Make your own Chinese-bakery style pork floss buns at home, and add furikake for rich umami flavor.
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe, healthy, and delightful new year. I write down a list of goals every year. And this year, I have big plans on growing this little blog of mine. I want to be more consistent and intentional, with the goals of publishing 2 recipes a week, and I want to focus more on Asian dessert recipes. I also plan on taking courses to maximize social media strategy and improve my photography skills. I’m excited to see where 2021 takes me!
Personally, I haven’t seen my family since 2019, and I miss them like crazy. I also miss Taiwan, its culture and food. I especially miss Asian bakery. In Taiwan and Japan, there is a bakery in almost every corner of the street! If you’ve been to Asia, you’d know that even 7-11 sells delicious bread and pastry. Unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of luxury near where I live. If I want taro bread or a pork floss bun, I’d have to go out of my way and drive at least 40 minutes to get to the nearest Chinese bakery. I decided to make it myself at home, so here we are.
Based on my research, traditional pork floss buns are made using Tang Zhong method, a technique that requires pre-cooking a portion of the flour and water. For convenience, I did not prepare tang zhong beforehand. I simply mix all the ingredients together, knead the dough, and let it rise. The result is quite similar. The buns still came out soft and fluffy. I do find that the they are not as soft the next day, so I highly recommend eating them on the same day.
If you are not planning on serving on the same day, you can store these buns in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Make sure not to add mayo and pork floss until ready to serve. To reheat the buns, simply microwave for 10-15 seconds or wrap it with aluminum foil and put it in the oven for 10 min at 350F. Once buns have been reheated, you can add your toppings.
WHAT IS PORK FLOSS (ROUSONG肉鬆)?
Pork Floss, meat floss or rousong, is a dried meat product typically made with pork shoulder, soy sauce, and sugar. It tastes like sweet pork jerky, but in the form of fluffy strands. It is shredded to a floss-like thin texture. Warning: you most likely will need to floss your teeth after eating rousong.
Bakc home, people add pork floss to congee, Fan Tuan or sticky rice roll, and dan bing (egg crepe). In bakeries, you can find sweet buns, roll cake, and sandwiches filled with mayo and rousong. Rousong is a super versatile topping that you can put it on anything!
Where to buy Pork Floss?
You can find pork floss in any Asian supermarket or you can find it online. Kimbo and Formosa are the two most common brands. I’ve tried both and cannot taste the difference between the two. You can also use other meat floss of your choice (fish, chicken, vegetarian).
WHAT IS FURIKAKE?
Furikake is a Japanese multi-purpose seasoning. To me, furikake is the Japanese version of Everything Bagel Seasoning. I would sprinkle furikake on rice, eggs, noodles, onigiri, fish, salad, popcorn, avocado toast, basically EVERYTHING. There are many versions of furikake out there, but the main ingredients consist of sesame seeds, dried seaweed (nori), and salt. Add it on anything bland and it’ll give you an instant umami-rich flavor.
Where to buy Furikake?
Nowadays you can find Furikake in most grocery stores. Different brands may have slight variations and additives, so I would check the ingredients before you buy. I got mine from Trader Joe’s.
WHAT IS KEWPIE MAYO?
Kewpie Mayo is a Japanese style mayonnaise consists of eggs, oil, and vinegar. It is made with only egg yolks for a richer and savory flavor. It also tastes sweeter and more tangy than American mayo.
For traditional pork floss buns, I prefer using Kewpie Mayo. You can find Kewpie Mayo in any Asian supermarkets or online. I was also able find it at Target and Walmart. If you can’t find it, you can certainly use regular mayonnaise.
PREPARE TOPPINGS
- First, combine pork floss and furikake in a bowl or plate.
- Once the buns are cool, smear or coat the top of the buns with mayo.
- With the mayo side facing down, gently press the buns into the floss mixture. Alternatively, you can also use a spoon and gently press the floss mixture onto the mayo to make sure it sticks.
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If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below and let me know what you think. Make sure you also tag me @onehappybite on Instagram and hashtag it #onehappybite so I can see your creations!
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Pork Floss (Rousong) Furikake Buns
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Proofing Time: 3 hrs
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 3 hrs 45 mins
- Yield: 8 buns 1x
Description
Make your own Chinese-bakery style pork floss furikake buns at home.
This recipe requires precise measurements, so I highly recommend using a scale to weigh the ingredients.
Ingredients
- 300 g bread flour
- 10 g powdered milk
- 30 g granulated sugar
- 3 g salt
- 3.5 g yeast
- 50 g egg (about 1 large egg)
- 120 ml whole milk
- 25 g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 egg for egg wash
Toppings
- Kewpie mayo (or regular mayo)
- pork floss (or meat floss of your choice)
- furikake
Instructions
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In a large mixing bowl, add bread flour, powdered milk, sugar, salt, yeast, and egg together. Using an electric mixer with dough hook attachment, mix the ingredients together. While mixing, gradually add milk into the mixture, and knead until a dough is formed (about 8-10 minutes). You may need to stop a few times to scrape the dough off the bowl and hook.
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Add soft butter, and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic (this will take another 8-10 minutes). You can add a little more bread flour if it gets too sticky.
1st RISE
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Transfer dough to a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it proof in a warm place for at least an hour, until the dough rise to DOUBLE its original size. Depending on the temperature, this may take more than an hour.
2nd RISE
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After the first proof, take the dough out and place it on a flat surface. Punch it down a few times to let the air out. Divide the dough into 8 equal parts, about 68g each. Pull and tuck each dough to form a smooth round ball with the seams facing down. Then cover them with a clean towel.
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Let the dough proof again for another hour, or until the dough rise to at least 1.5x its original size. Again, depending on the temperature, this may take more than an hour.
3rd RISE
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After the second proof, take each round dough and press it down again to let the air bubbles out. Pull and tuck each dough to form a smooth round oval shape this time (or round shape if you prefer that) ,with seams facing down. Place them on a baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Cover and let it rise again to at least 1.5x its original size.
Bake
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Preheat the oven to 350°F.
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For egg wash, beat an egg in a small bowl, and brush it on top of the dough right before baking.
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Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Let cool completely before adding mayo and toppings.
Toppings
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Once the buns have cooled down, brush each bun with Kewpie mayo. Combine pork floss and furikake in a clean bowl or plate. With the mayo side facing down, gently press the buns into the floss mixture. Alternatively, you can also use a spoon and gently press the floss mixture on top of mayo, making sure that it sticks. (Add mayo and toppings right before serving)
Notes
Pork floss buns are best consumed on the same day.
You can store buns in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
To reheat, simply microwave for 10-15 seconds or wrap with aluminum foil and heat it in the oven for 10 min at 350F.
- Category: Bread, Breakfast, Snack
- Cuisine: Chinese
Keywords: chinese bakery, furikake, pork floss, pork sung, steamed buns
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