Learn how to make baked buns with pork filling in your own kitchen. These baked buns are light, soft and tender. And the pork filling is sweet-salty and packed with Asian flavors. Lay it on bread crumbs to turn it into Filipino asado bread roll or brush it with egg wash to make it an Asian bakery-style bun.
Once the pork is cooked, let it cool. Transfer to an airtight container then put in the fridge to set for 6 to 24 hours. This will make the mixture compact and easier to fill into the dough.
Make the Dough
In a medium-size bowl, combine lukewarm water, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and yeast. Stir until completely dissolved. Let it stand for 5 to 10mins until yeast begins to foam.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of your stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Mix thoroughly.
Add milk, yeast mixture, egg yolks, and butter to the dry ingredients. Stir with a spatula until just combined. Attach the dough hook and turn the stand mixer on to the lowest speed and mix until flour is incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Add additional flour as necessary, start with 1 tablespoons and go from there. Continue beating for 5 to 6 minutes until the dough is SLIGHTLY STICKY, elastic, and pulling away from the edge of the bowl. Be careful not to add too much flour.
Rise # 1 Warm rise or cold rise
Wipe or spray oil on the sides of the bowl then form dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm spot for 1 hour until it doubles in size. To make ahead, do a cold rise by placing the dough in the refrigerator. The dough will slowly double in size the next day.
Rise #2 Divide and fill the rolls
Remove the plastic wrap and punch the dough down. Transfer onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 18 to 20 portions and shape into a smooth ball. Place on a tray and cover with a towel to prevent the dough from drying. For an evenly sized dough, use a kitchen scale. Mine was about 50g each. Adjust based on your preference.
Using a small rolling pin, lightly flatten it into a disc making sure that the center is thicker than the edges. Roll around the edges so it’s thinner (NOT FLAT!) than the center.
Place about a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of the dough. Gather the edges and seal the bun tightly then roll on a surface to smoothen (see video).
Variation 1: Asado Bread Roll
Lay it in the bread crumbs. Shake off excess then place seal side down in the baking tray greased or lined with a parchment paper. Make sure that the dough is arranged 2 inches apart. Cover with a towel or cloth and let it rise for 40mins to 1 hour.
Variation 2: Asian-style bun
Place the dough in a baking tray, arranged 2 inches apart. Cover with a towel or cloth and let it rise for 40mins to 1 hour. Brush the dough with egg wash. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (if using).
Bake
Preheat oven at 180c/350f, 15 minutes before the dough rolls finishes rising. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until the top turns light brown.
Video
Notes
Splitting the tasks into two or three parts is the key to making baked buns less tedious–e.g. day 1: make the filling and the dough. day 2: shape and fill the dough and bake. Note: A refrigerated dough (1st rise) is best to use within 48 hours.
Bread flour - can be substituted with all-purpose flour if not available. Replaced in the same amount as mentioned in the recipe.
Use a stand mixer with a dough hook to make the kneading process super easy.
Check out my pandesal recipe which includes step-by-step pictures and a video guide that will walk you through the whole process of making and dividing the dough.
Remember to lightly flatten, don’t press too hard otherwise the dough will be too thin.
Don’t overfill! It will be hard to close the dough and filling might ooze out of the bread during baking.
Storage/Shelf-life: You can store leftover buns in the fridge for 3 days in an air-tight container.
Re-heat in a mini-oven toaster for 1 to 2 minutes over low heat or 30 seconds in a microwave.
Variation: Brush the surface of the dough with egg wash instead of laying it on bread crumbs.