READY IN 3+ hrs

Chinese Sweet Bun Dough

Read Reviews (18)

"After several experiments, I created this cross between a bread and pastry dough that works perfectly for making filled buns. I generally fill with a BBQ filling, but you can be creative." — GAUSSSHAWN

Directions

Whisk the sugar and milk together in a large mixing bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the yeast, and let stand until a frothy layer forms on the milk, about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour, most of the beaten eggs (reserve about 1 tablespoon of egg in a small bowl for later), vegetable oil, and salt, mixing well until thoroughly combined.
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky. Place the dough into a large oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap, place the bowl in a warm spot, and let rise until doubled, 2 to 3 hours.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Remove the dough from the bowl, and knead it briefly to punch down, about 1 minute. Roll the dough out into a rope, and cut it into 12 equal-sized pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, and use your fingers to flatten each ball into a disc about 5 to 6 inches in diameter.
Place about 2 tablespoons of your favorite bun filling in the center of the dough circle, and bring the edges of the dough up over the filling. Pinch and twist the top together to seal in the filling. Make sure there are no open spots. Place each filled bun seam-side down on the parchment paper while you finish making the rest of the buns. Cover the filled buns with plastic wrap, and let them rise for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Beat the 1 tablespoon of reserved beaten egg with the water to make an egg wash, and brush the top of each bun with the egg mixture. Sprinkle each bun with a few sesame seeds, and bake in the preheated oven until the tops are browned and shiny, turning the baking sheet around halfway through baking, for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 30 mins
COOK 20 mins
READY IN 3 hrs 20 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Jan 27, 2011

Very good recipe! Tastes just like the ones we get from our local asian market. I filled mine with a sweet coconut mixture to make chinese cocktail buns, very yummy:3 for anyone who is looking to cut down on a bit of work, i experimented and put all the ingredients in my bread machine on the dough cycle and it rose beautifully! The order i did it in: warm milk, oil(i used canola), eggs, sugar, salt, bread flour, and lastly the yeast (i accidentally added in the 2 tsp of water to the dough that was meant for the egg wash:P it didn't hurt anything).. then i let my bread machine do its thing:) after it was done kneading i let it sit in the machine for about 2 hours. After i filled and placed my rolls on the baking sheet i let them sit in the oven for an hour (for the first 20 mins i put a bowl of boiling water under the bread then took it out and let the rolls sit in the oven for the remaining 40 mins). I used a honey wash for a bit of a sweet glaze:) Turned out sweet, soft, and so so yummy! Thank you for the recipe!!!

—monipop

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Mar 16, 2011

Not sweet at all!!! I would add less salt (1/2 tsp), more sugar, less yeast!!! but overall a nice recipe! nice texture, nice rise, a little "yeasty" I would probably only use egg for the wash; water makes them hard.

—brioche

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23 Ratings

Feb 02, 2010

I have made this recipe twice. No more pizza pops in out house. The kids love the sweet dough and we put pizza toppings inside. We divide the recipe into 13 and is gives them a nice size for their lunches. I cheat a bit and add all the ingredients into my bread maker. I use instant yeast and mix with a third of the flour. Make sure the milk is quite warm mix in the sugar. Top with dry ingredients, make a small hole and pour in the oil, egg, and water. You might have to add a bit of water while this mixing process, my bread machine makes a loud clicking sound. I don't know how many rules I've broken by using the bread maker, but it works for me. We will be making this recipe lots. Thanks for sharing.

—Morgan

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Sep 20, 2010

My family loves Chinese Pork Buns, and this dough was PERFECT to make them at home. Follow this recipe, and you'll have great pork (or beef, or chicken, or veggie) buns too! The only thing I recommend is in step 1 to add the eggs, oil, and salt BEFORE the flour (or at least at the same time by making a well in the flour), as it is difficult to mix otherwise. I find that two hours is usually plenty for the first rise, and for my oven the final baking is usually only 20 minutes. These are so great, and wonderfully non-messy to eat. Enjoy!

—Griffin10

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Mar 15, 2010

I stumbled upon this recipe while searching for a sweet dough recipe to use for cinnamon rolls. The "cross between a bread and pastry dough" in the description caught my eye, so I whipped up a batch, omitting the sesame seeds & egg-wash step at the end of the recipe (naturally!). I was not disappointed!! My rolls turned out marvelous. Perfect taste and texture. I will be using this dough for cinnamon buns from now on. Thanks for the great recipe.

—Tamara

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Jul 23, 2011

Followed the instructions exactly and turned out great. Mine took just under 4 hours for the dough to rise to a light and airy consistency. Baked as above instructions informed and made them into original sweet buns that i topped with coconut and almond slivers; tasted amazing! I still have some more dough that I am going to fill with some red bean paste.

—fit_101

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Jul 22, 2010

I didn't have time to stuff my meat mixture in these so I made them into dinner rolls with the meat on the side. Everyone loved them. I will make these again but maybe decrease the salt by 1/2 tsp. These were really easy and really tasty!

—Juliann

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Aug 24, 2011

Love this bread! Proofed and mixed in the mixer with a dough hook. I did add the liquid ingredients and the eggs before adding flour to the mixer. I was worried at how wet the dough felt after mixing, but it came together nicely. Great texture and flavor. Cooked this at 300' for 25 min in the convection oven filled with italian chicken and sauce. Will make again. Thanks for sharing!

—rosyshell

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Nutrition

Calories
284 kcal
14%

Carbohydrates
42.9 g
14%

Cholesterol
37 mg
12%

Fat
9 g
14%

Fiber
1.3 g
5%

Protein
7.6 g
15%

Sodium
409 mg
16%

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

Nutritional Information

Chinese Sweet Bun Dough

Serving Size: 1/12 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 12
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 284
Calories from Fat: 81

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 9g 14 %
Saturated Fat 1.7g 9 %
Cholesterol 37mg 12 %
Sodium 409mg 16 %
Potassium 109mg 3 %
Total Carbohydrates 42.9g 14 %
Dietary Fiber 1.3g 5 %
Protein 7.6g 15 %
Sugars 9.5g
Vitamin A 2 %
Vitamin C < 1 %
Calcium 5 %
Iron 24 %
Thiamin 41 %
Niacin 41 %
Vitamin B6 3 %
Magnesium 6 %
Folate 62 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.