Richness...wrapped in a bun

Rich is Kaya in the Malay language and strangely it is also what we called a local jam made with coconut milk, eggs and sugar, probably it got its name from the 'richness' in the jam.  It's interesting to note that it is also known as Kaya in the Chinese dialects spoken here :)

Kaya toast has long been (and still is) a popular Malaysian (and Singaporean too i think) breakfast item.  It is said that it has its origins back to the days when the Hainanese worked as kitchen hands on British ships.   Some of them started their own business of opening coffee shops selling similar food that they prepared for the British when they settled down.  Instead of western jams they served toast with kaya.  A thin slice of cold butter is also slathered in to give it a sweet savoury taste.  If this is something new to you, don't give this a miss when you are around this part of the world.   Sheer heaven, i promise!

Now, what you are seeing here is not exactly the kaya toast that i have just mentioned.   These are buns but with kaya in them instead.  That green belt that they have around them is a pandan leave, it's not just to make the buns look pretty, it infuses its fragrance on the bun too.  The pandan fragrance blends very well with the kaya filling in the bun.

Instead of butter i played around and added a small piece of cheddar cheese on top of the kaya just before wrapping up the bun.  

Soft milky buns with a rich coconut jam infused with pandan fragrance...Mmmm!

Recipe
Source: Bread Magic by Alan Ooi for bread dough

Ingredients

Bread Dough

Part A

• 300g high protein flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tbsp milk powder
• 50g sugar

Part B

• 125ml water
• 1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
• 1 medium size egg (1 used 2/3 of a large egg and left 1/3 for glazing)

Part C

• 40g butter

Part D (for glazing)

• Mix 1 tablespoon fresh milk with 1/3 egg from Part B (I like using this as the glaze, it's not too glossy when egg is used solely or too matte and browns easily when only milk is used) 

Filling

• Store bought kaya 
• 1 slice of cheddar cheese, cut into small rectangular pieces

Method

1. Combine ingredient A in a mixer and mix well.  Add in ingredient B and beat till a dough is formed.  Add in ingredient C and beat till dough is smooth and elastic to touch.
2. Leave dough in a big bowl, covered with a damp cloth.
3. Let it rise in a warm place until double the size.
4. Divide dough into 50g portions (managed to get 11 pieces). 
5. Flatten dough then wrap with some filling starting with 1 tablespoon of kaya followed by a piece of cheese. It's easier to wrap if it's not too full. 
6. Arrange on greased tray if not using paper liners.
7. Cover and rest buns until double the size again.
8. Wrap a pandan leave around the bun (loosely)
9. Glaze with Part D.
10. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 15-17 minutes until golden brown.

Note: I combine all the ingredients and let my breadmaker handle steps 1-3.