INTRODUCTION

This is a rather trendy bun in Singapore without much history. It all started (pardon me if I am wrong) when the famous bakery chain (Bread Talk) started selling this. It is really a hit when it was first introduced in Singapore many years ago. Due to its popularity, more and more bakeries are selling these dinner rolls with coating of mayonnaise and pork floss.

I have to admit I like this pork floss bun so do my kids. However, we only buy this once in a while as it can be rather costly. If I am not wrong, the current price of these pork floss buns is about SGD1.50-SGD2.00 depending on which bakery you are buying from. Knowing that it is very easy to prepare and that I have lots of pork floss left from Chinese New Year gift, I have decided to prepare this pork floss bun last week end.

For the benefits of my international readers, pork floss is also termed as Rousong and as per Wikipedia:

Rousong, also called meat wool, meat floss, pork floss, flossy pork, pork sung, or yuk sung, is a dried meat product with a light and fluffy texture similar to coarse cotton, originating from Fujian, China. It also spread to Taiwan. Rousong is used as a topping for many foods, such as congee, tofu, and savoury soy milk. It is also used as filling for various buns and pastries, and as a snack food on its own. Rousong is a very popular food item in Chinese cuisine and Taiwanese cuisine.

Rousong is made by stewing cuts of pork in a sweetened soy sauce mixture until individual muscle fibres can be easily teased apart with a fork. This happens when the collagen that holds the muscle fibbers of the meat together has been converted into gelatine. The teased-apart meat is then strained and dried in the oven. After a light drying, the meat is mashed and beaten while being dry cooked in a large wok until it is nearly completely dry. Additional flavourings are usually added while the mixture is being dry fried. 5 kg (11 lb.) of meat will usually yield about 1 kg (2.2 lb.)  (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rousong)

Preparation is extremely easy, have the normal dinner rolls prepared, spread with mayonnaise dressing and coat with pork floss.. Though simple preparation but the taste is just awesome..If you don’t like pork floss, you can easily substitute with chicken floss or even fish floss. I have used Hokkaido soft bread milk buns for the buns recipes. It a very soft bun currently very popular in Asia.. If you would like to read more about Hokkaido soft Bread Milk Buns, you can refer to this post: Hokkaido Soft Bread Milk Loaf. Most pictures and procedures of the buns preparation were reproduced from the above mentioned post.

WHAT IS REQUIRED

Recipe adapted from: Hokkaido Soft Bread Milk Loaf

Servings: Make 9-12 buns depending on desired size

• 470 grams (4.5 cups) of bread flour
• 63 grams (0.5 cup) of plain flour
• 250 grams of milk
• 200 grams of whipping cream
• 50 grams (1 egg) of eggs
• 2 tablespoons of milk powder
• 4 tablespoons of fine sugar
• 3 teaspoons of dry yeast
• 0.5 teaspoon of salt

• 3 tablespoons of condensed milk
• 9 tablespoon of mayonnaise dressing
• Adequate pork floss for coating (about 1-2 cups depending on individual liking)

STEPS OF PREPARATION

• Put in all dry ingredients together in a stand mixer whisking bowl, make a well and add in the wet ingredients. Use a spoon to lightly stir it until it form a paste, use the stand mixer’s dough hook to beat it using slow speed for 2-3 minutes and follow by high speed for 10-15 minutes. or when the dough did not stick to the wall of your mixing bowl and do not break when you pull the dough.

• In the flat surface dusted with normal or bread flour, take out the dough from the mixing bowl and slightly knead it using hand for 1-2 minutes and shape it into a ball. Lightly oil you mixing bowl and place the ball in the bowl. Cover with damp cloth or cling wrap (to prevent moisture loss).Leave it to proof until almost double in size. This should be about 30-45 minutes depending on the day’s temperature.

• Take the dough out, punch into the dough to let any trapped air escaped. Knead for one minute and divide equally according to your desired ball size. (For this illustration, I have divided into 9 balls of 80 grams each which is slightly bigger). Place the balls into a lightly greased baking tray. Cover with wet towel or clingy wrap to prevent moisture loss.

• Let it proof until it double in size. It took me about 1 hour but you can let it proof slightly longer until you have the time to bake it. Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 190 degree Celsius.

• Egg wash the buns and baked in the oven for 10-15 minutes or when the fragrance of the bread starts to permeates the house. If the top start to turn brownish too soon, turn off the top heat. For egg wash, crack one egg yolk and mixed with 3 teaspoons of water and 2 drops of oil, slightly beat and sift into a small container, use a brush to brush on top of the surface. The purpose is to let the buns looks shinny and golden brown. In this illustration, my buns appeared to be too dark as I have forgotten to take out the buns when the bell rang.

To prepare the Mayonnaise Dressing And Spread The Pork Floss

• In a bowl, use a spoon to mix the mayonnaise and condensed milk thoroughly. Cut open the buns and spread some dressings inside the buns. Closed and spread additional dressing on the outside of the bun. Coat the buns in a bowl of pork floss and the buns is ready for serving.

CONCLUSION

This is a simple recipe and there is nothing much to shout about. I have used Hokkaido milk buns recipe for this post and it is in fact some very soft buns. If you like the pork floss buns commonly sold in Singapore, you can either use the buns recipe as in this post or your own buns recipes. You can then easily prepare it at home with the preparation of the special mayonnaise dressing and pork floss.

Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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