Nuts-and-Seeds Mexican Bun

When people talk about Mexican buns, what comes to your mind? I will most probably think of the sweet buns with crusty coffee topping, made famous by Rotiboy in the Southeast Asia region. I am not sure why it is called a Mexican Bun. Is it associated with the Mexican Conchas? Comment below and share with me, if you know the origin of the name. The buns which I made this morning were not the crusty coffee buns commonly found in local bakeries….. By the way, do check out my YouTube video on how I made my coffee buns now. 😉

In contrast to coffee buns, I decided to create a healthier version, with an added boost of the goodness from nuts and seeds. Various nuts and seeds, including pecan, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, white sesame seeds and black sesame seeds, were sprinkled on my Mexican buns to bring more crunchiness and aroma. The nuts and seeds also complemented the sweetness from the crusty cookie topping. The cookie topping was crusty and slightly crunchy when the bread was just freshly baked.

Next time, perhaps I will experiment with various other flavours of cookie topping, such as matcha, chocolate, or may be Earl Grey tea as well.

Enjoy our Sunday baking time! 🙂

Ingredients (Yield: 13 -14 buns )

(A) Bread dough
Bread flour 270g
Cake flour 30g
Sugar 30g
Salt 1/4 tsp
Yeast 5g
Egg 50g
Milk 140g
Butter 30g

(B) Topping
Butter, softened 100g
Icing sugar 70g
Egg 100g
Cake flour 100g

Pecan nuts, toasted & chopped 30g
Sunflower seeds, toasted 15g
Pumpkin seeds, toasted 15g
White sesame seeds, 10g
Black sesame seeds, 10g

(C) Filling
Salted butter 100g

Method:

1. To make the bread dough: In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (bread flour, cake flour, salt, sugar and yeast).
2. Mix in egg and milk. Knead the dough, starting at low speed and gradually increasing to medium speed.
3. When the dough comes together and clears the side of the bowl, add the butter and continue to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough should be stretchable without breaking easily.
4. Cover and rest the dough at room temperature for about an hour.
5. Divide the dough into 40 grams each. Round the dough and rest for 15 minutes before shaping.
6. Flatten the dough slightly. Put a teaspoon of salted butter at the center. Be careful not to let the butter touch the rim of the dough. Seal and round the dough.
7. Apply a thin layer of egg wash or water on the top of the buns, and sprinkle the nuts and seeds evenly on top.
8. Proof the buns for about 40 minutes, or until they almost double in size.
9. While the buns are proofing, prepare the butter topping. Cream the softened butter with icing sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs gradually and ensure they are well emulsified with the butter mixture. Add in sifted cake flour and mix well.
10. Put the topping mixture into a piping bag. If the batter is too soft, chill it for about 30 minutes.
11. Once the proofing is done, pipe the topping in spiral shape, starting from the top center of the bun and covering as close to the outside edge of the bun as possible.
12. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius, for about 10 minutes or until the bottoms are browned and the tops are darkened slightly.