the cutest things for the Lunar New Year … Piggy Coconut Buns

My mother and I went out for dim sum last week, probably one of our very favorite things to do. We both are huge dumpling fans and while ordering off a menu is just fine, there’s something so much more fun about dim sum places that wheel the carts around, allowing you to pick and choose from what cruises by. In typical form, we ended up with far too many little plates and steamer baskets on the table and loved every minute of it. As the carts made their rounds, the one typically filled with the more dessert-y options stopped at our table. I don’t particularly enjoy the sweet options but the woman maneuvering this cart was pretty adamant that we should get the coconut buns, puffy hot dog shaped rolls filled with coconut. I was indifferent but damn she was persistent. I took the plate mainly to make her go away. But she was right. Warm, soft, tender and filled with a sweet coconut filling, these things were delicious. Dang it.

Back home I did some research. They didn’t seem too difficult; I’d certainly tackled more complicated dim sum recipes. It starts with a pretty basic bread dough, a milk based dough filled with a coconut-sugar concoction. The polar vortex had me cooped up and I didn’t have anything better to do so I made some coconut buns. But just not any old bun. Oh no. Today is the Lunar New Year and it is the Year of the Pig so I made piggy buns and they are the damn cutest things I’ve ever made.

Nothing about this is difficult; the dough comes together easily and is a dream to work with. It’s rolled into circles, a ball of the filling is placed in the center and the edges are gathered up and pinched to form a ball. A little rolling with a cupped hand helps smooth out the seal and form a nice, tight bun. Of course there’s a trick: roll the edges of the circle thinner, leaving a little hump in the center. This will make a nicely formed bun that’s not too bready on the top or bottom with the filling nicely distributed throughout.

Making the faces is a bit futzy but not difficult. Some of the dough is saved for decorating and while the filled buns are rising, little bits are pinched off for the ears and snouts to move things along quickly when the time comes. Pea sized bits turn into flat ovals for the snouts, slightly larger pieces are stretched into triangles for the ears and everything is glued onto the buns with some egg wash with two peppercorns for the eyes. Adorable. Halfway through baking, the little bits were browning too quickly so I covered the pan with foil and performed some emergency surgery to reattach an ear or two that had slid off with a bit of egg wash. Hey, it happens. The sugar syrup brushed at the end of baking is traditional; it adds flavor and a lovely sheen but it’s a bit sticky and I suppose you could skip it if you like. I wouldn’t.

Gong hei fat choy my friends!

STRESS BAKING THERAPY FACTOR: C’MON! How can you not look at these and smile? Working some zoomorphism into your food is always a good time, though cute food isn’t often good food as some tend to favor cutesy, instagram worthy pictures over flavor. This is not one of those. These are delicious! I suppose I should have filled them with something porky to continue the theme but turns out, I really like coconut buns. Don’t tell that lady.

ten years ago: Khachpuri (cheesy Georgian bread)
nine years ago: Marmalade Yougurt Cake
eight years ago: BBQ Chicken Bao
seven years ago: Passionfruit Pavlova
six years ago: Nutella Torte
five years ago: Mexican Chocolate Cookies
four years ago: Rumaki(chicken livers and water chestnuts wrapped in bacon)
three years ago: Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
two years ago: Cacio e Pepe Biscuits
last year:Ethiopian Collard Greens

PIGGY COCONUT BUNS
makes 10 buns
To move things along a little more quickly, form all the little dough balls for the snouts and ears while the buns are rising.

for the bread dough:
1 ¾ teaspoons active dry yeast (less than 1 package)
½ cup whole milk (105°-110°F – warm to the touch)
1/3 cup heavy cream (105°-110°F – warm to the touch)
1 large egg (room temperature)
2 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
¾ teaspoon kosher salt

for the filling:
4 ½ Tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
6 Tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
2 Tablespoons sugar
3 Tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons non-fat dry milk powder
pinch of kosher salt

for the egg wash:
1 large egg
1 teaspoon water

20 whole peppercorns

for the sugar syrup:
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons hot water

1. for the dough:In the bowl of a standing mixer add the yeast and milk, stirring to combine. Let rest 5 minutes until foamy. (if not foamy after 5 minutes, your yeast may be dead. Discard and start again with new yeast. It’s better to learn this now than later.)
2. Add thecream,egg, sugar, flour and salt to the bowl and mix on low with dough hook attachment until it begins to come together then increase the speed to medium and mix for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and silky.
3. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, scraping the bowl if needed, and knead a few times by hand. It will be moist and a bit sticky – that’s ok.
4. Spray the bowl with cooking spray, place the dough in the bowl and spray the top of the dough.
5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour until doubled in bulk.
6. for the filling: In a medium bowl, blend the butter and vanilla with a rubber spatula until combined.
7. Add the remaining ingredients – coconut, sugar, flour, milk powder, salt – and mix until thoroughly combined (at some point, it might just be easier to get in there with your hands.)
8. Divide into 10 equal pieces, roll into balls and set aside until needed.
9. to shape: line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside until needed.
10. Punch the dough down and pinch off a piece about the size of ping pong ball. Wrap that piece in plastic wrap and set aside (this will be for the snouts and ears later.)
11. Cut the remaining dough into 10 equal pieces.
12. Roll into balls, cover with plastic wrap and let rest 5 minutes.
13. Working with one ball of dough at a time, flatten and roll into a 4” circle. Roll the edges thinner than the center; there should be a small mound of dough in the center.
14. Place a piece of filling in the middle of each circle on top of the hump.
15. Lightly moisten the edges of the dough with water, bring the edges up to the center and pinch tightly to seal.
16. Turn the ball seam side down on the work surface and cupping the bun with the palm of your hand and your fingers surrounding the ball, roll it vigorously against the work surface to seal and smooth the seams. It might help to have a slightly damp work surface for a little traction.
17. Transfer the buns, seam sides down, to the prepared sheet pan with at least 1 ½” between.
18. Continue with the remaining dough and filling.
19. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm spot for 30 minutes until puffy and not quite doubled in size.
20. While the buns are rising, get the dough for the snouts and ears ready. Unwrap the ball of reserved dough. For the snouts, pinch off 10 pieces of dough about the size of a pea. For the ears, pinch off 20 pieces of dough slightly larger, about the size of a garbanzo bean. Cover with plastic wrap until needed.
21. for the egg wash: beat the egg and water together in a small bowl until well blended.
22. Preheat the oven to 350°F and place a rack in the lower third of the oven.
23. Working with one bun at a time, brush generously with the egg wash. Run your fingers around the bottom and sides to make sure it is fully coated.
24. for the pigs features:

• snouts: flatten one of the smaller pieces of dough into an oval. With a sharp knife, cut 2 small slits for the nostrils, moving the knife gently to open up the slits. Egg wash the bottom of the snout and place just off the center of a bun
• eyes: place two peppercorns above the snout for eyes. Push in gently to adhere.
• ears: form two of the larger pieces of dough into triangles; the size depends on the size of the buns. Eyeball it. Egg wash the bottom of each piece and place above the eyes for the pig’s ears.

25. Repeat this process for the remaining buns.
26. Once all the buns have faces, gently egg wash the snouts and ears.
27. to bake: Bake for 10 minutes.
28. Cover with a piece of foil (the ears and snouts have a tendency to brown much more quickly than the rest of the bun.) If any ears or snouts have slid off, carefully reattach with a bit of egg wash.
29. Rotate the pan and bake for an additional 5-8 minutes until lightly golden brown. If not quite brown enough, remove the foil and bake for a few additional minutes.
30. for the glaze: While the buns are baking, stir the sugar and hot water until dissolved.
31. Remove the buns from the oven when golden brown, and brush all over with the sugar syrup while hot.
32. Best served the day of baking (while warm!) but these will hold, tightly wrapped, for a day or two.