Breads (Sourdough) - Soft Buns/Rolls
Soft Sourdough Pandan Buns (Fluffy Asian-Inspired Bread)
June 19, 2021
| Recipe by Bake with Paws
Last Updated on July 17, 2025
By Bake with Paws
Sourdough Pandan Soft Bread Buns
Soft, fragrant, and naturally leavened with Sweet Stiff Starter
Introduction
Pandan is one of the most beloved and iconic flavours in Southeast Asian baking, often referred to as the “vanilla of the East.” The aroma of freshly blended pandan leaves brings instant comfort and nostalgia for many who grew up enjoying traditional Malaysian, Indonesian, or Thai desserts. Made from the long, narrow, and fragrant green leaves of the pandanus plant, pandan juice imparts a natural aroma, subtle sweetness, and a beautiful green hue.
These Sourdough Pandan Soft Bread Buns combine that nostalgic flavour with the magic of natural fermentation. I’ve always loved incorporating local ingredients into my baking, and this recipe is a perfect example—fragrant, naturally coloured, and ultra-soft, thanks to the combination of a Sweet Stiff Starter and the Yudane Method. These buns are a regular favourite in my home, ideal for breakfast, tea time, or anytime you want a gentle, comforting bite.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
✔️ Naturally leavened with sweet stiff starter – no commercial yeast
✔️ Uses real pandan juice for natural colour and aroma
✔️ Yudane method adds extra softness and moisture
✔️ Ideal for breakfast, snacks, or even sandwich buns
✔️ Lightly sweet, fluffy, and stays soft for days
What is Sweet Stiff Starter?
A Sweet Stiff Starter is a firm sourdough starter that’s fed at a lower hydration ratio (typically 50%) with added sugar. This type of starter is ideal for enriched breads because:
- It reduces sourness or tang in the final bread
- Provides a controlled and consistent fermentation
- Adds subtle sweetness and depth of flavour
What is the Yudane Method?
The Yudane Method involves scalding a portion of flour with boiling water, forming a pre-gelatinized dough. This improves:
- Moisture retention
- Softness of the crumb
- Shelf life of the bread
Yudane gives these pandan buns their pillowy texture and delicate bite, perfect for a soft enriched dough.
How To Make Soft Sourdough Pandan Buns
Ingredients (Yields: 16 buns)
Pandan Juice:
40g pandan leaves (approx. 10 medium leaves)
135g water
Yudane Dough:
95g bread flour (I used Japan High Gluten Flour)
95g boiling water
Sweet Stiff Starter (50% Hydration):
80g sourdough starter (100% Hydration), preferably use at its peak
240g bread flour (I used Japan High Gluten Flour)
100g pandan juice from the above
40g sugar (I used organic brown sugar)
Main Dough:
105g bread flour (I used Japan High Gluten Flour)
All stiff starter (above)
All the yudane dough (above)
25g light brown sugar (I used organic brown sugar)
1 1/4 tsp salt
60g egg, whisked (from 1 medium egg)
25g pandan juice from the above (do not add in first. Add in 1 tsp at a time if you feel the dough is dry) I added in about 10g.
25g extra virgin coconut oil
Egg Wash:
1 egg + 1 Tbsp water
Utensil:
9 inches square pan
Step-By-Step Instruction
- Pandan Juice:
- Cut the pandan leaves into chunks. Blend pandan leaves with water in a food processor until fine.
- Strain the blended pandan pulp through a sieve and squeeze out the juice. Pour into a jar. Place in refrigerator if you are don't use it immediately.
- Yudane:
- Add bread flour in a bowl, pour the boiling water and mix well with spatula or spoon until no dry flour.
- Cling film and leave on the counter for at least 4 hours or overnight in the fridge. I prepared the night before.
- Take out from the fridge 30 minutes before using to return to room temperature.
- Sweet Stiff Starter
- In a bowl of stand mixer, dilute starter with pandan juice, stir in sugar and add in bread flour. Mix with paddle attachment until well mixed and all come together. It can be done by hand mixing too.
- Cover and let it ferment until tripled. I prepared a night before and leave it in aircond room (approximately 24 - 25C room temperature) overnight until tripled. It took about 8 - 9 hours depending on your starter. It should take around 4 - 6 hours to get triple at room temperature at 28C - 30C. The starter should look smooth and round dome. It shouldn't collapse.
- Main Dough:
- Put all ingredients (except coconut oil) into a bowl of stand mixer. I usually slightly loose the stiff starter and yudane dough first.
- Slightly combine the mixture by hand with the paddle attachment before turning on the machine so that the flour will not splash out. Using the paddle attachment, mix for 2 minutes or until all incorporated. This step is critical to prevent an uneven mixed dough as the stiff starter is rather hard and a dough hook may not be able to mix it well enough.
- Change to hook attachment and knead for another 3 minutes or until the dough comes together. Add in coconut oil and knead until the coconut oil incorporate with the dough. It took quite a while about 6 - 7 minutes for the oil to blend into the dough. Once the oil is well incorporated with the dough, then continue kneading for another 7 - 8 minutes (approx.) or until the dough become smooth, silky and reach window pane stage. The whole kneading process, I stopped few times to scrape down the dough from the hook to be sure it is evenly kneaded and also to prevent the motor from overheating.
- 1st Proofing/Resting:
- In the same bowl, let the dough rest for 15 - 60 minutes. Keep it covered with clingfilm or use a lid. This dough I rested for 30 minutes and the dough rose quite a lot in 30 minutes. (I did not find any big differences between 15 minutes to 60 minutes rest. So, please follow your schedule).
- Shaping:
- Transfer the dough to a clean floured surface then divide dough into 16 or 9 equal portions. Please use a kitchen scale if you want to be exact.
- Form each portion to a ball. Please watch the video here "How to shape bun"
- Place buns onto the baking pan lined with parchment paper.
- Final Proofing:
- Let the buns proof at a warm place until the dough rise double in size. This one took approximately 2.5 hours at at room temperature of 29 - 30C. The duration of proofing depends on your ambient temperature and the starter.
- Baking:
- Preheat oven at 190C (top & bottom heat) or 170C (fan forced) for 10 - 15 minutes.
- Brush with egg wash.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 18 - 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Remove buns from oven and pan. Let them cool on rack.
Yudane Dough
Pandan Sweet Stiff Starter
Main Dough
Essential Tips for Great Results
- Sourdough Starter:
- A healthy starter is essential for successful bread baking. To ensure your bread rises well, it's important to feed your starter regularly and use it (the levain) at its peak. A consistently fed starter will be more active and reliable. If the mother starter isn’t strong, the dough may still struggle to rise properly, even if the levain is used at its peak. For more information, click the links: "How To Make Sourdough Starter" and "Sourdough Maintenance".
- Gluten Development:
- Essential for soft, airy bread, gluten is created when flour hydrates. To develop it, use techniques like autolyse or kneading. The windowpane test checks readiness—dough should stretch thin without tearing. From my experience, high hydration dough with high percentage of fat will be easy to stretch and achieve a paper thin windowpane stage.
- Kneading:
- Please regard the timing provided as an indication only. It is only meant as a guide. Times vary by flour and mixer type. For higher fat dough, knead longer (18–20 minutes).
- Flour & Hydration:
- Use high-gluten flour for optimal texture. Always reserve some liquid to adjust dough consistency for best results. If dough is too dry, add the reserve liquid one tablespoon at a time until the right consistency.
- Dough Temperature:
- Maintaining the right dough temperature during kneading is crucial for a fine crumb. If the dough becomes too warm, the crumb will become too big and uneven. To prevent this, use cold water, milk, or eggs, and chill your mixing bowl or hook attachment in the freezer. Knead at low speeds, and if your kitchen is warm, rest the dough in a cooler spot. Proper dough temperature ensures a soft, fluffy bread with a fine, even crumb.
- Proofing:
- Proofing time depends on your environment. Use the finger poke test to gauge readiness. To check dough readiness, lightly press the side with your finger:
- If it bounces back instantly, it’s under-proofed and needs more time.
- If the indentation stays, it’s over-proofed.
- If the indentation slowly bounces back, it’s ready to bake.
- There’s also a final rise called oven spring when the dough bakes, which adds to the bread’s height.
- Wrinkle Top or Shrinking:
- If your bread collapses or develops wrinkles on top after baking, it might be over-proofed during the second rise. Aim for the dough to rise to 80-90% of its final size or just below the rim of the pan to prevent this. Over-proofing leads to weaker structure, causing the bread to lose shape.
- Baking & Oven Temperarate:
- Do also note that the baking temperature and timing provided are what works for my oven and should also be regarded as a guide only. Every oven behaves a little differently, so please adjust accordingly for your oven.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using old pandan juice: It can oxidize quickly and lose aroma. Always use freshly blended juice.
- Under-kneading enriched dough: This can cause a dense crumb. Make sure the dough is elastic and passes the windowpane test.
- Overproofing: Enriched sourdough doughs can overproof more quickly than lean doughs. Keep an eye on volume and bounce.
- Too much flour during shaping: This can affect final texture. Light dusting is enough.
Ingredient Substitutions and Variations
Pandan juice:
If fresh pandan leaves are unavailable, you may use natural pandan extract or paste diluted in water. Be sure to adjust the water amount in the main dough accordingly to maintain the correct dough hydration.
Coconut milk:
Enhances the Southeast Asian flavour. Can be replaced with milk if preferred.
Sweet filling:
You can fill the buns with kaya, sweet coconut (serunding), or red bean paste for extra indulgence.
Butter: Replace with coconut oil for a dairy-free option.
Troubleshooting Guide
- If your buns turn out dense, it's likely the dough wasn’t kneaded enough or the proofing was cut short. Be sure to knead until smooth and elastic, and allow the dough to rise adequately.
- If the pandan aroma is weak, the pandan juice may have been diluted or not freshly made. Use concentrated pandan juice extracted from at least 10–12 leaves.
- If the tops brown too fast, your oven may run hot. Tent with foil during the last 5–8 minutes of baking.
- If the crumb is dry, it may have overbaked. Check internal temperature around the 18-minute mark and remove once done.
Serving Suggestions and Storage
To Serve:
Enjoy warm or at room temperature
Pair with coffee or tea for an afternoon snack
Fill with coconut jam (kaya) for a classic Malaysian twist
Storage:
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days
Refrigerate up to 5 days
Freeze individually wrapped buns for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature or reheat in microwave.
FAQ
Q: Can I use liquid sourdough starter instead of stiff starter?
A: This recipe is developed for stiff starter, which yields better flavour and structure in enriched doughs. A liquid starter may work with adjustments but texture may differ.
Q: How long can I store pandan juice?
A: Fresh pandan juice can be stored in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days in an airtight container. Pour away the top clear layer before using.
Q: Can I use commercial yeast instead?
A: You can, but it will no longer be naturally leavened. If you want faster rise and less tang, you may add a pinch (1/8 tsp) of instant yeast to the sourdough version.
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Labels:
Breads (Sourdough) - Soft Buns/Rolls,
Hiya, this sounds so fluffy and light ~ I can't wait to try this! how much milk powder should we include and is this added as part of the main dough?
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for reading this recipe. I did not use milk powder in this recipe. Actually without milk is very nice too. If you would like to add milk powder, you can add about 25g for 8" pan recipe and 30g for 9" pan recipe.
DeleteCheers:)
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI have leftover pandan juice in my fridge, would it be possible to use it instead of making a fresh one ? if yes, could you suggest how much ml ? I'd love to try this recipe asap.. thank you very much
Hi, thanks for reading this post. Yes, you can. But, I do not know how concentrated your pandan juice. You can use the same amount if it is not very concentrated.
DeleteCheers :)
Do you think we could add desiccated coconut to the main dough? Can I omit the coconut oil?
ReplyDeleteHi, It is totally up to you if you like to add desiccated coconut. But, I cannot imagine how it is going to be like.
DeleteYes, you can replace coconut oil with butter or other vegetable oil.
Cheers :)