Bakery Style Butter Bun Recipe

Butter Bun - Bakery Style, also known as cream doughnuts made with soft pillowy fried buns stuffed with creamy buttercream. Yeasted dough is shaped into buns and fried till soft, this is filled with a creamy butter, icing sugar filling which makes it super soft and buttery. Learn how to make the perfect bakery style butter bun with step by step pictures and video. Make sure you check my Madurai style butter bun.

Butter Bun

When we were little this is a special treat for us. Whenever mom goes for grocery shopping, she used to get butter bun. It is one of my childhood nostalgic dish. The bun used for butter bun is not baked. Later I found that the buns are deep fried which gives a oily outer coating and super fluffy interior. Also make sure you use white butter for the filling because that gives you the white cream layer. But you can use normal butter as well. The bun recipe is pretty basic just like your normal bun. But the filling is what matters.

About Butter Bun

Butter bun is a dish which are popular in bakeries in and around South India. It is also known as butter bun, paal bun, cream bun, Indian cream doughnuts. It is made with a yeasted dough, the dough is basic dough made with plain flour, sugar, butter, yeast, salt and milk. Using milk in the dough makes the buns tender and soft.

Proofed yeasted dough is divided into portions and rolled into small buns. This is allowed to rise once more to gets puffy. The buns used for making butter bun is not baked, but fried. Frying buns makes the texture more fluffy and light. I used the same technique in this bakery style fried chicken roll.

The cream filling used is similar to buttercream. It is made with butter, sugar, milk and vanilla.

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Watch Butter Buns Video

Butter Bun (Fried Bun) Ingredients

Plain Flour - I used plain flour for making yeasted dough. You can use half wheat flour and half refined flour.

Butter - I used melted butter for making the dough. You can use soft butter and add it into the dough and knead till soft. Butter adds flavour and makes the dough soft.

Dry yeast - The dough used in making butter bun is yeasted dough. Depending on the climate the rising time will vary.

Sugar - a little bit of sugar is used for activate the dough. You can use honey as well.

Salt - salt enhances the flavour of the buns.

Warm Milk - milk makes the buns soft tender and fluffy. You can use almond milk, oat milk or soy milk. Any dairy free milk can be used.

Butter Cream Filling Ingredients

The recipe for creamy butter filling is similar to making buttercream frosting. But it has relatively less icing sugar and milk. The cream filling which is used in butter bun is white in colour. So it is made either with white butter or vanaspati in bakeries.

I have made this buns with white butter and regular butter. Both resulted in fantastic results. So you can use either one of that. But if you have homemade butter you can use that.

I have also made this filling with icing sugar and regular sugar (which I powdered in a blender). Both were yummy. If you are using regular sugar, you might need to use less filling when spreading on the buns. Since it will turn out very sweet.

Vanilla extract and milk is optional. You can add or skip as per your liking. If your filling is too thick, add a tsp of milk or cream.

Frying Vs Baking

Traditionally bun used in butter bun is fried and not baked. Frying the buns results in more tender and slightly oily exterior which is iconic in the bun. But you can bake for healthier option.

Frying - frying buns makes them super soft and tender. The texture of the buns is unbeatable. It is more moist without any dryness. I strongly recommend frying the buns instead of baking for the authentic taste of butter bun.

Baking - for healthier alternative you can bake the buns. Bake the proofed buns in a 200 degree C oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Once it comes out of the oven, brush the top generously with melted butter. Cool it completely and fill them with cream.

How to Make Butter Bun (Stepwise Pictures)

Making Yeasted Dough

1)Take warm milk, sugar in a bowl. Make sure the milk is luke warm. The temperature of the milk to activate yeast should be around 100°–110°F.

Instead of sugar, you can use honey as sweetener.

2)Sprinkle dry yeast over the warm milk and mix it gently and set aside for 5 minutes for the yeast to activate.

Pro Tip: Make sure you check the temperature of the milk before adding yeast. I dip my finger in the milk and it should feel like a very warm bath.

3)Add in plain flour and salt into the warm milk mixture.

Pro Tip: Instead of plain flour, you can use half wheat flour and half plain flour.

4)Mix the plain flour into the milk yeast mixture to a sticky dough. Add in melted butter and knead it well.

Proofing Dough

5)Knead the dough into a soft sticky dough. Knead the dough for 4 to 5 minutes till it soft. Cover and let it rise for 1 to 2 hours for the dough to rise.

Shaping Buns

6)Once the dough is risen, Remove the dough from the bowl to a work surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions.

7)Take one portion of dough and start shaping it into a smooth ball. The dough will come together easily. Repeat this with the remaining dough ball.

8)Once the dough is shaped into even balls. Place it on a work surface and flatten the top slightly with your hands so when the dough ball rises it gets puffy.

Cover it again and let it rise for 30 minutes to 45 minutes until it gets doubled in size.

Frying Buns

9)For frying the buns. First heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pot. Don't heat till the oil gets super hot or smoky. Heat it on low medium heat.

Gently take the risen ball from the silicon mat.

10)Drop it smooth side down on hot oil. Fry on medium low heat for few minutes. The bottom side should get golden brown in colour. Now use a slotted spoon and flip it over and cook for few more minutes on other side too.

11)Strain the fried ball on to wire rack. Allow it to cool completely.

Making Butter Cream Filling

12)While the buns are cooling. Let's make buttercream filling. Take soft unsalted butter in a bowl. Cream it for few seconds. Add in half of the confectioners sugar (icing sugar) and mix well.

13)Cream the butter with icing sugar till creamy. Add in more icing sugar and cream well.

14)Add in few drops of vanilla extract and milk if needed. Cream again using a hand whisk or electric beater till smooth, creamy and fluffy.

15)Creamy buttercream filling is ready. Set this aside till needed.

Variation - Using White Butter for Filling

16)Here is a variation of the buttercream filling using white butter. Traditionally butter bun filling is white in colour. It is because of the white butter. I added icing sugar to white butter along with little milk and vanilla and whipped till creamy and fluffy.

If white butter is hard to find you can use the regular butter as shown above.

Filling Butter Buns

17)Take your fluffy buns, slit them open in half. Make sure the buns is completely cold when filling.

18)Spread a generous amount of butter filling. You can add more or less as per your liking. I like to use 2 tbsp of filling in each bun.

Spread the filling using a spatula and cover the bun.

19)Serve immediately.

Expert Tips

Dough : You can use half wheat flour and half plain flour for close to perfect result. If you want a healthier option, you can use whole wheat flour entirely. Honey can be used for sugar. Instead of using melted butter you can use soft butter and knead it well into the dough.

Use Stand Mixer - The entire dough can be kneaded in a stand mixer. Add all ingredients in a stand mixer and knead together for 6 to 8 minutes. 

Filling - white butter makes the filling white in colour. Milk is optional, depending on the consistency you can add milk. If the filling is too thick, you can add some milk and mix. 

Frying - Don't fry the buns in too high heat, else the outer will get too much colour and the centre will be raw. Cook the buns on medium to low heat. 

Baking instead of frying - You can bake the buns at 200 degree C for 15 to 20 minutes instead of frying. But the texture will be entirely different. 

Cool Before Filling - cool the buns completely before filling with cream. Else the buttercream will melt. 

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