If Nostalgia was to be a bun, it would have been these Butter Sugar Buns. Growing up, and surprisingly, I absolutely detested these buns that my parents love to buy. This was because I found these buns to be greasy and sweet.

However, in a surprising twist, I do really appreciate these Butter Sugar Buns. The flavours of these buns are ever fragrant and nicely sweet. Furthermore, these buns are so fluffy and melts in your mouth.

If I am to be honest, I believe Butter Sugar buns are absolutely delicious, but they need to be done well with real butter!

If you have been following my blog and recipes, this recipe won’t be entirely new! These Butter Sugar Buns are based on my Hokkaido Milk Buns recipe. Reason being that I really appreciate the fluffiness and light milky fragrance of these Milk Buns. However, I have decided to cut out the milk powder here as the bulk of the flavour will come from the butter. Hence, make sure to use good quality butter!

I also sprinkled with a generous topping of sugar though I regretted not adding even more. This is because the sugar can melt in this humidity alongside the slightly melted butter at the top of each bun. If needed, top up with even more sugar (though it comes with more calories, it is worth it)!

The making of these Butter Sugar Buns can be intimidating for a beginner. Nonetheless, you can rest assured that this is rather straightforward and having a handheld hand mixer with dough hook attachments will be half the battle won. Furthermore, you can refer to the video to understand what’s happening at each stage. If unsure, feel free to let me know.

Without further ado, here’s the trip to childhood!

Butter Sugar Buns Recipe
by Javier Tan October-14-2023

If Nostalgia is a bun, it will certainly be these delectable, fragrant and fluffy Butter Sugar Buns. Especially so for breakfast and tea!

Ingredients

For Tangzhong / Water Roux:

  • 3 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon or 50ml Water
  • 3 Tablespoons or 45ml Milk
  • 2 Tablespoons or 18g Bread Flour, Sifted

For Buns:

  • 2 and 3/4 Cups or 345g Bread Flour
  • 1/4 Cup + 1 Tablespoons or 60g Granulated White Sugar
  • 1 Large Egg, Room Temperature, 55g each
  • 3/4 Teaspoon or 4g Table Salt
  • 1 and 1/2 Teaspoons or 7g Instant Dry Yeast
  • 1/4 Cup or 60g Unsalted Butter, Melted
  • All that was made Water Roux / Tangzhong
  • 1/2 Cup + 3 Tablespoon or 165g Milk, Room Temp

For Buns (Topping):

  • 2 Tbspns or 30ml of Milk
  • 9 Butter Cubes (approx 10g for each cube)
  • 2 Tbspns or 25g of Granulated White Sugar (feel free to use more)

Instructions

  1. Firstly, prepare the Water Roux / Tangzhong by mixing the 3 ingredients at low heat. Stir until you form a sticky, slightly thickened gel.
  2. Then, cover the tangzhong and leave to cool.
  3. Meanwhile, mix Bread Flour, Sugar, and Salt together in a large bowl. Next, distribute the yeast throughout the ingredients.
  4. Then, add in the cooled melted butter, milk, tangzhong and egg and mix well for a couple of mins at high speed or to knead until it forms a clumpy wet mixture.
  5. Once the bread comes together, knead well for another 6 – 7 at medium high speed. Once done, the dough will no longer stick to the bowl and it will pass the windowpane test. [Note: if it is too sticky, you can consider adding up to 20g of flour]
  6. Transfer the dough to a large bowl and sprinkle some water on top of the dough. Next, Cover it with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and proof for 50 mins.
  7. Once an hour is up, poke a hole at the center of the dough to release the excess air.
  8. Next, portion and shape into 9 equal balls of dough.
  9. Transfer the little balls of dough into your baking tray ( I am using a 9 x 9 inch ), then cover and proof for another 25-30 minutes.
  10. Start preheating the oven at 180 degrees C when the proofing is about to be completed.
  11. Using a pair of scissors, cut slits at the top of each bun and place in a cube of butter. Then, brush the buns with a milk wash and coat generously with sugar.
  12. Bake for about 19-23 minutes until golden brown.
  13. Serve and enjoy!

Details

  • Prep time:
  • Cook time:
  • Total time:
  • Yield: 9 Delicious Butter Sugar Buns!

Notes:

  1. If you would like to be updated for more recipes which I strive to create to perfection for sharing and for free, do check out my Instagram, Facebook Page, or YouTube 🙂 Thank you so much for all of your support! Feel free to tag me or link back here!
  2. Best eaten within 5 days.
  3. Feel free to ask if you need help!

Enjoy!
– Bakeomaniac, Javier Tan