Longevity Peach Steamed Buns with Pandan Kaya Filling
The recipe for these vegan-friendly peach-shaped buns is right below! They’re light and fluffy, and filled with sweet kaya, a type of coconut jam infused with pandan flavour. A great treat for breakfast or snack any time of the day!
Ingredients
- 150 g all purpose flour sifted; more for dusting
- 150 g cake flour sifted
- 3 g instant yeast
- 50 g sugar I used stevia instead
- A pinch of salt
- 1/4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 125 ml cold milk more for kneading
- beetroot powder, or red gel food colouring
- matcha powder, or green gel food colouring
- 300 g pandan kaya filling or other sweet filling; store in the fridge or freezer to firm it up first
Instructions
- Place all ingredients (except food colouring and sweet filling) into a stand mixer with dough hook attachments. Knead the dough on high until it’s soft and less sticky, about 5 minutes. If it’s too wet or sticky, add more flour a tablespoon at a time; if it’s dry, add milk.
- Dust your table lightly with flour. Pinch 30g of dough for the leaves, then divide the remainder into 10 equal portions. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes to relax the gluten for easier shaping later.
- Roll the 10 pieces of dough into balls, then using your finger, lightly press down the middle to create a small hole in the center. Add the filling which has already been shaped into round balls slightly smaller in size than your main dough.
- Once the filling is in, gather the sides to enclose the bun and pinch to seal the seam. Flip the bun seam side down, then shape it into a peach with your fingers.
- Use a toothpick or chopstick to make vertical indentations in the middle of the bun.
- Once all the buns are done, place them on individual silicon paper then cover with a dry cloth to avoid them drying out.
- In a bowl, mix a drop or two of red colouring in 1 tsp of water to dilute then using your fingers or a small brush, gently brush the colouring onto the top or middle of the buns. Avoid rubbing or over brushing as this will make the surface of the buns too wet and wrinkled when you steam them.
- Drop some green colouring onto the 30g dough to make the leaves. Cut out the leaf shapes then wet them lightly with water to attach to the buns.
- Let the buns proof in a warm place for approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour. The proofed buns will expand slightly. Don’t overproof.
- Prepare your steamer; wrap the lid with cloth to stop condensation dripping onto the buns. Once the water is boiling on medium heat, place the buns into the steamer with 1 inch space in between, then lower the heat slightly. Steam for 10 minutes.
- Let buns cool on a cooling rack to avoid the bottoms getting soggy.
Notes
- If you’ve overproofed your buns (the buns have doubled in size and widened on the sides), fret not. Place them in steamer as usual but leave the lid open with a 1/4 gap for steam to escape. The buns will not wrinkle and collapse.
- Best practices for storage: I don’t like to put them directly into the fridge or freezer without any protection as foods tend to absorb fridge smells from other foods stored within the same space. I recommend wrapping them individually with plastic cling wrap, then place into freezer ziplock bags. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.