BreadTalk-Inspired Pork Floss Bread

This recipe recreates BreadTalk's famous sweet-savory pork buns. Use store-bought pork floss or make your own.
Difficulty
Medium
Servings
8 regular buns
Wait Time
3 Hrs
Active Time
1 Hr

You can’t enter a BreadTalk and leave without a Flosss bun—that’s just disrespect. The bakeshop's famous pork floss buns are irresistable, from the tender bread to the sweet-savory pork floss topping. This recipe is our attempt to recreate them.

Our from-scratch fluffy buns bake into buttery golden domes for the pork floss to perch on. The homemade pork floss is an extra-credit project that you can skip for store-bought pork floss. Binondo's Shin Ton Yon sells a powdery pork variant that we love.

Buns

  • 4 ½ cups all-purpose or bread flour
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp instant yeast
  • ½ cup lukewarm water
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 cup melted unsalted butter, divided

Topping

  • ½ cup Kewpie mayonnaise
  • 4 cups store-bought or homemade pork floss
1

Combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.

If using active dry yeast, do not add it at this step. Instead, sprinkle it over lukewarm water and let bloom until foamy, 5 minutes.

2

Mix on low speed until dry ingredients are well combined. Add the water, milk, and ½ cup melted butter. Increase to medium speed and run mixer for 3–5 minutes, or until a rough dough forms. Continue to work the dough until smooth and elastic, about 10–15 minutes total.

3

Remove bowl from mixer and cover in plastic wrap. Let dough rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

4

Dust a clean work surface with flour and turn dough out onto the surface. Punch out all the air, and divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and place seam side down on a baking sheet. Make sure to leave ample space between each bun.

5

Cover and let rise again for 30–35 minutes, or until doubled in size. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Prepare a silicone brush and the remaining melted butter. Scatter pork floss in a small baking tray.

6

Bake buns for 20–25 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately brush the tops of each bun with melted butter. Let buns cool slightly.

7

Once cool enough to handle, brush a thin coating of mayonnaise on top of each bun. Roll the mayo-covered side in pork floss until fully covered, making sure to fill up any gaps. Repeat for remaining buns, and serve.