To make the dough, heat the butter in the microwave for approximately 30 seconds to soften it and then add to the warm milk. Mix to combine the two ingredients and set aside.
75 g butter, 200 ml milk
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the dry ingredients for the dough (flour, salt, sugar and yeast). Add the milk mixture and use the dough hook to knead until just combined. Alternatively, you can use a regular bowl and knead by hand. Get ready for a workout!
500 g flour, ½ tsp salt, 90 g caster sugar, 7 g yeast
Add the eggs to the mixture and continue kneading until you get a smooth dough. At this point, I like to remove the dough from the mixer bowl and shape the dough into a tight ball.
2 eggs
Place the ball of dough into a floured bowl, cover with a tea towel and allow the dough to rise for approximately one hour.
To make the coconut filling, combine the coconut, sugar, vanilla extract and water in a medium saucepan. Cook the mixture over a low heat, stirring constantly. Once the mixture has the texture of a thick paste, remove from the heat and set aside in a bowl to cool.
40 g desiccated coconut, 60 g caster sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 5 tbsp water
Sprinkle a handful of flour on a clean bench, then roll the dough and cut into 10 even pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a ball in your hands, then flatten each piece to get a circle. Put one teaspoon of coconut mixture in the centre and fold the edges towards the centre to close. Pinch the edges together with your fingers and lightly roll into a round shape.
Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the buns, seam down, onto the tray with a 2-3 cm gap between the buns to allow them space to expand. Cover the buns with a cloth and allow to stand for one hour. Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Brush the buns with milk, then bake for 12 minutes until they are golden.
Allow the buns to cool and enjoy with a cup of hot tea for breakfast or lunch.
Notes
If you are using a stand mixer, mix the dough on a low speed until the loose flour is mostly incorporated. Then, increase to a high speed and mix for 8 minutes. Turn the dough onto a floured bench and knead a few times before leaving to rise for one hour
Depending on your climate, your dough may take longer than one hour to rise. As a guide, the dough should have doubled in size. If it is cold in your kitchen, give it more time to rise otherwise you may get a dense bun dough.
You can use your scale to weigh out each piece of dough to get even sized buns