Mexican Coffee Buns

I could never make it out of a mall without indulging in Papparoti’s coffee buns and a cappuccino. This recipe is absolutely delicious.

Prepare the Dough

Directions

1. If you don’t have buttermilk, just take ⅛ cup milk and add ¼ tsp lemon juice. Stir to combine and leave for 15 mins.
2. Combine the dry ingredients (1 cup flour, 1½ tbsp sugar, ¼ tsp salt).
3. Beat an egg and add half of it to the dry flour mix.
4. Use a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment to incorporate the egg into the dry mix (low-medium speed). You could do this by hand or an electric beater if you don’t have a stand mixer.
5. Add yeast, milk and buttermilk. Knead on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until just combined. Increase speed to medium-high and knead for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the dough should have become smooth and elastic. If you’re kneading by hand, it’ll probably take an extra 5 minutes.
6. Add softened (not melted) butter to the dough and mix on low speed until all the butter is incorporated. This takes about a minute.
7. The dough should be quite sticky at this point. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and gently shape into a smooth ball. Alternatively, you can just lightly flour your hands and shape the dough in your hands.
8. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl (coating it on all sides). This prevents it from drying out during the proofing process. Cover and leave the dough to proof in a warm place.

Prepare the Frosting

Directions

1. Prepare coffee and side aside to cool. I use ground brewed coffee. If using instant coffee, just dissolve 1 tsp coffee in 10ml (2 tsp) of hot water.
2. Combine ¼ cup flour and cocoa powder in a small bowl.
3. Use a stand mixer with the flat beater attachment to cream together 2 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp icing sugar and a pinch of salt.
4. Add ½ an egg and continue beating until incorporated. Don’t overbeat at this point.
5. Sift flour and cocoa powder into the mixture and mix well.
6. Pour in the cooled coffee and stir to combine. 
7. Transfer into a piping bag and refrigerate until ready for baking.

Prepare the Filling

Directions

1. Cut butter into six 3gm cubes.
2. Place in the freezer to keep firm until ready for use.

Shaping the buns

Directions

1. Once the dough has doubled in size, knead lightly by hand for a few minutes.
2. Use a weighing scale to divide the dough into 6 equal portions, weighing about 40gm each.
3. Cover and rest the dough for another 5 minutes.
4. Take out filling from the freezer.
5. Take a dough ball and flatten it on the palm of your hands. Place a cube of butter in the centre and seal the edges together. Make sure there are no gaps or openings for the butter to leak out during the baking process.
6. Repeat with the remaining buns.
7. Leave to proof again (roughly an hour). During winters when it’s a struggle to find a warm place for proofing, I heat up the oven to 50C, then turn it off and place the tray in the oven with a glass of hot water.
8. When the buns have risen to 1.5x their size, take them out of the oven and heat the oven to 180C.
9. Pipe the frosting onto the buns right before baking. 
10. Bake for 12-15 minutes (or until golden and crispy).