Cheesy, buttery, creamy, sweet, and salty, these Chinese sausage bread buns are packed full of flavor. A soft and airy milk bread bun topped with a wide assortment of toppings, this Chinese sausage bun will be a big hit with the family!

What is a Chinese Sausage Bread?

If you ever pop into a Chinese bakery shop then you’d probably come across some Chinese sausage bread (腸仔包).

I was first introduced to these buns a few decades back at a local Chinese bakery shop. I was instantly mesmerized by the bright and colorful bun with its wide assortment of colors which caught my attention.

After taking just one bite, that was that. I was hooked!

These Chinese hot dog buns are shaped in a double figure 8 shape and topped with a delicious assortment of toppings such as crunchy sweet corn, shredded cheese, dried parsley, and a creamy sweet and sour kewpie mayo sauce. The milk bread bun is extra soft and fluffy with hints of sweetness that perfectly complement the saltiness of the hotdog/sausage.

Due to their extensive flavor and texture profile, these Asian sausage bread buns are very popular at Asian bakeries, along with their close cousins the original Chinese hot dog bun. There are also variations of these Chinese sausage buns that utilize different toppings such as bacon bits and onions as well.

I usually pick up a couple of these buns every time I stop by a Chinese bakery and I’m craving something savory and salty.

Chinese sausage buns being sold at a Chinese bakery

Now you might also have come across these buns outside of a Chinese bakery due to their popularity in the Asian community.

I believe South Korea have their own version of this sausage bread called so se ji ppang or Korean sausage bread and I have seen videos and photos online of a Japanese sausage bread version as well.

I remember vividly the last time I was in Vietnam, I saw some bakeries in Vietnam like Breadtalk sell these buns and if I’m not mistaken they are also sold in Singapore and Malaysia as well under a similar name.

As you can tell, these Asian hot dog buns are very popular over in Asia.

Now while the bun looks nice and fancy and you’d expect it to be overly complicated to make, these Chinese bakery-style hot dog buns are actually quite easy to make.

Let me share with you my Chinese sausage bread recipe and how to make them.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients

Tangzhong:

Water 100ml
Bread flour 20 g

Dough:

Bread flour 300 g
Milk 95 ml (room temperature) (skim, 1%, 2%, whole, etc)
1 large egg (room temperature)
Instant yeast 5g
Unsalted butter 20 g (room temperature)
White granulated sugar 40 g
Table salt 2g
Milk powder 6 g

Filling:

6 hotdogs/sausages
110g of shredded cheddar/mozzarella cheese
100g of frozen corn
1 tsp of dried parsley
5 Tbsp of kewpie Japanese mayo

Egg wash:

1 large egg
splash of milk (1/2 tsp)

Butter glaze:

1-2 Tbsp of melted unsalted butter

Garnish:

2 Tbsp of Ketchup

Ingredient Notes

Hotdogs/Sausages: You can use any kind of hotdog/sausage that you like. I just used the most cheap kind that was on sale at my grocery store.

Kewpie mayo: To really get the most out of this recipe, I recommend using kewpie mayo instead of regular mayo. Kewpie mayo is milder when it comes to sourness and has a hint of sweetness to it compared to regular mayo which compliments the rest of the ingredients nicely.

Frozen corn: I used frozen corn as it’s cheap and quick to prepare compared to using fresh corn but you can also use fresh corn or canned corn.

Cheese: For this recipe, you can use any type of shredded cheese that you prefer as long as it isn’t overpowering eg. parmesan. I used mainly cheddar cheese for my buns but mozzarella also works well for this recipe.

Substitutions

Cow’s milk: If you’re lactose intolerant then you can substitute cow’s milk with almond or oat milk.
Corn: If you don’t like corn or you want something with more crunch, you can substitute it with some onions or bell peppers.

How to Make Chinese Sausage Bread

Making the Tangzhong

We’re going to start off by making our Tangzhong, a water roux. This will make our bread nice and airy when baking and keep it soft longer.
In a small saucepan, add your bread flour and water. Heat the pan on low heat while constantly stirring it until the mixture turns into a thick gelatinous paste.

Then remove the pan from the stove and transfer it to a small bowl or dish. Cover it with plastic wrap and then store it in the fridge and let it cool down for at least 30 minutes before using. You can also make your Tangzhong the night before as well.

After our Tangzhong has cooled down, we’re going to make our dough.

Making the Dough

In a large mixing bowl, add in your bread flour, white granulated sugar, table salt, instant yeast, milk powder, 1 egg, and the Tangzhong from earlier.

Pop the mixing bowl into a stand mixer and give it a quick few whisks.
Then add in your room temperature milk and mix everything together for 3-4 minutes.

Then add in your room temperature butter and continue kneading the dough for an additional 11-12 minutes.

Next, transfer the dough over to a greased large bowl.
Then shape the dough into a round ball. if you find the dough difficult to handle then you can apply either some oil or water to your hands.

Once done shaping the dough, place it back into the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a towel, and let it proof in a warm place until double in size, approximately 1 hour.

Preparing the Toppings

Bring a medium-sized pot of water to boil and add in your hotdogs/sausages and cook the hotdogs/sausages until they begin to float up or until they are cooked (roughly 5-6 minutes). Then remove the hotdogs/sausages from the pot, use a paper towel to dry the hotdogs and then set them aside.

In another small pot, boil some water and then add in your frozen corn and blanch the corn until it floats on top. Strain the corn and set it aside.

Once the corn is dry, add it to a bowl along with the cheese, kewpie mayo, and dried parsley.
Mix everything well together and then store it in the fridge for later use.

Shaping the Dough

Once our dough has finished proofing, de-gase the dough and transfer it to your countertop.
Shape it into a ball and weigh out the dough.

Next, divide the dough into 6 pieces and weigh out each piece.

Then shape each piece into a round ball and then cover it and let it rest for about 20 minutes to relax the dough.

Then take one piece of the dough and flatten it. Now roll one side of the dough so that it’s slightly wider than the length of the hotdog/sausage.
Place 1 hotdog/sausage in the middle of the dough and then pinch all of the sides together in the center to seal the hotdog in the dough. Also, grab the ends of the dough and bring them inwards on top of the hotdog.

Now flip the dough over and give it a few rolls to smooth out the dough.
Now using some scissors, make 7 straight cuts about 3/4 of the way through the dough cutting all the way through the hotdogs/sausages but making sure to leave the bottom part of the dough uncut. This will leave you with 8 sections in the bun.

Now grab one piece at the end of the dough and slightly drag it to the side while twisting the cut hotdog so that it faces the ceiling.
Now grab the next piece beside it, twist it so that the hotdog faces the ceiling again and drag it to the other side so that both pieces are beside each other.
Repeat this process now for the next piece below by twisting it so that the hotdog faces the ceiling and it sits below the first piece that you twisted.
Grab the next piece and again twist it so that the hotdog faces the ceiling and drag it to the other side opposite the previous piece.
Repeat this process for the rest of the pieces so that you have 8 cut pieces facing the ceiling.

Once done, place the shaped bun onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper and cover the bun.
Repeat this process for the other 5 pieces.
Once done, cover all of the buns with some plastic wrap or a towel and place them in a warm environment such as an oven with a bowl of hot water.

Let the buns proof for about 35-40 minutes.
Once the buns are done proofing, remove them from the oven and then prepare the egg wash by whisking 1 egg with a splash of milk.
Apply the eggwash on top of the buns.
Now preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
Next, take out the topping from the fridge that you made earlier and apply a generous amount of the topping on top of the buns.

Once done, bake the buns in the oven at 350°F (180°C) for about 19-20 minutes or until the buns are golden brown.
Then remove the buns from the oven, and apply the butter glaze on top of the buns.

Finally, drizzle some ketchup on top of the buns in a zig-zag pattern.

Tips

Only cut the dough with the sausage inside to the point where the sausage is fully cut but there is still some dough left so that you can twist and manipulate the dough.
Make 7 cuts to the dough so that you can get 8 even sides. This will make the buns look more attractive.
Make a mini piping bag for the ketchup by putting some ketchup inside of a firm bag such as a ziplock bag or tying a regular bag with an elastic band. Make a very tiny cut at the tip of the bag so that you can drizzle the ketchup.

Common Mistakes Beginners Make

Cutting all the way through the bun. Leave about 1/4 of the dough intact so that you can twist and shape the dough.

Storage Tips

The buns can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week. To make the buns soft again, just simply reheat the buns in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds.

Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.S)

Can I Use Dry Active Yeast Instead of Instant Yeast?

Yes, absolutely! If you’re using dry active yeast make sure that you proof the yeast in a warm liquid such as water or milk in our case along with some sugar (1 tsp). You should see the yeast foam up at the top and produce a very yeast-like smell. If you see this, that means your yeast is good to use.

How Long Can I Store the Buns For?

You can store the buns in the fridge for up to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Make sure that you reheat the buns either in a microwave or the oven if you stored them in the fridge or freezer to give them back their nice soft texture.

How Come My Dough Is Not Rising?

There could be a number of reasons such as the following:

Your yeast is dead. Check if your yeast is still alive by adding 1 tsp of yeast, along with 1 tsp of sugar in 1/2 cup of warm water, give it a good mix, then let it sit for 10-15 minutes. If it starts to foam at the top with a very yeasty smell then your yeast is still alive.
Your environment is too cold. Yeast rises best in a warm environment
You mixed in hot water with the yeast and killed it.
You didn’t knead the dough sufficiently enough. Use the window-pane test to check if your dough has been kneaded properly. Grab a small piece of the dough and try to stretch it out with your fingers to the point where the dough becomes somewhat translucent. If the dough does not tear then you have kneaded the dough sufficiently.

I Don’t Own a Stand Mixer, Can I Hand-Knead the Dough?

Yes, you can, however, do realize that the dough is sticky and will be more difficult to knead by hand, that is why it is strongly recommended that you use a stand mixer to make life easier for you. Furthermore, you may need to spend a little more time kneading it compared to using a stand mixer, however, it is definitely possible to hand knead it.

Can I Use Fresh or Canned Corn Instead of Frozen Corn?

Yes, absolutely!

I Don’t Have Bread Flour, Can I Use All-Purpose Flour Instead?

Yes, but note that the texture won’t be nearly as good compared to using bread flour. I recommend using bread flour whenever you can.

I’m Lactose Intolerant, Can I Use Almond or Oat Milk Instead of Cow’s Milk?

Yes, it will also work.

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Chinese Sausage Bread

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 2 40

Course baking

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 6 pieces

Equipment

1 stand mixer

Ingredients

Tangzhong

100 ml Water
20 g Bread flour

Dough

300 g Bread flour
95 ml Milk skim, 1%, 2%, whole, etc
1 Large Egg Room temperature
5 g Instant yeast
20 g Unsalted butter Room temperature
40 g White granulated sugar
2 g Table salt
6 g Milk powder

Filling & Topping

6 hotdogs/sausages
110 g shredded cheddar/mozzarella cheese
100 g frozen corn
1 tsp dried parsley
5 Tbsp kewpie Japanese mayo

Egg Wash

1 Large egg
1/2 tsp milk

Garnish

2 Tbsp Ketchup