Mexican Coffee Buns (Papparoti)

First attempt at 'Mexican' coffee bun that's not really Mexican (originates from Malaysia)

I decided that I wanted to try making the Papparoti type coffee bun after seeing a recipe in the Vietnamese newspaper. By the time I went to make the buns I had lost the recipe from the newspaper (I forgot to cut the page out!). So I went looking online and found recipes citing a bread-making method called 'tang zhong' or 'water roux' which apparently is essential for keeping breads soft and fluffy for longer. Knowing that, I pulled a standard sweet bread recipe for the bun and went looking for a coffee crust recipe that looked good to me (I basically just went through Google images to find the crust that I thought looked most similar to the ones at Papparoti).

The buns smell so good after coming out of the oven, and I think the decision to add extra coffee grounds to the top of the buns just enhances that coffee smell and flavour when you bite into them. The grounds give a bitterness to balance with the sweetness of the bun and the buttery filling. The coffee crust is a lovely crunchy contrast to the soft and fluffy sweet bun which has the same sweet smell and texture as the store-bought sweet buns from Asian bakeries.

Mexican coffee bun: fluffy sweet bun with coffee crust and vanilla butter filling

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Mexican Coffee Buns (Papparoti)

Ingredients:

 (water roux):

          25g plain flour
          125ml water

(sweet bread):

          350g plain flour
          8g dry instant yeast
          50g sugar
          1/4 tsp. salt

          1 egg
          125ml milk
          30g butter, room temp. cubed
        

(filling):

          50g butter, room temp.
          1/4 tsp. vanilla essence
          1 tbsp. brown sugar

(coffee crust):

          100g butter, room temp.
          80g icing sugar, sifted
          1 egg, lightly beaten

          1-2 tbsp. strong coffee
          100g plain flour
          Coffee grounds, to sprinkle on top
         

Method:

1. (water roux) Cook flour and water in a saucepan over a low heat while continuously stirring until a thick paste forms. Set aside until needed.
2. (filling) Cream together butter and sugar until pale. Add vanilla and refrigerate until needed.
3. (sweet bread) In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except butter and knead into a rough dough.
4. Add butter and knead for a further 15 minutes when the dough is elastic and no longer sticky
5. Cover dough with cling film and set in a warm place to prove for 1 hour or until dough has doubled
6. Once doubled, knock the air out of the dough, kneading for a few minutes
7. Divide into 12 portions and place 1/2 tsp. filling inside each portion of dough and pinch to seal
8. Prove for a further 15-20 minutes on a lined baking tray, leaving enough room for dough to expand
9. (topping) Cream together butter and sugar until pale.Beat to combine egg. Beat in coffee, then mix in sifted flour. Refrigerate until needed (remove from fridge 5 minutes before use)
10. Preheat oven at 200 degrees Celsius
11. Pipe spirals of topping on each bun and sprinkle coffee grounds on top
12. Bake for 12 minutes or until buns have become golden brown, turning the tray halfway through
13. Serve warm.

****Tips: 

- Coffee amounts in the crust can be adjusted as desired
- Plain butter can be used as a filling to reduce sugar
- If consuming the following day, buns should be toasted in a toaster oven or grilled to warm up bread and crisp up the coffee crust

Related Posts

<<PHOTO>>

- Ingredients Explained: Water Roux

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Even though I added more coffee than the recipe stated, I still feel that it needed more. So next time I will probably add 2-3 tablespoons of coffee. Since these buns are best eaten warm, I gave some to my next-door neighbours (I hope they liked them!) I read a few comments online in regards to these buns saying that they went hard the next day and were no longer edible, so I'll put an update as to how these hold up!

I'd love to see your versions of my recipes if you try them! Feel free to send them through to my email address; on Instagram with the tag (@unadornedeats) and/or hash-tag (#unadornedeats); or attach them to a comment below!

Love and luck in your cooking!

- Unadorned Eats

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References:

- http://mandysbakingjourney.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/mexican-coffee-buns-roti-boy.html
- http://kraftibakes.blogspot.com.au/2011/03/coffee-buns-aka-roti-buns.html