These Pork Sung Buns (also known as Pork Floss Buns or Rou Song Bao) ignited quite a few rounds of debates and do-overs. Kitchen debates are ongoing events at our house. We seldom agree on a meal or a dish, and someone is always bound to have a word or two about this or that. I think I’m probably the biggest complainer (about that…you won’t get any arguments from the family!).
This recipe is no exception, and the question we kept coming back to was whether or not to employ a certain ingredient––mayonnaise. A traditional Pork Sung Bun is made with a milk bread base, and a thin layer of mayonnaise is spread on top. That’s what allows the pork sung (basically a mild form of shredded pork jerky) to adhere to the top of the bun.
One of my concerns was that mayonnaise is made with oil and eggs, requiring it to be kept refrigerated in order to stay fresh. I even asked a baker at a local Chinese bakery about the use of mayonnaise, and how long the pork sung buns were allowed to sit out in the bakery case. He explained that they were usually sold quickly, and that he expected people to “eat them right away” anyway.
After some research and poking around, I found a Chinese recipe that offers the best of both worlds: the mayonnaise is no longer raw after baking, and the addition of scallions makes the bun ultra-savory. We also decided to integrate the pork sung throughout the bun with a special folding method, rather than having it all sit on top. I think this modified version is definitely a step up from the original.
A few remarks before we begin: While making our milk bread recipe––which is also used in many of our Chinese bakery bun recipes––a large handful of people found that the dough was too sticky and needed extra flour. I want to let everyone know that I do tap the measuring cup when measuring flour to avoid air pockets. It’s also the case that the more damp or humid the climate, the more flour you’ll likely need. If it’s too dry, on the other hand, you can add an extra tablespoon of milk.
Pork Sun Buns: Recipe Instructions
For this recipe, you’ll need store-bought pork sung, or pork floss, pictured below.
In the bowl of a mixer, add the heavy cream, milk, egg, sugar, cake flour, bread flour, yeast, and salt (add everything to the mixer in that order). Using the dough hook attachment, turn on the mixer to “stir.” Let it go for 15 minutes, occasionally stopping the mixer to push the dough together.
Don’t Have Cake Flour or Bread Flour?
Feel free to substitute all-purpose flour for both! We have since extensively re-tested this recipe, and have not found that using 100% all-purpose flour in this recipe makes a meaningful difference to the result.
After 15 minutes, the dough is ready for proofing. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and place in a warm spot for 1 hour. The dough will grow to 1.5X its original size. Check out our original milk bread recipe for photos of this process!
After the hour of proofing, put the dough back in the mixer and stir for another 5 minutes to get rid of air bubbles. Dump the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into 12 equal pieces. Cover the dough pieces with a dry cloth while assembling the buns.
Take each piece of dough and roll it out into a rough 4×6″ rectangle.
Spread a very thin layer of mayonnaise onto the dough…
And then sprinkle with pork sung and chopped scallion.
Roll it up lengthwise into a tight cigar shape.
Cut the cigar in half lengthwise, with about an inch on one end still attached, so that the piece of dough almost looks like a pair of pants.
Twist the dough together, with the cut sides facing up, and tuck the ends underneath the bun.
Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat the process until all the buns are assembled.
Cover the buns with a clean, dry kitchen towel, and allow to rise for another hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Before baking, brush each bun with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake for 13 – 15 minutes, until golden brown. After baking, remove the buns from the oven and immediately brush each bun lightly with simple syrup. This is what gives these pork sung buns their signature shine!
Pork Sung Buns
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup heavy cream (160 ml, at room temperature)
- 1 cup milk (235 ml, at room temperature)
- 1 large egg (at room temperature)
- 1/3 cup sugar (70g)
- 1/2 cup cake flour (70g)
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour (500g)
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast (11g)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 4 ounces pork sung (also called pork floss, 115g)
- 3 scallions (washed, dried, and finely chopped)
- Egg wash (whisk together 1 egg with 1 teaspoon water)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 2 teaspoons sugar (dissolved in 2 teaspoons hot water to make a simple syrup)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a mixer, add the heavy cream, milk, egg, sugar, cake flour, bread flour, yeast, and salt (add everything to the mixer in that order). Using the dough hook attachment, turn on the mixer to “stir.” Let it go for 15 minutes, occasionally stopping the mixer to push the dough together.
- After 15 minutes, the dough is ready for proofing. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and place in a warm spot for 1 hour. The dough will grow to 1.5X its original size. Check out our original milk bread recipe for photos of this process!
- After the hour of proofing, put the dough back in the mixer and stir for another 5 minutes to get rid of air bubbles. Dump the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into 12 equal pieces. Cover the dough pieces with a dry cloth while assembling the buns.
- Take each piece of dough and roll it out into a rough 4×6″ rectangle. Spread a very thin layer of mayonnaise onto the dough, and then sprinkle with pork sung and chopped scallion. Roll it up lengthwise into a tight cigar shape. Cut the cigar in half lengthwise, with about an inch on one end still attached, so that the piece of dough almost looks like a pair of pants. Twist the dough together, with the cut sides facing up, and tuck the ends underneath the bun. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Repeat the process until all the buns are assembled.
- Cover the buns with a clean, dry kitchen towel, and allow to rise for another hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Before baking, brush each bun with egg wash. Bake for 13 – 15 minutes, until golden brown. After baking, remove the buns from the oven and immediately brush each bun lightly with simple syrup. This is what gives these pork sung buns their signature shine!
Can I use all purpose flour in place of cake and bread flour?
Yes, you can.
I really want to make these, but I just don’t want to use the mayonnaise as an adhesive. (It’s just me—I have a thing about hot/cooked Mayo.)
Is there anything else I could possibly use to help the floss and scallions adhere, like just beaten egg? Or, just not use an adhesive at all?
Thank you!
Hi Jeff, you can omit the mayo if you wrap pork sung and scallion in the middle like this Purple Yam Bun.
I just made this variety over the weekend for the first time, and it was really tasty. I made 2 varieties with the dough (the other being the inside out coconut bun since the family loved it the first time I made it) and was able to make 1 dozen of each variety (smaller sized buns) with this batch. This is my second time making this milk bread dough, but I had a harder time hand kneading it (I don’t own a stand mixer). It was not as soft, and much harder to knead. I’m not sure if I added too much bread flour, but the consistency was that of a pizza dough. I added a few more tablespoons of heavy cream to the dough to see if it’ll help soften the dough, but was afraid this was going to be a bust. But after all was said and done, it turned out ok. The outside crusts were a bit harder, but the insides were pretty tender. This bread dough seems pretty forgiving. I was wondering if you’ve ever encountered this during your many times making the milk bread dough.
Doughmaking has a lot to do with the humidity in the air. You did good by adding more cream to soften the dough–you can add a few more drops until the dough softens more next time?
The humidity issue did cross my mind (the weather was pretty cold and dry that day), as I remember reading about it on this site. I will keep this in mind if I encounter this situation again the next time I make it. Thanks for the tip, Judy!
You are very welcome.
These were amazing! Made 4 varieties with the dough: pork sung bun, coconut bun, dried cherry twists and cheese twists. Instructions were spot on. The pork sung bun and coconut bun is the favorite so far! Really appreciate your recipe. Tasted better than the bakery! Thank you so much.
You have been busy, Meigo, happy eating :-)
One more question: could I substitute self-rising flour for the AP flour?
Not too sure, Tiffany, I have never tried it.
Can these be frozen? If so, should they be frozen before or after they’re baked? Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
You can freeze the baked buns, Tiffany.
Made these this weekend! And then immediately made another batch. So good! Thank you!!
Totally agree, Lillian, they are so good.
Do you need to activate the yeast first? It didn’t say according to your instructions. I’m waiting it to proof and it is not proofing., almost 2 hrs now.
Hi AH, you can, but there’s no need. Just make sure all wet ingredients are at room temperature, and add the ingredients to the mixing bowl in the order as listed. Also, make sure the proofing conditions are between 80 – 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Hi Judy, I have wheat bread flour on hand. Does it matter if I used wheat bread flour or regular white bread flour?
Hi Bonnie, it does make a big difference, as wheat bread flour makes the buns and bread a lot more dense.
So good!! It was very easy to make. Any ideas on how to store it and how to warm it up? Thanks!
You can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, microwave for 30 seconds or so.