ready , then lightly brush the buns with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds on top. Bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden brown on top.

     

For the Sweet Buttery Buns ( makes 5 pieces )

The butter filling :

about 1/2 tsp soften butter per piece
some salt to sprinkle over the rolled out dough
icing sugar ,sifted, to sprinkle on top ( after completely cool )

Roll each piece into about 5- by 3-inch rectangle. Spread the butter over the dough leaving half centimetres around the edges and sprinkle a little salt over the butter. Roll the dough up from the shorter end into a small cylinder and seal the ends and seam tightly to prevent a butter leaking. Place the pieces with the seam-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper around a 1/2-inch space between buns.

Cover with plastic wrap and let the buns rise for another 45 minutes -1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. When the buns are ready , then lightly brush the buns with the egg wash. Bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden brown on top. Leave to cool completely on wire rack and sprinkle with sifted icing on top before serving.

Ps. Both of buns on this post have been sent to yeastspotting hosted by Susan of Wild Yeast..