Taro-Stuffed Hedgehog Buns

Instructions

• Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the milk, yeast, sugar, and flour with a rubber spatula until the dough starts to come together.
• Fit the stand mixer with the dough hook and mix the dough on medium-high speed for 10 minutes, until smooth.
• Cover the dough with a wet towel and let rest for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: In a medium bowl, mix together the steamed taro, sugar, and butter until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Pull off a bit more than half of the dough and add a few drops of brown food coloring. Roll into a ball, then roll out into a log. Fold the outer ends of the log inward to overlap the center, then roll out into a log again. Repeat 2–3 more times, until the dough is very smooth.
• Pull off another small piece of dough and add a drop of black food coloring. Knead until the color is uniform.
• Knead the remaining white dough until smooth.
• Pull off about 2 tablespoons of white dough and press into a flat disc about ½ inch thick. Pull off about 3 tablespoons of brown dough and press into a flat disc about ½ inch thick, making sure it’s larger than the white dough portion.
• Scoop about 1 tablespoon of taro paste into the center of the white dough and wrap about ¾ of the way. Smooth the bottom of the dough. Wrap the brown dough around the exposed filling, slightly dampening the edges of the brown and white dough with water to seal together. Set on a small square of parchment paper and repeat to make 10 total buns, leaving some excess dough for decorating.
• Use a finger to slightly dampen the outside of a bun with water. Stick on 2 small dots of black dough for the eyes and a larger dot for the notes, then 2 balls of white dough for the ears. 2 smaller balls of white dough for the arms, and 2 more medium balls of white dough for the feet. Use kitchen shears to cut spikes in the brown dough. Repeat with the remaining buns.
• Let the buns rest for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, fill the bottom of a steamer with water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. (If you don’t have a steamer, fill a large pot with a bowl at the bottom with water, then place a plate on top of the bowl, making sure the water does not come over the edges of the plate.)
• Add the buns to the steamer, leaving enough space for the buns to expand. Cover the pot and steam the buns for about 9 minutes, or until the dough is cooked through. Turn off the heat and let the buns rest in the steamer for 5 minutes before serving.
• Enjoy!