Coconut bun or cocktail bun (雞尾包) is a classic and popular bread among Hong Kong bakeries like pineapple buns, Chinese hot dogs, egg tarts, sugar donuts and garlic cheese breadsticks. This Hong Kong cocktail bun recipe is soft, sweet and delicious! You can’t stop eating after trying these warm and fresh baked Chinese coconut buns at home. Let’s learn how to make coconut Chinese cocktail buns with step by step photo instructions, tips and a video!
Love bread? Check out these popular custard buns and taro buns, ciabatta, dinner rolls, Japanese milk bread rolls, rosemary garlic bread and cheese pizza recipes.
What is a cocktail bun (雞尾包) ?
A cocktail bun, also called a coconut bun or gai mei bao (雞尾包) in Cantonese. In Chinese, it literally translates as chicken tail bun. It is a popular pastry among Hong Kong bakeries and other parts of Asia like pineapple buns, egg tarts, Chinese hot dogs, sugar donuts and garlic cheese breadsticks. Also, dim sum restaurants in Hong Kong and other Chinese dim sum restaurants overseas serve cocktail buns as dim sum items.
It is a sweet bun consisting of a soft and slightly sweet bread roll filled with a sweet and flavorful filling made from shredded coconut, butter and sugar. The filling has a rich, buttery, sweet and coconut flavor which gives the bun its distinctive taste. A final egg wash gives a shiny and golden brown color on the top after baking.
Usually Hong Kong style coconut buns have two stripes decorated toward the ends and sparkles with some sesame seeds. The topping is sweet and crunchy made of butter, sugar and flour. It is a delightful contrast in texture to the soft bun and the sweet filling. Then, the bread is baked until it is a golden brown color, enhancing the overall flavor and appearance of the bun.
Why is it called a cocktail bun?
Actually, the cocktail bun doesn't contain any alcoholic cocktail ingredients. It is named cocktail bun because back in the 1950s in Hong Kong, a bakery owner didn’t want to waste bread that was not sold. He ground up the old breads and mixed them with sugar and coconut to make a tasty filling and wrapped it around with a fresh bread dough to make this Chinese coconut buns. It is named cocktail bun or gai mei bao (雞尾包) because the filling was mixed with different breads which is similar to cocktail drink that mixed with different ingredients.
What is the texture and taste like for a coconut bun?
In this coconut or cocktail bun recipe, the bun is soft and slightly sweet which is a typical Hong Kong style sweet bread. The filling is a little dense, rich and sweet because of the coconut, butter and sugar.
Do you use tangzhong for the bun dough?
Tangzhong is a technique used in bread making to create a water-roux paste. Then, add to the bread dough. It helps improve the softness, fluffiness, moisture content and shelf life.
Asians like to use this technique for bread. But, in this cocktail bun recipe, I do not use this tangzhong method. I add two magic dough enhancer and vital wheat gluten ingredients instead.
These two ingredients make the dough soft, fluffy, moist and increase the shelf life. Even after refrigerating, when you warm them up. The texture is just like the bakery's. If you like the tangzhong method, you can check out this sugar donuts recipe for how to make tangzhong.
What are the ingredients in a Chinese cocktail bun?
Even though it is named cocktail bun, it doesn’t have any alcohol ingredients. Basically, the ingredients are flour, sugar, milk, heavy cream, butter, egg, yeast and shredded coconut. Most people like to call it Chinese coconut bun because it contains a sweet coconut filling. In this Hong Kong coconut bun or cocktail bun recipe, the ingredients are divided into three main parts: bread dough, filling and topping.
Bread dough ingredients:
The bread dough ingredients are milk, egg, salt, yeast, sugar, heavy whipping cream, cake flour, bread flour, dough enhancer and vital wheat gluten.
Filling ingredients:
The filling ingredients are sugar, butter, unsweetened coconut, cake flour and dry milk.
Topping ingredients:
The topping ingredients are butter, sugar and cake flour.
My trick to speed up the dough to rise?
Normally, it takes around an hour or more to rise the dough depending on the house temperature. My trick to speed up the rising time, I usually preheat the oven at 200 F and turn it off. Then, cover the dough with a wet cloth and let the dough rise in the oven. It will shorten the time for rising the dough in around 30 minutes.
How to store and reheat gai mei bao (雞尾包)?
After it cools off, store them in the plastic ziplock bag. You can put it at room temperature for a day or two. Or, you can refrigerate them for 5-7 days. If you want to last it longer, you can freeze them for up to a few months.
To warm up a Chinese cocktail bun if it is stored at room temperature, normally I will warm it up in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. If it is out of the refrigerator, I will microwave it for 20-30 seconds. Also, you can warm them up in a toaster oven at 350 F for 1-2 minutes or air fry it at 350 F for 3-5 minutes.
Cooking tips for how to make cocktail buns:
- Make sure milk, heavy whipping cream, butter and egg at room temperature. (I normally leave them out for 30-1 hour before making it)
- Divide 9 bigger dough or 12 smaller ones. Roll the dough into an oval shape and put the filling on it. Then, wrap and close the dough and roll a little bit to shape it like a long oval.
- Bake at 350 F for 18-22 minutes until it’s golden brown.
Bread dough:
- Add milk, heavy cream, egg, sugar and yeast into a mixture bowl and wait for 5 minutes
- In another bowl, mix bread flour (1.5 cup first), cake flour, salt, dough enhancer and vital wheat gluten and mix well. Slowly add to the yeast mixture.
- I like to add vital wheat gluten and dough enhancer in this bread dough recipe. These two little ingredients make and connect the dough even better. After it’s refrigerated or left over when you warm them up in the microwave for 20-25 seconds, the bread still tastes great.
- The dough is a little sticky then slowly add ¼ cup of bread flour.
- Let the dough rise and cover with a wet cloth. At room temperature, it will take an hour or so to rise. It depends on your house temperature.
- I suggest preheating the oven at 200 F and turning off. Then, let the dough rise in the oven, it will shorten the time for rising the dough in around 30 minutes.
Filling:
- Use unsweetened shredded coconut
- Put the shredded coconut into a chopper to chop them fine and small
- Beat butter, add sugar, dry milk, cake flour and chopped coconut and mix them well
- The filling is a little crumble, so use your hands to press it to make it like an oval or long shape. It can make 9 bigger or 12 smaller ones.
Topping:
- Melt butter in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. Just a little melt, but not too much.
- Mix well with sugar and cake flour
- If you melt the butter too much, it will be runny. Let it cool off, then it will get a little bit harder.
- Put the topping dough into a small ziplock bag. Then, cut a small hole at the corner of the bag and push pressure to pipe two lines on the bread.
FAQs:
Bake at 350 F for 18-22 minutes until it’s golden brown.
You don't have to use a mixer to make the dough, but it is easier and faster if you use a mixer. Personally, I really like to use a Bosch bread mixer to make dough because the dough is well mixed and evenly mixed.
Instructions for how to make Chinese coconut buns:
Yeast mixture:
1. Add ½ cup of milk (warm the milk in the microwave for 10-20 seconds or leave it at room temperature for an hour before using it.), ½ cup of heavy whipping cream, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of yeast and ¼ cup of sugar into a mixer. Mix them a little bit. Cover the lid and wait for 5 minutes.
Flour mixture:
2. At the same time, in a bowl add 1 & ½ cup of bread flour, ½ cup of cake flour, ½ tablespoon of vital wheat gluten, ½ tablespoon of dough enhancer, 1 teaspoon of salt and mix well.
Dough mixture:
3. After that, slowly add the flour mixture into the yeast mixture until the dough is formed. At this moment, the dough is a little sticky. Then, slowly add ¼ cup of bread flour. Let the mixer run for 5-10 minutes at setting 3 (medium high speed) if you use a Bosch bread mixer.
Dough rising:
4. Next, put the dough into a bowl and cover with a wet cloth.
5. Let the dough rise to double size. (Normally, it takes around an hour or more. I suggest preheating the oven at 200F and turning off. Then, let the dough rise in the oven, it will shorten the time for rising the dough in around 30 minutes.)
Filling:
6. While waiting for the dough to rise, work on the filling. First, put 1.5 cups of shredded unsweetened coconut into a chopper to chop them until they are smaller pieces. Then, add 1 & ¼ cup of sugar, ¾ cup of dry milk powder into the chopper and chop them until fine.
7. After that, beat 1.5 sticks of butter (I like to use 1 stick of salted butter and ½ stick of unsalted butter.) in a bowl.
8. After, add the chopped fine sugar, dry milk powder, shredded coconut from step 6 and ¼ cup of cake flour. Then, mix it well.
9. Divide the bread dough into 9 bigger or 12 smaller pieces, the same as filling.
10. The filling is a little crumble, so use your hands to press it to make it like an oval or long shape.
11. Roll the dough into an oval shape.
Folding:
12. Next, place the filling in the middle of the dough. Then, fold and close it. Roll it like a long oval shape.
13. Place them on a tray and cover with a wet cloth and let it rise. (I suggest preheating the oven at 200 F and turning it off. Then, let the dough rise in the oven, it will shorten the time for rising the dough in around 15-30 minutes.)
Topping dough:
14. Meanwhile, work on the topping. In a small container, melt 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. Just a little melt, but not too much. Then, add 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon of cake flour. Mix them well.
15. Put the topping dough into a small ziplock bag. Then, cut a small hole at the corner of the bag and push pressure to pipe the topping dough.
Brushing egg wash:
16. Beat an egg and brush the egg on bread.
Decorating topping:
17. Pipe two lines on the bread and sprinkle some sesame seeds and are ready for baking.
Baking:
18. Preheat the oven at 350 F. Bake at 350 F for 18-22 minutes until it's golden brown.
Enjoy this delicious and tasty Hong Kong coconut buns or cocktail buns recipe! Also, check out these steamed meatballs, claypot rice, crispy noodles, Thai chicken pizza, wonton soup, papaya milk and black sesame soup recipes.
You May Also Like These Recipes:
Subscribe Oh My Food Recipes to get our new recipes delivered straight to your inbox! Follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all the latest updates.
Coconut bun (Chinese cocktail bun)
Equipment
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 Oven
- 1 Mixer
Video
Ingredients
Bread dough:
yeast mixture:
- ½ cup Milk 2% (room temperature or warm them in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.)
- ½ cup Heavy whipping cream (room temperature)
- 1 Egg Large (room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon Active dry yeast
- ¼ cup Sugar
Flour mixture:
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ tablespoon Dough enhancer
- ½ tablespoon Vital wheat gluten
- 1 & ¾ cups Bread flour (add 1 and ½ cup first and slowly add ¼ cup later)
- ½ cup Cake flour
Filling:
- 1.5 cups Unsweetened shredded coconut (chop them small pieces)
- 1.5 sticks Butter (1 stick salted butter and ½ stick unsalted butter) (soften at room temperature)
- ¼ cup Cake flour
- ¾ cup Instant non fat dry milk powder (chop them fine)
- 1 & ¼ cups Sugar (chop them fine)
Topping:
- some Sesame seeds
- 1 Egg (for brushing the bread before baking)
topping dough:
- 1 tablespoon Unsalted butter (soften at room temperature or melt it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds.)
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Cake flour
Instructions
- Add ½ cup of milk (warm the milk in the microwave for 10-20 seconds or leave it at room temperature for an hour before using it.), ½ cup of heavy whipping cream, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of yeast and ¼ cup of sugar into a mixer. Mix them a little bit. Cover the lid and wait for 5 minutes.
- At the same time, in a bowl add 1 & ½ cup of bread flour, ½ cup of cake flour, ½ tablespoon of vital wheat gluten, ½ tablespoon of dough enhancer, 1 teaspoon of salt and mix well.
- After that, slowly add the flour mixture into the yeast mixture until the dough is formed. At this moment, the dough is a little sticky. Then, slowly add ¼ cup of bread flour. Let the mixer run for 5-10 minutes at setting 3 (medium high speed) if you use a Bosch bread mixer.
- Next, put the dough into a bowl and cover with a wet cloth.
- Let the dough rise to double size. (Normally, it takes around an hour or more. I suggest preheating the oven at 200F and turning off. Then, let the dough rise in the oven, it will shorten the time for rising the dough in around 30 minutes.)
- While waiting for the dough to rise, work on the filling. First, put 1.5 cups of shredded unsweetened coconut into a chopper to chop them until they are smaller pieces. Then, add 1 & ¼ cup of sugar, ¾ cup of dry milk powder into the chopper and chop them until fine.
- After that, beat 1.5 sticks of butter (I like to use 1 stick of salted butter and ½ stick of unsalted butter.) in a bowl.
- After, add the chopped fine sugar, dry milk powder, shredded coconut from step 6 and ¼ cup of cake flour. Then, mix it well.
- Divide the bread dough into 9 bigger or 12 smaller pieces, the same as filling.
- The filling is a little crumble, so use your hands to press it to make it like an oval or long shape.
- Roll the dough into an oval shape.
- Next, place the filling in the middle of the dough. Then, fold and close it. Roll it like a long oval shape.
- Place them on a tray and cover with a wet cloth and let it rise. (I suggest preheating the oven at 200F and turning it off. Then, let the dough rise in the oven, it will shorten the time for rising the dough in around 15-30 minutes.)
- Meanwhile, work on the topping. In a small container, melt 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. Just a little melt, but not too much. Then, add 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon of cake flour. Mix them well.
- Put the topping dough into a small ziplock bag. Then, cut a small hole at the corner of the bag and push pressure to pipe the topping dough.
- Beat an egg and brush the egg on bread.
- Pipe two lines on the bread and sprinkle some sesame seeds and are ready for baking.
- Preheat the oven at 350F. Bake at 350F for 18-22 minutes until it's golden brown.
Notes
Cooking tips for how to make cocktail buns:
- Make sure milk, heavy whipping cream, butter and egg at room temperature. (I normally leave them out for 30-1 hour before making it)
- Divide 9 bigger dough or 12 smaller ones. Roll the dough into an oval shape and put the filling on it. Then, wrap and close the dough and roll a little bit to shape it like a long oval.
- Bake at 350 F for 18-22 minutes until it’s golden brown.
For bread dough:
- Add milk, heavy cream, egg, sugar and yeast into a mixture bowl and wait for 5 minutes
- In another bowl, mix bread flour (1.5 cup first), cake flour, salt, dough enhancer and vital wheat gluten and mix well. Slowly add to the yeast mixture.
- I like to add vital wheat gluten and dough enhancer in this bread dough recipe. These two little ingredients make and connect the dough even better. After it’s refrigerated or left over when you warm them up in the microwave for 20-25 seconds, the bread still tastes great.
- The dough is a little sticky then slowly add ¼ cup of bread flour.
- Let the dough rise and cover with a wet cloth. At room temperature, it will take an hour or so to rise. It depends on your house temperature.
- I suggest preheating the oven at 200 F and turning off. Then, let the dough rise in the oven, it will shorten the time for rising the dough in around 30 minutes.
For filling:
- Use unsweetened shredded coconut
- Put the shredded coconut into a chopper to chop them fine and small
- Beat butter, add sugar, dry milk, cake flour and chopped coconut and mix them well
- The filling is a little crumble, so use your hands to press it to make it like an oval or long shape. It can make 9 bigger or 12 smaller ones.
For topping:
- Melt butter in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. Just a little melt, but not too much.
- Mix well with sugar and cake flour
- If you melt the butter too much, it will be runny. Let it cool off, then it will get a little bit harder.
- Put the topping dough into a small ziplock bag. Then, cut a small hole at the corner of the bag and push pressure to pipe two lines on the bread.
Okacy says
It's just me again I stand corrected. It's what happens when you jump to the recipe and don't take the time to read all the interesting background history behind the food. I then read the whole coconut bread recipe thinking it's suppose to look like a coconut. Wrong again. However they both sound delicious and look forward to trying pineappleless, pineapple 🍍 buns. I love coconut too.