Banh Mi Pho Mai Hoang Kim (Salted Egg Custard Buns) Recipe
Sweets and drinksBaked GoodsVietnamMixed and proofed in batches, 10 minutes baking
These golden buns come out soft, with a filling that sits between savory and sweet. The hard part is the dough temperature, because a few degrees off and the yeast works unevenly.
The kneaded dough has to stay at 28 to 30 degrees C, then proof at 35 degrees C and 80 percent humidity until the buns have risen four times over. Straight out of the oven, the pan gets slammed hard on the bench so the buns do not shrink.
This batch weighs about 3kg, at roughly 241 calories per 100g.
Method
Set the oven to 190 degrees C, with the top element at 40 percent and the bottom at 10 percent.
Put every dough ingredient except the butter oil in the mixer bowl: 1000g flour, 10g dry sweet dough yeast, 3g sweet bread improver, 144g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 10g salt, 30g milk powder, 480g water and 100g egg. Run on low speed until everything is evenly mixed.
Turn the speed up, and after 2 to 3 minutes add 100g butter oil and keep mixing.
Knead until the dough is smooth and even, check the gluten development, and keep the dough at 28 to 30 degrees C.
Rest the dough for 5 minutes before dividing, then scale it into 60g pieces, roll them round and rest them another 10 minutes.
Shape the buns, then proof at 35 degrees C and 80 percent humidity until they have risen four times over.
Brush the tops with egg and bake for 10 minutes, then take them out, slam the pan hard on the bench and move the buns to a perforated tray to cool.
For the cream, bring 300g oat milk, 60g cream and 54g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend to a boil. Mix 60g egg yolk with 8g cornstarch. Add 30g salted egg yolk to the milk mixture, blend it smooth, strain it and return it to the pot.
Heat the milk mixture, pour half of it into the egg mixture, stir well, strain it back into the pot and cook until thick. Take it off the heat, stir in 10g soft cheese and chill it until needed.
Make a hole in each bun and pipe in the cream, brush 20g melted butter over the tops, then coat them with 500g pork floss and 100g dried seaweed.
Tips
Dough held at 28 to 30 degrees C after kneading keeps the yeast working steadily.
A hard slam of the pan the moment the buns leave the oven stops them from shrinking.
Proof at 35 degrees C and 80 percent humidity, and in a dry room a tray of hot water on the floor of the proofing box makes up the difference.
Cream made with oat milk is looser, so 15 minutes in the fridge before piping is worth the wait.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.