Ahhh the joy of inhaling in the aromatic of a warm, freshly baked taro bun, just a bite to reveal a creamy, smooth taro custard filling is priceless. These delicate, sweet buns are definitely bakery-style and husband approved.
The buttery sweet dough, the smooth and creamy taro custard is beyond amazing. One bite of sweetness and you couldn’t resist for more. The buns are brushed with egg wash and bake to golden perfection. Perfectly fluffy and moist, the filling is rich but not too sweet. A great breakfast treat or any time you crave for something sweet.
One can never have too many pastries. Right?
You might be thinking “What the heck is taro?
And what is taro root?
Taro root comes from taro plant, and is very common in Southeast Asia. Taro roots tastes like potatoes but has more of a nutty, rich and sweeter texture than potato. Its benefits include high in fiber, potassiums, vitamin C and vitamin A.
Taro root is widely used in sweet and savory dishes in Southeast Asian countries. Taro is commonly use in boba teas and sweet Asian desserts. Or savory dishes like taro dumplings or taro cakes.
This recipe is a little more time consuming than most recipes I’ve shared here on the blog. I hope you’ll give it a try. A little patience will be rewarded with perfectly bakery-style buns.
I hope you love these buns because they’re delicious, perfectly moist and is a great treat for a mid-day snack. Enjoy!
Taro Buns
Delicate, fluffy buns with creamy taro custard. These buns are easy to make and make a perfect breakfast or any time treat.
Ingredients
For the taro filling:
- 8 oz taro rool (peeled, cleaned and cubed)
- 3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar (optional)
For the dough:
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 2 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 1/2 cup bread flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup whole milk (room temperature)
- 1 large egg (room temperature) or 2 small eggs
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter (room temperature)
- oil for greasing the bowl
For the egg wash
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 tablespoon water
Instructions
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For the taro filling: Place taro cubes and water in a small sauce pan. Cover and bring it to boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes until taro root is soften. Pour out the liquid, reserving only 1/3 cup.
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In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch and water until free of lumps.
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Pour 1/3 cup back to the sauce pan. Use a spatula to mash the taro until smooth. Add sugar, corn starch mixture and stir together. Continue to stir over low heat until the taro root thickens into puddling like, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside for later use.
For the dough
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In a small bowl, place hot water, active dry yeast and sugar. Stir well until dissolved. Let the yeast rest on the counter until foamy, about 5-10 minutes.
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In a bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, salt. Using a dough hook, mix on low for a few seconds. Add the yeast mixture and milk. Then add in the eggs. Slowly add in butter. Mix on low speed for about 2 minutes. Use a spatula to scape around the bowl and push the dry ingredients to the center. Continue to mix for another 6 minutes. The dough should start to form and is very sticky.
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Greast a bowl with some vegetable oil. Then shape the dough into a ball and place in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest on the kitchen counter for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until it doubles its size.
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After 1 1/2 hr, transfer the dough to a work surface. Lightly flour the work surface by sprinkling some flour. Use your hands and knead the dough for 2 minutes.
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Roll the dough out and shape it into a log. Cut it into 12 equal pieces and shape each piece into balls. Cover the dough with kitchen towel to prevent it from drying out.
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Take a dough ball and flatten it out using your fingers or rolling pin. Place 1 1/2 tablespoon of taro filling in the center. Close the dough ball by pinching it together and twist the top. Place the twist side down and use your palm to cover the dough ball, rotate the dough ball in a circular motion to shape it into round bun. Repeat until all dough balls are done.
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Use two baking sheets and place 6 buns on each sheet. Cover them with a kitchen towel and let rest on the counter for another 30 minutes.
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Place some water on a baking dish and place it on the bottom rack of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and position the rack in the middle.
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Bake the buns in the oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the buns and brush the egg wash over the buns. Return to the oven and bake at 400 degrees for another 3 minutes. Transfer the buns to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before serving.
Recipe Notes
Dough resting time might varies depend on the temperature. Be patience and give the dough time to rise and double its size.
Use warm, tap water when preparing the yeast mixture.
The purpose of placing a water bath while baking the buns is to keep the buns moist and soft.
Recipe adapted from Run Away Rice
Hi! On the recipe it says 1 egg but on directions it says add 2 eggs, just wanted to make sure is it one or two??
Thank you, these look absolutely delicious!
Sorry for the confusion Emily. The filling requires one large egg. I’ve updated the recipe. It’s one large egg or 2 small eggs. Thanks for pointing that out.
I just made these for Father’s Day and they look exactly like your picture. These are my favorite things to get whenever I go to Chinatown and I was really scared to make these myself. This is the third bun recipe I’ve ever made and the best—they’re so soft! Thank you so much for sharing!
Thanks so much for letting me know. So glad!!