Custard Bun-Milk Yolk Buns

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.

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.

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.

2. 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.

Ingredients

Fillings

• 3 large egg yoks
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp. milk powder
• 1/2 cup wheat starch
• 1.5 tbsp. custard powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tbsp. butter

Bun wrapper

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. yeast
• 1 tsp. vegetable cooking oil
• 1/4 cup warm water

Instructions

Make a dough

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.

Custard filling

In a small bowl, combine egg yolk, custard powder, wheat starch, milk, milk powder, and sugar together. Stir evenly, then add the butter and continue to stir until there are no particle. Sift it and heat over low heat. Keep stirring 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.

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 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

Here we are Now!

Custard Bun-Milk Yolk Buns

Dim Sum custard buns with strong milk and yolk aroma.

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Cantonese

Keyword: bread

Prep Time: 4 hours hours

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 4 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 Making 12 middle size buns

Calories: 176kcal

Author: Elaine Zluo

Ingredients

Custard Filling

• 2 tbsp. milk powder
• 1.5 tbsp. custard powder
• 1/2 cup wheat starch
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large egg yolks

For the bun wrapper

• 2 cups flour , or low-gluten flour
• 2 tbsp vegetable cooking oil
• 1/4 cup warm water , around 35℃
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. instant yeast

Instructions

Custard filling recipe

• In a small bowl, combine egg yolk, custard powder, wheat starch, milk, milk powder, and sugar. Stir evenly, then add the butter and continue to stir until there are no particles.
• Sift it and heat it over low heat. Keep stirring 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.
• 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, salt, yeast, vegetable cooking oil, and warm water to the flour. Knead it until it turns into a smooth and elastic dough.
• 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: 176kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 45mg | Potassium: 77mg | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 135IU | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 0.6mg