Pandan Buns

Basic Dough:

2 3/4 cup bread flour
1 cup cake flour (3/4 all purpose flour + 1/4 cup of corn starch)
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter
1 egg

200 ml cold water
1 tsp. pandan paste (optional if you don’t want pandan flavor)
2 Tbsp. milk powder
3/4 cup sugar

20 ml warm water (cold water microwave for 10 seconds)
1 Tbsp. instant yeast
1 tsp. sugar

Egg Wash: 1 egg + 1 tsp water (beat until bubble formed)

Honey wash: 1 tsp honey + 1 tsp maple syrup + 1 tsp water (mix well)


Method:

1. Add bread flour, cake flour, salt, butter, and egg together. Best to leave butter at room temperature and then using hand to mash the butter with the flour. Then add in the egg and stir together.

2. Mix warm water, yeast, and sugar together and wait 5 minutes for yeast to active (bubble).

3. Mix cold water with milk powder, sugar, and pandan paste. Stir until sugar kind of dissolved. Pour into flour mixture and mix well. Add in the yeast mixture.

4. Knead the dough until it is smooth, for at least 15 minutes. If the dough is too wet, add a little of bread flour.

5. Cover the dough and let it rest in the oven with the light on for it to double in size (at least 2 hrs). Take the dough out give it a few knead.

6. Take the dough and divide it into 12 balls. Place the balls into a baking pan and cover. Let it rest until the balls double in sizes. It will be faster if you let it sit in the oven with lights on. Use a non-stick pan.

7. When the dough is ready, pre-heat your oven at 350 F. Brush egg wash on dough and bake the dough for 20-25 minutes or until the golden brown on top. When warm from the oven, brush the top with some honey/maple syrup (like my picture above) to give it some shine.

8. Serve warm. Covered buns can be kept in refrigerator for 5 days. Just microwave for 20 seconds before serving and it will be soft again.

Note: do not melt the butter as it will add more liquid, which will cause the dough to be wet.