Saturday, April 16, 2011

Rotiboys

I wanted to make these buns after having my first taste of them from Oh My Buns! My grandma's brother's wife bought a few boxes of rotiboys and distributed it to each family. The bakery specialized in making these buns and once I saw how soft these buns were I really wanted to try making them myself. Whenever I see a delicious bread, I always want to hunt down the recipe and try it out.

As I was making this bread, I found it really difficult to knead the dough. It was very sticky, so I had to add a bit more flour. I also happened to use 220 gm of egg and milk. When the dough was rising, I was a bit apprehensive of the results because compared to the pictures on Hearty Bakes, my dough was toooo wet.

I started wondering whether I should make a topping or not. Doubt crept into me as I wondered if this bread would turn out successfully or not. In the end, I decided to make the topping because how can a rotiboy be a rotiboy without a coffee topping? I halved the topping recipe and found out that it was just right for all 10 buns I had. However, after baking them, the topping was too watery for me and slid off the bread too much. I think it's because of the egg I used; I used an extra large egg. I was a bit disappointed with how the bread looked. Maybe disappointed is an understatement.

Then my mom, dad and brother tried out the bread and they all liked it. My brother even rated it a 9, saying that it would be better if the topping had more flavor. I agree, the topping should have more coffee (I omitted the coffee paste). My dad said that it should be sweeter (I second that because I have a sweet tooth). My mom really enjoyed it. All in all, although the looks of this bread, for me, was not too appealing, you will enjoy this bread.

Note: It's soft because of the honey.


Rotiboys
Recipe from Hearty Bakes,
"Sweet Buns Recipe reference: 简单又好做小烤箱面包"
Photobucket

Photobucket



Basic Sweet Buns
300 gm bread flour
4 gm yeast
4 gm salt
1 egg + milk around 210-225 gm (I used 220)
50 gm honey
30 gm unsalted butter


Coffee Topping * I halved the recipe and was still able to cover all 10 buns
75g Butter, room temperature
60g Sugar
2 eggs
75g Plain Flour
* 1 tbsp Instant Coffee Powder dissolve in 1 tbsp warm water
* 1/2 tsp Coffee Paste

Jessie's note:
* Depending on your affinity for the richness of coffee taste, you may adjust the amount

Method:
♥Preheat oven to 180°/ 355°F
♥ Mix together the bread flour, yeast and salt.
♥ Add the egg and milk mixture and honey; knead until smooth.
♥ Then add the butter, kneading the dough until smooth and elastic.
♥ Proof the dough for around an hour or until double in size.
Photobucket

Photobucket
The time will vary depending on the weather.
♥ Punch down the dough, if possible (dough was too sticky for me to properly punch it down). Portion the dough into 60-70 gram portions. Shape them into balls and rest for another 10 minutes. I was able to make 10 pieces, although one piece was noticeably smaller.
Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket
Sticky!

♥ Shape the buns and proof until doubled in size, another hour or so.
♥ For the topping, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
♥ Mix in the eggs, until uniform in mixture.
Photobucket
♥ Add the flour, coffee mixture (optional), and coffee paste; stir well.
♥ Pour topping into a pastry bag or any small plastic bag. If using a small plastic bag, snip off a tiny corner. Pipe the topping in a swirl on top of the buns, reaching the middle of the buns. As the buns bake, the topping spreads and covers the whole bun.
Photobucket

Photobucket
♥ Bake for around 12-15 minutes or until the coffee crust turns a golden brown.

(Made sometime in March)

9 comments:

  1. so they are rotiboys! i as wondering what they were :P now i just realised my grandma likes these breads (they sell them at the supermarket in Malaysia) hrm might try this out also :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. rotiboys are my all time favorite and i prefer the ones in malaysia rather then sg! the texture of your bread is divine Esther!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've never had rotiboys before- but I've read about them on blogs :) They sound really good...maybe I should just try making them! I love the texture of yours!

    Sorry I haven't been able to reply to your comment on my blog- uni's been terribly busy these few weeks. I can only tell about places in Sydney, because I haven't been around Australia, but off the top of my head, there's of course, the main tourist attractions- Sydney Harbour bridge (bridge climb is fun!), visiting the Opera House, centerpoint tower (and having lunch in the revolving restaurant), maybe Taronga Zoo/ Featherdale Wildlife park/Koala park to see some aussie animals, visit a beach (Manly beach and Coogee beach are popular though personally, I'd rather travel another couple of hours to Wollongong). There's also the Blue Mountains, and in winter, the Snowy Mountains (for snow!) haha... Did you other, non-touristy places too? Or did you want more detail...? Maybe I should email you....haha :D Good luck with your project!

    ReplyDelete
  4. hi esther, i love rotiboys too! i just cant pass by their stores without getting one! i can imagine the aroma of that coffee topping on your buns, they still look good but i'm sure it will get even better the next time!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Rotiboys!!! Got to make these for my boys too. Love the coffee toppings on your fluffy breads.

    ReplyDelete
  6. CaThY, Thank you. :) I need to try it again to make sure the buns are rounder.

    Grub, They’re also known as Mexican sweet buns, for what reason, I don’t know. Maybe you can make these for your grandma one day. XD I’ve also encountered some with cream cheese filling and chocolate chips sprinkled on top. Tell me how it goes!

    Jess, Cool! What’s the difference between them? I would like to try out the different types one day. Thanks. :D

    Von, I think you’ll enjoy them very much! Rotiboys are delicious, especially the ones my aunt? (grandma’s brother’s wife) bought.

    Oh, don’t worry about it. Thanks for even taking the time to reply. I understand how busy life can be at times….it’s terrible :/ Anyway, I hope it gets better. This is more than I hoped for! I’ll tell you if I have any more questions. Thanks Von, you’re awesome! Btw, my project due date got postponed one week (whewf, I have like several projects right now…)

    Hi Lena, They sound so popular where you live. We only see them at some asian bakeries once in a while…it’s not very well known. Thanks for your encouragement. :D I’ll be making these again and making the necessary adjustments.

    Zoe, Maybe you can get them to help you pipe the topping onto the buns. ;) It would be a fun experience for them, at least I thought it was fun. I have to thank Jessie from Hearty Bakes for the recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This was a hit in Singapore some years back, and of course, I just have to try it despite not being a fan of coffee.

    Your rotiboy looks yummy! I've not eaten one for years, feels like taking a bite off the screen now. Hey, it's 1.20am Singapore time, feeling hungry now...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Blessed Homemaker, thank you! Honestly, I'm not really a fan of coffee either. The only coffee I like is coffee candy, but not the actual coffee.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for reading my blog. I love hearing about your thoughts and/or your advice. :)

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails