Ultra pillowy soft coffee buns with heavenly buttery goodness. It has just the right amount of coffee to tease and wake your senses! The smell of them while baking filling the kitchen was simply divine.
They were amazing...and gone too fast! I am not a big coffee fan (tea person here) but these buns are so difficult to resist.
I had to admit, I was hesitant to undertake the task of making these coffee buns at first. I mean, how do you make such a perfect dome of a bun that soft and buttery but airy at the same time. And that crispy crust covering the entire thing, it's magic! I love them but I usually just buy them and not make them myself. But after several people have requested it, I finally pick up the courage to do it.
As I did my research, I realized that it is not that hard after all. I guess I now have some experience in making yeast bread and sticky doughs, like the one I used for making Loaf Bread, Ube Pandesal, and Filipino cheese bread. These are all soft and pillowy bread but made using different techniques.
But making this Kopi Roti a.k.a. "Rotiboy" buns are more similar to making brioche but with lesser butter and no need for sponge dough. So yes, it is not all that difficult to make.
What flour to use for Coffee Buns?
Bread flour is normally used for Kopi Roti. Bread flour has a higher protein content compared to all-purpose flour. This means it produces more gluten and can absorb more liquid. This gives it the ability to rise higher and hold its shape better.
This recipe has high butter content for its delicious flavor. But fats inhibit doughs from getting too elastic or to rise too high. So we want a strong dough that would be able to rise high and hold its form well without trading off that buttery goodness.
Can you substitute bread flour with all-purpose flour or vice versa?
I get this question a lot for my other bread recipes. The answer is yes, you can. But, of course, the result would not be exactly the same. But sometimes the difference is not that noticeable unless you really are a discerning customer when it comes to bread.
The faintly noticeable difference is that dough made with bread flour tends to be slightly chewier with more airy crumbs. And all-purpose flour is cheaper to buy.
Tips for making the best Kopi Roti
- Freeze you butter for the filling after cutting them into cubes. This will ensure that they do not melt into the dough while shaping and waiting for them to rise before baking.
- If you are not going to use the coffee topping immediately or it is too warm in your kitchen, refrigerate it so it will not melt. Actually it is better to refrigerate the coffee buttercream topping for a few minutes before adding it to the dough. This way it will not melt too fast in the oven and will form a thicker crispy crust on top of the buns rather than at the bottom on the pan.
- Kopi Roti is best eaten freshly baked while still warm. The coffee caramel crust will lose its crunch after some time. You can bake it again for 10 minutes to get that crunch back.
Printable Recipe
Coffee Buns (Kopi Roti)
Ingredients
DOUGH:
- 2 ½ cups bread flour -presifted
- 3 tablespoons caster sugar - or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 220 ml lukewarm milk
- 1 large egg -beaten
- 60 grams unsalted butter -softened
FILLING:
- 80 grams butter -cut into 8 cubes and frozen. See NOTE 1
COFFEE CARAMEL TOPPING:
- 1 tablespoon strong instant coffee powder - See NOTE 2
- 1 tablespoon hot water
- 60 grams unsalted butter -softened at room temperature
- ¼ cup caster sugar -or granulated sugar
- 1 large egg -room temperature. See NOTE 5
- 1 teaspoon dutch-processed cocoa powder -optional
- ⅔ cup cake flour See NOTE 3
Instructions
TO MAKE THE DOUGH:
- In a large bowl, mix together bread flour, sugar, and salt. Then sprinkle instant yeast and mix again.
- Pour in lukewarm milk and add the beaten egg. Mix for a minute until a sticky dough forms. Add the softened butter and fold it into the dough with your hands until well combined. It will be very greasy in the beginning. As you knead the dough in the bowl, it will be less and less greasy or sticky. Knead for about 10-12 minutes or until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
- Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it almost doubles in size.
- Gently punch down the dough and tip it on a flour surface. Cut the dough into 8 equal parts.
- Take one a piece of the dough and shape it in a small disk. Place a cube of frozen butter in the middle and enclose it by pulling the seams of the dough over and around it. Shape into a ball and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let at least 3-inch space around each buns as they will expand during the second rising and while baking.
- Cover the shaped buns with kitchen towel and let them rise until they almost double in size. Meanwhile prepare the coffee buttercream topping.
COFFEE BUTTERCREAM TOPPING (while waiting for the dough to rise)
- In a small bowl, dissolve the coffee powder in hot water. Set aside.
- In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar using a whisk or hand mixer (low speed). Add the egg and whisk until smooth but not frothy. Add the cocoa powder and mix again. Pour in the dissolved coffee and mix until well blended.
- Sift the cake flour while adding it to the mixture. Fold in using a spatula until well combined. Transfer the mixture in a piping bag or a sandwich bag and cut a small opening.
ASSEMBLE AND BAKING
- Preheat oven to 180°C/ 355°F.
- Pipe a layer of coffee buttercream on top of each bun, in a coil-like pattern. Starting from the center going out until the top half is fully covered.
- Bake the buns for 15 minutes. Turn of the heat and leave the buns in the oven for another 10 minutes. Take them out and transfer to a cooling rack.
- Serve the buns while still warm and enjoy with a cup of hot coffee or tea or chocolate.
Ginger says
Hi! It said in the coffee filling to sift cake flour but its not in the ingredients. Was that a mistake in the instructions?
Bebs says
Hi Ginger, there is no coffee filling in this recipe. The cake flour is for the coffee caramel topping and it says 2/3 cup.
Che says
Hello! It is about time for me to do this bread again. This recipe is a great one. I loved it! I am just having problem. The bread still smells like yeast. Do you know how to prevent it?
Thanks!
Bebs says
Hi Che, you can try reducing the amount of yeast. Normally we have natural yeast around us and if you bake more, the lesser yeast you'll need.
Leah says
I know i did something wrong 😅 my dough did not form like the video. It was too sticky like cake batter-ish. I added more flour to be able to knead it. The butter inside just melted. It taste like ensaymada 😅 i will practice more 🥰 this is my first time to bake bread using yeast. Any more tips to share? 😁 thanks in advance.
Bebs says
Hi Leah, practice more and you will get it eventually. Remember that flour have different absorption and you really may need to adjust the flour and water ratio (everytime). The butter is supposed to melt while it bakes and make it really buttery.
con says
hello, I just did this recipe, but my coffe buttercream didn't 'spread down' while the baking process. Is it due to the salted butter instead of unsalted, that was used?
the dough though, was absolutely perfect!
Bebs says
Hi Con, yes it could be the quality of the butter and make sure you use softened butter (not cold, not melted).
Larisa says
Thank you very much for this amazing recipe! It turned out so well, I still can’t believe it! The smell, the taste, the texture - are just perfect! ❤️
April says
Thank you Foxy Folksy for this recipe. My mom loved the coffee buns so much. More power!
Naing Zaw says
very nice .
Kharla says
Hello,
What is the bread flour in Germany? Is it the Dinkel Mehl? I was looking for bread flour in Marktkauf but wasn’t sure what to take 😅
Bebs says
Hi Kharla, you look for Brotmehl but Typ 550 should be ok.
Rash says
Hi! It went out perfectly! The topping is crispy and really good. One concern tho.. I know that the topping would loosen its crisp after awhile but is it normal for it to become sticky too?
Bebs says
Hi rash, yes after some time the coating loses its crispiness. If it becomes sticky maybe it is because of the humidity and the crust absorbs the moisture around it.
Hayati Abdul says
Just baked these roti buns, followed the recipe to a T. Turned out amazing - fluffy , pillowy and tasty. Thank you for sharing useful tips/notes. The recipe will be our tea time favourite. Might add bit of shredded cheese to the butter when we bake again.
Javouhey says
I wish I had time to make it; but I just bought it at my bakery. Now my office is so fragrant! Anyway, with inflation; the price of one coffee bun in 2022 is up 50 cents.
Sarah says
Could I make this without the coffee? I know it’s not much caffeine, but I have caffeine sensitive family members.
Bebs says
Hi Sarah, it would not be the same but it would still be good buns. You can also sub it with cocoa powder if you like.
Alyssa Maidy Cayabyab says
Why my buns deflating?
Bebs says
Hi Alyssa, it means it has risen too much and the gluten is weak to hold its form. Did you use breadflour?
Maidy says
Hi! Can I use powdered sugar instead of caster sugar?
Bebs says
Yes you can, Maidy.
Anna says
Thanks for the recipe. We love it. It’s soft and fluffy. I modified the steps by mixing warm milk, 1 tbsp sugar and instant yeast together. The remaining of 2tbsp of sugar were added to the flour as per your recipe.
May I prepared more of the coffee caramel and store in the freezer for future use?
Bebs says
Hi Anna, I am glad that you like it! As for storing the "frosting", I have not tried it, but I think it should be ok. Place it on a ziplock to freeze, you can make it in portions. When ready to use thaw at room temperature.
Saher says
Hey. This recipe seems promising. Will gove a try. Just a quick question. Wouldn't it smell of egg ? Can we yse a bit of vanilla ?
Bebs says
Nope, it won't. It would smell of butter and coffee.. yum!
Karla says
Hi! Can I use all purpose flour instead?
Bebs says
You can but it might not have the same height/ volume...just do not let it rise too much.
Roy says
Baked these into perfect buns the 2nd time around! Thanks for this recipe! By the way, can I also make this into a loaf using the same ingredients? Would the cooking time be longer? Thanks 🙂
Bebs says
Hi Roy, yes baking time will have to be altered because of the size, and bigger means longer to bake.
Mia says
Hi, thanks for sharing this! 🙂 your recipe looks promising. I have done this a couple of times with YT tutorials but I always end up with wet and sticky coating a little over a minute after baking. It just got worse the next day. Super sticky! Where did it possibly went wrong? 🙁
Bebs says
Hi Mia, try this recipe first and let me know how it goes.
Geet Karu says
It was so good! Reminded me of Roti Boy back in Malaysia. Looking forward to making it again- tomorrow!
Bebs says
That is great, Geet! Glad you like it.
Ophel says
I made this today and it was really really soft and delicious! I followed everything including your tips!! It was my first time ever to bake and I’m glad I found this recipe! My family loved it! 😊
Bebs says
I am happy that you and your family love it, Ophel.
Ophel says
Hi! What kind of milk do you use?
Bebs says
I used regular fresh milk for this one.
Jo-Ann Saenz says
Can I make the dough night before and refrigerate and do last rise in the morning?
Bebs says
Hi Jo-ann, when you refrigerate it overnight it will actually rise in the fridge but very slowly. Then you can bake it in the morning.
Fathima says
Hi,
How long does the crunchy coffee crust remains crusty ?
Can u approximately tell for how many hours ?
Bebs says
Depends really, if there is a lot of moisture or high humidity in your area it will soak it up and lose its crustiness faster.
Rachael says
Hi! I made these today and they are delicious & I am officially obsessed!
As much as I love them, I am trying to practice self control & not eat all 8 in one sitting so I was wondering what is the best way to store these while I devour them over the next few days?
Thank you
Bebs says
Hi Rachael, I have exactly the same problem!😉. You can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for some days or refrigerate for longer, but it will not be the same as freshly baked.
Sharon says
I made these today and they were a hit! Thank you for a great recipe!
If I make the buns smaller (half the size), for how long would you recommend baking the buns?
Bebs says
I would say, about 10-12 minutes.
Jordan Williams says
Can you re-post the video? I think the link is broken. Thanks!
Bebs says
It is playing on my end.