Tri-colour buns

Not only are these tri-colour buns pretty to look at but they are also delicious! These tri-colour buns might look fancy but they are actually super easy to make if you know how to braid!

I’ve been making yeast bread so much lately that I’ve been doing a lot more experimenting than usual. This round of experimenting included me using mango and pandan flavouring to add natural colouring to the buns!

The most “difficult” part about the whole process is that you need to knead 3 separate doughs because you have 3 different colours. It’s so worth it though because the colours make them something unique and special.

I used pandan and mango paste for my buns but if you don’t have those at home, you can knead 1/2 tablespoon of matcha powder into one dough and 1/2 tablespoon of cocoa powder into the other to add colour a different way.

I suggest 1/2 tablespoon of each as that will prevent the dough from drying out too much from the addition of the powder. However, you can add more if the colour is not vibrant enough because colours tend to dull during the baking process.

Tri-colour buns (makes 8)

Roux recipe

• 1/2 cup bread flour
• 200 mL water

Bread recipe

• 4 cups bread flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 8 g instant yeast
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon pandan paste
• 1 tablespoon mango paste

Method

1. Make the water roux by combining the bread flour and water in a saucepan on medium-low heat. Stir the mixture until combined. Let the mixture cook until a paste forms. Stir occasionally to prevent it from burning. Remove from heat.
2. In a large bowl, add in the bread flour, sugar, salt, yeast, eggs and milk. Using a dough hook, knead the dough until combined. Knead the dough for 5 minutes.
3. Cut the butter into small cubes and knead it into the dough. Knead the dough for another 10 minutes to develop the gluten. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions and put them into separate bowls. Knead the pandan paste into one of the portions and mango paste into another portion. Leave the last portion plain. Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place for 2 hours or until it has doubled in size.
4. Once the dough is ready, divide each of the coloured doughs into 8 equal pieces. You should have 24 portions of yeast dough. Take one of each colour (pandan, plain, and mango) and roll each portion into a rope. Braid the 3 pieces of dough together and press on the ends to seal it. Roll the braid together to form a bun then place them onto a lined baking tray. Cover and let the buns rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
5. Preheat the oven to 350F.
6. Bake the buns at 350F for 15 – 20 mins until they are golden brown. Let cool and eat on its own or with jam/butter.

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