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    Home » Recipes » Chinese Pancakes

    Custard Bun-Milk Yolk Buns

    Last Modified: October 9, 2022 by Elaine| 79 Comments

    10.5K shares
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    Another famous and great dim sum steamed bun recipe—Custard bun also named as milk yolk buns. Those little buns are also named as Lai Wong Bao.

    milk custard buns
    This is the version with butter and egg for sweet teeth. Just a remanding, there is a sister bun of this milk yolk bun named as Liu Sa Bao which uses salted duck egg and thus providing a savory and salty filling. Those two versions are quite similar but different in tastes.

    milk custard buns

    I do not like sweet food for the first 18 years in my life because my teeth was get used to spicy and savory foods. Sweet desserts were here but less appealing to me compared with real Sichuan style hot food. However after living in Guangdong province for around 5 years, I fall in love with sweet dessert slowly especially some of the Hong Kong style desserts, baked buns and cookies. The cities might looks similar from the appearance, but the foods are so different from the history background and geographic position.

    Before start making those yummy buns at home, there are some key ingredients.

    1. Custard powder

    To make the perfect custard filling, custard powder is necessary. It is firstly imported by some bakery stores in Hong Kong and now becomes a popular baking ingredient in Mainland China too. It can increase the milk aroma and add slightly yellow color to the filling.

    1. Wheat starch

    Wheat starch is the main ingredient for another famous dim sum dessert-Har Gow. The reason why it is used to replace flour is because it is almost transparent, which further give the filling a perfect yellow color.

    Start with the dough firstly. If you are not familiar with how to make a dough for Chinese buns, check Chinese steamed bun for some detailed guide.

    milk custard buns

    And then the custard filling.

    In a small pot, combine custard powder, wheat starch and sugar together.Heat over low heat and then add milk. Keep stirring until well mixed.Stir in beaten egg slowly and keep stirring during the process. Add butter in. Heat until well mixed. You can taste the filling for some adjustment if necessary at this step.

    Remove off heat and turn the filling over and over again until it can form a smooth ball and everything is well incorporated. The left picture is before turning with a spatula  and the right picture is after. There should be no particles in the filling dough.

    custard filing

    To assemble the custard bun

    1. It is quite necessary to shape the filling into balls before assembling the bun. This is make the process much easier especially for starters.

    2. To get a uniform wrapper after sealed completely, the edges of the wrapper should be slightly thinner than the center.

    3. After seal the buns, turn them over gently and then shape again for a better round shape.

    how to assemble bun

    How to set up the steamer:  I use a bamboo steamer for all my buns, you can get it from Amazon Joyce Chen 26-0013, 10-Inch Bamboo Steamer Set

    milk custard buns

    Here we are Now!

    milk custard buns

    milk custard buns

    Custard Bun-Milk Yolk Buns

    Elaine
    Dim Sum custard buns with strong milk and yolk aroma.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe
    Prep Time 4 hrs
    Cook Time 40 mins
    Total Time 4 hrs 40 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine Cantonese
    Servings 12 Making 12 middle size buns
    Calories 176 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Custard Filling

    • 1.5 tbsp. custard powder
    • ½ cup wheat starch
    • 2 tbsp. cake flour
    • 100 ml milk
    • 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
    • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
    • 1 large egg+ another yolk , slightly beaten (around 100g)

    For the bun wrapper

    • 2 cups cake flour , or low-gluten flour
    • 100 ml milk , or 20ml more if you are using all-purpose flour
    • ¼ cup warm water , around 35℃
    • 1 tsp. sugar
    • ⅛ tsp. salt
    • 2 tsp. instant yeast

    Instructions
     

    Custard filling recipe

    • In a small pot, combine custard powder, wheat starch and sugar together.
    • Heat over low heat and then add milk. Keep stirring until well mixed.
    • Stir in beaten egg slowly and keep stirring during the process. Add butter in. Heat until well mixed. Remove off heat and turn the filling over and over again until it can form a smooth ball and everything is well incorporated.
    • Set aside to cool down and then place the custard filling in fridge for at least 1 hour (depending on the temperature)or until hardened. So you can shape the fillings easily.

    For the dough

    • Add sugar and yeast to the warm water. Wait for around 10 minutes until the yeast is well activated.
    • Mix other ingredients for the dough with the warm yeast water prepared in the previous step. Grasp everything together and knead until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
    • Brush some oil on a large bowl and transfer the dough for the proofing. Wait for 2-3 hours until the dough is doubled in size.

    Assemble the custard buns

    • When the dough is doubled in size, transfer to a slightly floured board and pinch the air out. Please knead forcefully for a smooth surface. And then roll into a long log; cut the log into 12 equal portions. At the same time, divide the custard filling into 12 equal portions and shape each one to a ball (make the assembling process much easier)
    • Take one portion out, press down slightly and then roll to a around wrappers around 8 to 10 cm in diameter. Make the edges thinner than the center.
    • Place on portion of the filling on the round wrapper and then seal completely. Repeat the process to finish all the buns.

    Steaming

    • Set up the steamer and let the buns reset for around 10 to 15 minutes with lid covered.
    • Steam on high heat for around 15 minute to 20 minutes. Turn off the fire, wait for 5 minutes before uncovering and enjoying.

    Notes

    The Nutrition Facts is based on each single bun.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 176kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 5gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 45mgPotassium: 77mgSugar: 6gVitamin A: 135IUCalcium: 31mgIron: 0.6mg
    Keyword bread
    Tried this recipe?Mention @ChinaSichuanFood

    milk custard buns

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. SHIRLEY

      November 14, 2015 at 1:57 pm

      Thank you for the wheat starch advice. I have made this with another recipe that failed because the custard remained liquidy. I will make this soon.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        November 15, 2015 at 9:28 am

        Hi Shirley,
        To make the custard filling, you can also refer to this post: https://www.chinasichuanfood.com/snow-skin-mooncake-video-recipe-with-custard-filling/. I shared a video showing the process.

        Reply
        • N

          July 16, 2018 at 9:35 am

          I seem to have the opposite problem. My custard was way too hard it was very sad.

          Reply
    2. Zuza

      November 24, 2015 at 2:17 pm

      I'm very excited to try making these and the sweet red bean buns soon! I noticed the recipe for the dough is slightly different for each one though. Is it alright to use the same kind of dough for both flavors? If so, which of the two would you suggest?

      Reply
      • Elaine

        November 24, 2015 at 7:44 pm

        Hi Zuza,

        Basically the dough is quite similar with each other. But sometimes, I add some extra flavor like milk or sugar and etc to match with the filling. Cake flower bun will be much fluffy while all purpose flour bun will be chewier. You can choose either one and change the fillings.

        Reply
    3. Anna

      January 27, 2016 at 10:20 am

      Hi Elaine! I ate these once and their filling was very creamy, almost runny. Is there a way to make this recipe "runny"? By the way, thank you so much for this recipe! These buns are really delicious!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        January 27, 2016 at 10:48 pm

        Hi Anna,

        The running one is another filling. This one is sweet while the other one is salty. I will introduce that "running" version in following posts.

        Reply
    4. Eve

      February 07, 2016 at 10:28 pm

      Dear Elaine,
      it's my second time trying to interpret this recipe to ingredients available in Finland (no wheat starch or custard powder, I substituted for both with potato starch and vanilla), but my main problem is the dough. It turns out really thick and chewy though I add a little more water than stated in your recipe. i suppose the difference is in the flour, though I'm using extra fine wheat flour. It's frustrating, because the buns are impossible to shape and seal, and they keep splitting open, because the dough isn't sticky enough. What do you suggest I should do? I'd love to succeed with these, because the recipe is fantastic and they taste delicious!
      Thank you for your effort and wonderful recipe!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        February 08, 2016 at 10:59 pm

        Hi Eve,
        I guess the problem is the ratio of flour and water. The gluten content in the flour influences how much water will be needed. I suggest you change the current flour, using flour with less gluten for example cake flour. Or you will need to adjust the amount of water, adding more to make the dough soft enough. You can send me images over instagram.

        Reply
    5. Peri

      February 21, 2016 at 2:20 am

      Great recipe! the taste is so close to the real thing! My only problem was the custard came out way too thick instead of being "smooshy" it's like boiled egg consistency. Any ideas why?

      Reply
      • Elaine

        February 22, 2016 at 11:27 am

        Hi Peri,
        This milk yolk filling is thick but not flowing. Are you referring the salted egg flowing filling? They are two different kinds made from different ingredients.

        Reply
    6. Renata

      February 22, 2016 at 12:29 am

      Thank you for share your recipes! they are just great!
      I made this buns yesterday and they were amazing! Its one of the things I miss when I was working in Bangkok and used to visit chinatown and eat this delicious egg custard buns. No I can make it myself!
      Thank you!
      regards from a brazilian living in Argentina

      Reply
      • Elaine

        February 22, 2016 at 11:29 am

        Thanks Renata for such a wonderful feedback! You are so talented! Lots of people get problems at the first several attempts. Happy cooking and wish you a great year.

        Reply
    7. Bianca Flores

      March 11, 2016 at 5:04 am

      Do you have any video tutorials online?

      Reply
      • Elaine

        March 13, 2016 at 9:24 am

        Hi Bianca,
        I post several video recipes. You can find them on my youtube channel.

        Reply
    8. Mia G

      August 19, 2016 at 12:35 pm

      This might be a still question, but is there a substitute for instant yeast? This looks amazing by the way!

      Reply
      • Mia G

        August 19, 2016 at 12:35 pm

        silly*

        Reply
      • Elaine

        August 19, 2016 at 9:17 pm

        Hi,
        Instant yeast can be replaced by dry yeast or pre-fermented laomian. Why are you need to avoid instant yeast?

        Reply
        • Mia G

          August 19, 2016 at 9:49 pm

          I've already gone to the store this week, so i'm avoiding having to go again. Thanks for the recipe!

          Reply
          • Elaine

            August 20, 2016 at 8:57 pm

            Ok, good point! But replacing yeast with other agency may make the process much complex. So I guess you need to wait until the next store shopping. Happy cooking!

            Reply
    9. Deborah

      December 15, 2016 at 1:04 pm

      Hello Elaine
      I live in Zhuhai, China. Where can I buy custard powder? Will I be able to find it in the supermarket or from the people who sell dried goods in the wet market? If so, what are the characters I should show them when I want to buy it? I don't speak Chinese!
      Thank you!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        December 15, 2016 at 1:51 pm

        Hi Deborah,
        Get it from Taobao or online market selling baking ingredients. Search 吉士粉.

        Reply
        • Deborah

          May 09, 2017 at 1:11 pm

          Thanks!

          Reply
    10. Lisa

      April 08, 2017 at 5:35 am

      Thanks for sharing the recipe! I tried making these and the dough came out a bit soft and sticky after it proofed after 2 hours. When I steamed them, it came out "flat" and parts of the buns still had a raw dough texture. I steamed it for 20 minutes. Perhaps I used too much liquid in the dough?

      Reply
      • Elaine

        April 08, 2017 at 9:07 am

        Lisa,
        I believe your dough is over proofed. It becomes quite warm now and you need to shorten the proofing time. And the buns are not well steamed if it is still flat with a raw dough texture. How do you set up your steamer?

        Reply
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