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Papparoti (also known as Rotiboy) is a soft, fluffy brioche bun topped with a sweet, crispy coffee-flavored crust. That irresistible contrast between the crackly shell and the tender crumb is what makes it so addictive. This vegan Papparoti tastes as good as the original, minus the egg!
Oouhh…Papparoti…The extra crispy craquelin shell, the soft and buttery brioche, and that heavenly coffee smell as they bake, what an amazing creation.
I was lucky enough to try the original Papparoti years before going vegan (yes, it’s made with eggs, butter, and milk), and I recently realized it was special enough to deserve a plant-based remake.
While the idea is simple, getting it just right took me a few tries. First, the crust: it needs to melt perfectly over the buns as they bake and be thin enough to crack delicately when you press it. Then, there’s the butter inside each bun. Too much and the crumb turns out greasy. Too little, and it lacks that signature buttery richness.
⭐️ Why You Should Try Them
Extra crispy shell. Tender brioche.
What makes these buns truly magical is the contrast between the thin, extra-crispy crust and the buttery crumb underneath.
They are also surprisingly fun to make! If you’ve baked brioche or burger buns before, you’re already set up for success! This recipe is based on a simple brioche dough, shaped into buns and topped with a sweet, buttery cream that bakes into a crust.
And if you’re new to brioche-making, don’t worry. I’ll walk you through every step of the process!
📘 What Is Papparoti
Papparoti is a soft brioche bun topped with a crispy, coffee-flavored crust (called craquelin in French – it’s the same topping used in choux au craquelin). The bun is typically filled with a cube of butter, giving the crumb a rich, buttery flavor. Think of it as a brioche bun but taken to the next level.
Although it’s sometimes referred to as a “Mexican bun”, it has no direct connection to Mexico. Papparoti actually originated in Southeast Asia. Malaysian coffee shop chains Rotiboy and Papparoti, which were founded in the early 2000s, are the two leading brands that popularized the concept internationally.
🧈 Ingredient Notes
Here are the ingredients that you will need. You can find the exact measurements in the recipe card located at the end of this post.
- Flour – For optimal texture, you will want to use bread flour. It’s key to achieving a light, airy crumb. Typically, bread flour has a higher percentage of protein (gluten) content than all-purpose flour, which helps the dough develop a stretchy, brioche-like texture.
- Sugar – To sweeten the brioche dough and make the craquelin crust. I highly suggest using granulated white sugar for this recipe. Coconut sugar would brown too quickly and develop a burnt flavor.
- Butter – Feel free to use store-bought vegan butter or homemade vegan butter. Stay away from the spreadable kind, as it won’t work well here.
- Yeast – I like to use instant dry yeast for ease of use, but active dry yeast will work too. Just keep in mind that you will need to activate it first in the warm milk with the sugar.
- Instant coffee – Finally, to flavor the crust and give it a brown color, you will need instant coffee. I use about 1 teaspoon of granules, but if you are using powder, you will need just a bit less (around 3/4 teaspoon).
🥣 How to Make It
1. Make the brioche dough
- Knead the dough. Add the milk, bread flour, sugar, yeast, and vanilla extract to a stand mixer. Knead at speed 3-4 until the dough is smooth.
- Incorporate the butter. Then add the butter and salt, and knead for another 12-15 minutes at speed 4-5, or until the dough is very smooth and passes the windowpane test.
Knead, knead, knead!
Do not hesitate to knead the dough for at least 15 minutes, preferably 20-25 minutes. The dough should pass the windowpane test, meaning that when you stretch it, it becomes very thin and almost see-through. A longer kneading time helps develop the gluten and creates a stringy, cottony crumb.
- Let the dough rise. Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a damp cloth to prevent it from drying. Let it rise in a warm place for about 90 minutes or until it has doubled in size.
- Divide into balls. Once the dough has risen, punch it to deflate it. Divide it into 10 even balls.
- Fill each dough ball with butter. Working with one at a time, flatten a dough ball into a thick disk using your hands. Next, place a cube of cold butter in the center and pinch the edges together to fully seal it inside.
- Let them rise. Arrange the balls of dough on two baking sheets (five per baking sheet), leaving at least 3 inches (8 cm) between each. Cover with plastic wrap or a light, damp towel and allow the buns to rise for 45-60 minutes or until they have almost doubled in size. In the meantime, prepare the craquelin.
2. Prepare the craquelin
- Dissolve the coffee. Add the instant coffee to a small bowl and pour in the hot water. Stir to dissolve and set aside.
- Cream the butter. Add the room-temperature butter and sugar to a small mixing bowl. Using a spoon, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Then, add the milk, coffee, vanilla extract, and flour.
- Mix until smooth. Mix everything until it forms a smooth paste and set aside.
3. Assemble & bake
Now comes the fun part, assembling the buns!
- Pipe the craquelin. Transfer the craquelin paste to a piping bag fitted with a 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) round tip. Next, starting in the center of each bun, pipe the paste in a spiral motion, working outwards to cover the top evenly.
- Bake. Bake the buns for 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through. The Papparotis are done when they are evenly golden-brown.
- Let them cool. Allow the Papparotis to cool for at least 15 minutes before enjoying!
🥜 Topping Ideas
Now that your papparotis are ready, it’s topping time! Although they are delicious as is, they shine even more when garnished with sweet toppings. Here are some ideas:
- Caramel & Nuts: Drizzle with vegan caramel sauce and top with crushed peanuts or cashews.
- Chocolate Hazelnut: Melt dark chocolate (or vegan Nutella!) and drizzle it over the buns. Then, garnish with chopped roasted hazelnuts.
- White Chocolate Pistachio: Melt vegan white chocolate (you can color it with some matcha powder if you want) and drizzle it over the buns. Top with roasted pistachios.
- Strawberry & Lemon: Drizzle strawberry coulis or sauce and garnish with finely chopped lemon zest for extra fruity buns!
📔 Pro Tips
Use room-temperature ingredients.
Make sure the butter and milk are at room temperature, not cold. Cold ingredients can slow down the dough’s rise and make it harder to cream the craquelin paste.
Don’t overproof the dough.
I suggest preheating your oven 15 minutes before the end of the second rise. If you allow your buns to overproof, they may deflate during baking and end up dense instead of fluffy.
Space the buns apart.
The buns will grow in size during the second rise and again in the oven, that’s why it’s important to leave enough room between them. About 3 inches (8 cm) of space is usually enough to prevent them from touching.
🍫 Variations
Instead of a cube of butter, you can also fill them with a dollop of frozen vegan Nutella or Biscoff spread, a cube of dark chocolate, or simply omit the filling altogether for a lighter option.
❄️ Storing and Reheating
- To store: You can store these Papparotis for up to 5 days at room temperature. Wrap each bun in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying.
- To freeze: Wrap each Papparoti in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight on the counter before reheating.
- To reheat: You can bring back their crispy shell and soft crumb by reheating them for 5-6 minutes in a (180°C) preheated oven or air-fryer.
💬 FAQ & Troubleshooting
Nope! You can smell the coffee, but the taste itself is very mild, just like in the original.
After baking, the craquelin will stay crispy for up to about 2 hours. After that, it will start to soften.
Three possibilities: your yeast was too old, you didn’t knead the dough long enough, or you overproofed the buns.
It’s normal for the paste to be slightly grainy. If it looks too grainy, though, it’s likely because the butter or milk was cold and not at room temperature.
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Vegan Papparoti (Coffee Buns)
Ingredients
Buns
- 1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened plant-based milk
- 4 cups (500 g) bread flour
- 7 tbsp (87 g) granulated white sugar
- 1 tbsp instant yeast
- 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 6 tbsp (84 g) vegan butter (diced and at room temperature)
- 1 tsp salt
- 10 cubes (1 teaspoon / 4.5g vegan butter (cold)
Craquelin Topping
- 1 tsp instant coffee granules
- 2 tsp (10 ml) hot water
- 1/4 cup (56 g) vegan butter (at room temperature)
- 6 tbsp (75 g) granulated white sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) unsweetened plant-based milk
- 1/2 tsp (2 ml) vanilla extract
- 9 tbsp (72 g) all-purpose flour
Instructions
Buns
- Knead the dough. Add the milk, bread flour, sugar, yeast, and vanilla extract to a stand mixer. Knead at speed 3-4 until the dough is smooth.
- Incorporate the butter. Then add the room-temperature butter and salt, and knead for another 12-15 minutes at speed 4-5, or until the dough is very smooth and passes the windowpane test.
- Let the dough rise. Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a damp cloth to prevent it from drying. Let it rise in a warm place for about 90 minutes or until it has doubled in size.
- Divide into balls. Once the dough has risen, punch it to deflate it. Divide it into 10 even balls.
- Fill each dough ball with butter. Working with one at a time, flatten a dough ball into a thick disk using your hands. Next, place a cube of cold butter in the center and pinch the edges together to fully seal it inside.
- Let them rise. Arrange the balls of dough on two baking sheets (five per baking sheet), leaving at least 3 inches (8 cm) between each. Cover with plastic wrap or a light, damp towel and allow the buns to rise for 45-60 minutes or until they have almost doubled in size. In the meantime, prepare the craquelin.
- Preheat the oven. 15 minutes before the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to
355 °F(180°C).
Craquelin Topping
- Dissolve the coffee. Add the instant coffee to a small bowl and pour in the hot water. Stir to dissolve and set aside.
- Cream the butter. Add the room-temperature butter and sugar to a small mixing bowl. Using a spoon, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Then, add the milk, coffee, vanilla extract, and flour. Mix everything until it forms a smooth paste and set aside.
Assemble & Bake
- Pipe the craquelin. Transfer the craquelin paste to a piping bag fitted with a 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) round tip. Next, starting in the center of each bun, pipe the paste in a spiral motion, working outwards to cover the top evenly.
- Bake. Bake the buns for 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through. The Papparotis are done when they are evenly golden-brown.
- Let them cool. Allow the Papparotis to cool for at least 15 minutes before enjoying!
- You can store these Papparotis for up to 5 days at room temperature. Wrap each bun in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying.
Notes
Use room-temperature ingredients.
Make sure the butter and milk are at room temperature, not cold. Cold ingredients can slow down the dough’s rise and make it harder to cream the craquelin paste.Don’t overproof the dough.
I suggest preheating your oven 15 minutes before the end of the second rise. If you allow your buns to overproof, they may deflate during baking and end up dense instead of fluffy.Space the buns apart.
The buns will grow in size during the second rise and again in the oven, that’s why it’s important to leave enough room between them. About 3 inches (8 cm) of space is usually enough to prevent them from touching.
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
Leave a Comment
Oh my god, papparoti was my absolute favorite when I traveled around Southeast Asia years ago. Since going vegan, I haven’t found a single place selling it. I’ve tried a few vegan recipes online, but nothing came close. Can’t wait to try this one!