Yam (Taro) Milk Buns

There is this bakery store here in Malaysia call Lavender, that sells this really delicious buns with yam filling. Whenever we go there, I will always buy one of them...without fail. :) The bread is super soft and the filling is fragrant and just sweet enough to go with the bread....mmmm!. :D Perhaps you have already noticed, after reading my posts, that I'm a "yam-lover". ;) And especially when it appears in deserts, I will always opt for it over red beans or certain fruits.

Now that I have this Yam Milk Bun recipe...there's is really no holding me back from making it, haha! Although I know my buns cannot be compared to those in Lavender, and I know I will still be buying the yam buns from them. But I guess being able to make these buns myself is an accomplishment for me and tasting my own baked bread is another kind of enjoyment that only home bakers like me can truly appreciate.Ingredients for Yam Milk Buns:
Yam Dough:
20g mashed yam
10g bread flour
50ml water
Bread Dough:
210g Bread flour
20g caster sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3g Instant yeast
95ml water
15g unsalted butter, rm tmp
Yam Filling:
150g mashed yam, preferably still hot from steaming
15g unsalted butter, room temperature
20g brown sugar
Sweet Crumb Topping:
5g milk powder
30g confectioner's sugar
15g cake flour
40g cold unsalted butter

Method:

• For the yam dough, place all ingredients in a pot over fire and stir constantly till the mixture comes to a thick paste. Let cool and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 60 minutes.
• Place all ingredients of the bread dough in a mixing bowl and add the yam dough in. Mix well till it becomes a soft dough.
• Knead the dough till it is not sticky and add the butter in and continue to knead. To test if dough is ready, stretch a small piece using the finger tips of both your hands. If you can pull the dough to almost see through texture without breaking it, it's probably done.
• Place the dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let proof for at least 80 minutes.
• For the yam filling, mix everything together when the mashed yam is still hot from steaming and let cool before refrigerating it.
• To make the crumb topping, mix all ingredients together using your finger tips and rub in till mixture resembles bread crumbs. Refrigerate till needed.
  
• After proofing, punch out the air in the dough and divide the dough into 8 equal parts.
  
• Roll each dough out into a flat disc using rolling pin and place 1/8 of the filling in the center. Fold and seal the edges and roll it to make buns round.
  
• Repeat with the rest of the dough & filling and place buns in muffin tins line with paper cups. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let proof for at least 60 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• After 2nd proofing, brush buns with egg wash and sprinkle crumb toppings on top of buns.
  
• Bake in oven for 20 minutes or till top is golden brown. Like the picture below:

In this recipe, be sure to use a good and fresh yam. Reason being that the buns' taste & fragrance depend heavily on it. Lucky for me, local yam is in season now and getting one was not hard. I have been told to avoid using China's yam...it's harder (won't mash easily after steaming) and less fragrant.
A close look of the creamy sweet yam filling....and the soft fluffy bun. Me and my husband really enjoyed it! I think I will make it again for our parents next time...I'm sure they will like it too. :) BTW, the buns are still really soft the next day. :)