Red Bean Swirl Buns

A package of Shirakiku Fine Sweetened Red Bean Paste has been sitting in my fridge for a few months now. I finally turned it into these beautiful swirly buns.

The recipe is from Mooncakes and Milk Bread by Kristina Cho. The dough base is the milk bread dough from her book. I was excited to practise the shaping technique which involves cutting slits, a twist, and a coil! (TikTok video demonstrating the process.)

I found that the dough gets very, very thin when you roll it to the suggested dimensions. It was easy to work with though. My daughter helped to spread the filling, and also to cut and shape. Don’t skimp on the red bean paste, you want enough in every bite.

Here they are after proofing. I love how the dough is opaque but thin enough for the filling to show in some of the buns.

Tada! So nice with the shiny egg glaze. I skipped the sugar syrup glaze that you can apply after baking.

For me, red bean paste brings back childhood memories. It’s not only familiar, but a taste that I truly love. Unfortunately, while my daughter enjoyed shaping these, she wasn’t that interested in tasting them. If you can’t finish them all in a few days, these buns froze well. We’re going to make them again, but using sweetened black sesame paste next time!