Fluffy and tender Chinese corn mayo bread made with a milk bread dough, topped with a gooey corn mayonnaise topping. Make the Chinese bakery style bread in your own kitchen for breakfast, an afternoon snack or picnic! {Vegetarian}
Chinese corn mayo bread is a type of soft bread that is a staple in Chinese bakeries, where it often sits alongside other favorites like red bean buns, egg tarts, and hot dog buns.
The dough is made from a milk bread dough, with fluffy, moist and extra tender texture. The bread has a topping made of sweet corn mixed with mayonnaise, sometimes mixed with tiny pieces of ham. The combination of the slightly sweet corn and the creamy, tangy mayonnaise creates a hearty taste that is both savory and slightly sweet. It is one of my favorite kinds of bread from Chinese bakeries.
In this recipe, I want to show you how to make this fun bread using a simplified milk bread dough recipe. You simply need to mix the ingredients with a stand mixer to create that heavenly texture.
Corn mayo bread ingredients
Chinese Corn Mayo Bread is a perfect example of how seemingly simple ingredients can come together to create something truly special. You only needs these pantry ingredients below:
- Corn
- Mayonnaise
- Milk
- Egg
- Butter
- Active dry yeast
- Bread flour
- Sugar
- Salt
How to make corn mayo bread
Making corn mayo bread is a two part process.
Prepare the milk bread dough
- Activate the yeast
- Mix the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl
- Add the wet ingredients
- Knead until a shaggy dough forms
- Scrape the dough and mix again, until the dough is smooth
- Rest the dough until doubled in size
Assemble and bake the corn mayo bread
- Divide the dough into 12 pieces
- Round up each piece of dough
- Flatten the dough with your hands
- Press a cup over the dough to make an indentation
- Rest the dough until the size doubles, then brush with egg wash
- Bake the dough for 10 minutes, then use the cup to make the indentation again
- Add the corn mayo topping
- Keep baking until the buns are golden and fully baked
Tip
Most corn mayo bread recipes add the corn mayo filling before starting the baking process. However, I found out that it makes a nicer bread if you bake the bread a bit, then add the topping. This way, the mayonnaise won’t melt away, creating a soggy texture. The corn will have a better texture as well.
How to store and serve corn mayo bread
In China, this bread is often enjoyed as a breakfast item, a midday snack, or for a picnic. It’s easy to see why: the bread is satisfying but not overly heavy, making it a perfect pick-me-up. The savory-sweet flavor is also incredibly versatile, appealing to kids and adults alike.
The corn mayo bread tastes the best when it’s fresh out of the oven and still a bit warm. But you can easily store them in the fridge or in the freezer. For corn mayo bread out of the fridge or freezer, it’s best to slightly warm it up in the oven before serving. The bread will return to its light and soft texture after reheating.
Other delicious Asian bakery recipes
- Chinese Coconut Buns (Cocktail Buns)
- Pineapple Buns (Bolo Bao)
- Taro Bread
- Chinese Walnut Cookies (核桃酥)
- Chinese Egg Cake (鸡蛋糕)
Corn Mayo Bread (玉米沙拉面包)
Ingredients
Dough
- 260 ml (1 cup + 1 tablespoon) milk , heated to 110°F / 43°C
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) active dry yeast
- 400 g (2 3/4 cups) bread flour
- 75 g (1/3 cup) sugar
- 4 g (1 teaspoon) salt
- 40 g (3 tablespoons) butter , melted
- 1 large egg
Egg wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream (or milk)
Filling
- 240 g (1 1/2 cup) sweet corn
- 90 g (1/3 cup) mayonnaise (use kewpie mayo if possible)
Instructions
To make the dough
- Combine the warm milk, a pinch of sugar (from the sugar you plan to use in the dough), and dry yeast in a small bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes for the yeast to activate. When it’s ready, the yeast should be bubbly.
- Add the flour, sugar, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer and create a well in the center. Pour the activated yeast, melted butter, and egg into the well. Attach the dough hook. Mix on low until a shaggy dough begins to form. During mixing, stop the mixer and scrape the flour from the walls of the bowl if needed.
- Turn the speed to medium (setting 4) and knead for 15 to 20 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Observe the dough during the process. If the dough is too wet and cannot be gathered by the dough hook, sprinkle some flour, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the dough comes together. If it’s too dry, you can add a bit more milk. This is a wet dough. And it’s normal to have a small amount of dough stick to the bottom of the mixing bowl the whole time.
- Spray or grease a large bowl with a thin layer of oil (or butter).
- Once the dough is ready, gather it into a ball and place in the oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Rest until doubled, about an hour or so (It can take anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes depending on heat and humidity).
Roll out the dough & 2nd rise
- Punch the fully risen dough down to deflate it. Transfer it to a clean working surface and knead briefly, until it returns to its original size.
- Cut the dough into 12 even pieces. You can use a scale to weigh each piece of dough so the buns will come out perfectly evenly sized. For 12 buns, it’s 65 g per piece. Immediately cover all the dough with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.
- Dust the flour on the working surface and on your hands. One piece at a time, pull and pinch the dough together at the top until the dough is rounded. Flip the piece so that the pinched part of the dough faces down on the working surface. Place your palm and fingers over the ball forming a domed cage. Roll the dough in small circular motions while applying light pressure to the dough. Flatten each dough ball into a disk with a rolling pin or simply press with your fingers, about 1/4” thick (0.6 cm) and 4“ (10 cm) in diameter. Arrange the flattened dough on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Use a glass that has a smaller diameter than the flattened dough and coat its bottom with flour. Press the center of each dough firmly with the glass to make an indentation.
- Once all the dough is formed, let rest for 20 minutes or so before baking, or until the buns double in size.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C).
To make the topping
- Mix the mayonnaise and corn in a medium bowl.
Prepare the egg wash
- Make the egg wash just before baking by combining the egg and heavy cream in a small bowl. Stir to mix well.
Bake the buns
- Once the buns have finished their second rise, brush the edges gently with the egg wash. Bake at 350°F (176°C) for 10 minutes, until the bread starts to show light golden color on some edges. Use the same glass to press the center of each bread again to reinforce the indentation. Add 2 tablespoons of corn topping to each bun. Rotate the pan and bake for another 5 minutes, or until the topping is just set and the bread turns golden. Transfer the dish to a wire rack to cool.
- Serve the buns warm or at room temperature.
Store and reheat
- Once the buns have cooled off completely, place them in a ziplock bag or airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To reheat the buns, you can either microwave them or bake them in a 300°F (148°C) oven until warmed throughout, 5 minutes for refrigerated buns or 10 to 15 minutes for frozen ones.
