Blue bread sounds like a gimmick until you cut one open and find a soft, milky crumb wrapped around a creamy cheese center. This butterfly pea rice bread from xiachufang gets its color from ground butterfly pea flowers — a natural blue that stays vivid through baking — and its tenderness from rice bread premix, the flour blend Chinese bakeries use for buns that stay soft for days. Slashed on top, dusted with flour, and baked until the crust turns pale gold, they look like something from a patisserie window.
The dough is a straightforward enriched mix: rice bread premix, water, egg, yeast, butterfly pea powder, and butter, kneaded to a thin membrane and rested. The filling is a sweet cream cheese custard — cream cheese, sugar, egg, cornstarch, milk powder, and milk — blended smooth and sifted so it pipes cleanly. Each bun is rolled out, filled, rounded, and proofed an hour before its signature slash and bake.
What Is Butterfly Pea Cheese Rice Bread (蝶豆花奶酪米面包)?
Butterfly pea cheese rice bread is a Chinese bakery-style bun made with rice bread premix and butterfly pea powder, filled with a sweet cream cheese custard, and baked until soft and golden. The rice-flour blend gives a tender, mochi-adjacent crumb; the butterfly pea adds natural blue color and a faint floral note.
Butterfly pea (蝶豆花) is a Southeast Asian flower whose petals release a deep blue when steeped or ground. In baking it colors dough beautifully without artificial dye — though it is sensitive to acid, which is why the dough stays blue while the tangy cheese filling inside stays white. The cheese custard is the classic bakery filling: cream cheese softened with sugar, egg, cornstarch, milk powder, and milk for a rich, silky center.
If you love soft Chinese bakery breads, my cloud-soft milk bread rolls are the same tender style in a simpler shape.
1Cloud-Soft Milk Bread Rolls (The Sponge Dough Method)Incredibly soft, cloud-like Japanese-style milk bread rolls made using the traditional Zhongzhong (sponge dough) method. These stay soft for days!Check out this recipe
Why This Recipe Works
- Rice bread premix keeps the crumb tender. The rice-flour blend gives the buns a soft, almost mochi-like texture that stays fresh longer.
- Butterfly pea powder colors naturally. Ground petals give a vivid blue that survives baking without artificial dye.
- Sifting the cheese filling makes it pipe cleanly. Passing the custard through a sieve removes lumps so the filling bakes smooth.
- A one-hour proof makes the buns pillowy. The dough is rested after mixing and proofed again after filling for a light, even rise.
- Slashes and a dusting of flour finish the look. A quick cut and dust give the buns their bakery-style crown.
Equipment Needed
- Stand mixer with dough hook
- Baking sheet lined with parchment
- Sieve for the filling
- Rolling pin
- Sharp knife or blade for slashing
Ingredients
- 500 g (4 cups) rice bread premix (日清大米预拌粉)
- 270 g (1.1 cups) water
- 1 whole egg, beaten
- 4 g (1 tsp) instant yeast
- 5 g (1.5 tsp) butterfly pea powder (蝶豆花粉)
- 65 g (4.5 tbsp) butter, softened
- For the cheese filling: 180 g cream cheese, 50 g (1/4 cup) sugar, 1 large egg, 35 g (1/4 cup) cornstarch, 20 g (2.5 tbsp) milk powder, 110 g (1/2 cup) milk
Ingredient Notes
Rice bread premix (大米预拌粉). A bakery blend based on rice flour, sold for rice bread and buns; it produces a soft, mochi-like crumb. If unavailable, use a rice-flour bread mix or a 50/50 blend of bread flour and rice flour with a little extra liquid.
Butterfly pea powder (蝶豆花粉). Ground butterfly pea petals, sold in Asian markets and online. It colors the dough blue and adds a faint floral note.
Cream cheese. Full-fat block cream cheese, softened, makes the silkiest filling; the recipe blends it with sugar, egg, cornstarch, milk powder, and milk.
Prep & Mise en Place
Soften the butter and cream cheese. Mix the premix, water, yeast, egg, and butterfly pea powder in the mixer, then add the butter once a rough dough forms. For the filling, beat the cream cheese with the sugar until smooth, then add the egg, cornstarch, milk powder, and milk in order, stirring between each addition, and pass the mixture through a sieve.
Cooking Process
Step 1 — Mix the Blue Dough
Combine the premix, water, yeast, beaten egg, and butterfly pea powder, mixing 4 minutes on low and 2 minutes on high.
Step 2 — Add Butter and Knead to a Windowpane
Once a rough membrane forms, add the butter and mix 4 minutes low, 4 minutes medium, and 3 minutes high, until the dough stretches into a thin, translucent membrane. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
Step 3 — Make the Cheese Filling
Soften the cream cheese and beat it with the sugar, then add the egg, cornstarch, milk powder, and milk in order, mixing well between additions. Press the filling through a sieve.
Step 4 — Fill, Shape, and Proof
Divide the dough, roll each piece out, wrap it around a portion of cheese filling, and round it into a bun. Cover and proof for about an hour, depending on the room temperature.
Step 5 — Dust and Slash the Tops
Dust the proofed buns with flour and cut a decorative slash across each top.
The sifted filling and the single slash are both about control. Sifting removes the small lumps that would bake into hard spots inside the bun, while a shallow, decisive slash lets the dough open cleanly in the oven without tearing — giving the bun its bakery-style crown instead of a cracked top.
Step 6 — Bake Until Golden
Bake in a convection oven at 160°C (320°F) for about 18 minutes, adjusting for your oven. The cook notes that next time she would lower the temperature and extend the time for a paler top.
Common Mistakes When Making Butterfly Pea Rice Bread
1. The buns are dense. Cause: under-kneading the rice-flour dough. Fix: knead until it pulls into a thin, translucent membrane.
2. The filling leaks out. Cause: overfilling or a thin seal. Fix: use a modest portion and pinch the dough closed completely.
3. The cheese filling is lumpy. Cause: skipping the sieve. Fix: press the filling through a fine sieve before filling.
4. The color fades. Cause: too much acid or overbaking. Fix: keep the dough neutral and bake gently at 160°C (320°F).
5. The tops crack instead of opening. Cause: no slash or a blunt cut. Fix: use a sharp blade and cut decisively before baking.
Variations
Plain milk buns. Skip the butterfly pea for a classic milk bread, like my milk bread rolls.
Butter-brushed top. Brush warm buns with butter after baking, as in my butter bread.
Savory filling. Swap the cheese for pork floss and mayonnaise, like my pork floss buns.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is rice bread premix? A bakery flour blend based on rice flour, sold for soft rice breads and buns. Use a rice-flour bread mix, or a 50/50 bread flour and rice flour blend with a little extra water.
Is butterfly pea safe to eat? Yes — it is a common edible flower used in drinks and desserts across Southeast Asia. If you prefer a savory bun, try my savory sauce pork buns instead.
Can I use a regular oven? Yes — bake at 165°C (330°F) for about 18 minutes.
How long do they keep? Sealed at room temperature for 2 days, or frozen for up to 2 months; reheat briefly.
Does the filling need to be chilled? Chilling it briefly makes it easier to portion; the recipe uses it at room temperature and pipes it with a spoon.
How to Serve
Serve the buns warm or at room temperature with tea or coffee, alongside tangzhong burger buns and quinoa pork floss toast for a bakery-style spread, or with coconut bread strips for a sweet bread basket.
Storage & Reheat
Store cooled buns in a sealed bag at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat in a 150°C (300°F) oven for 5 minutes to restore the softness; the microwave works but makes the crust chewy.
Allergen Notice
Contains wheat (premix), dairy (butter, cream cheese, milk powder, milk), and egg.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.
About the Author & Recipe Development
I am Lin, and I grew up in my parents’ restaurant kitchen in Chengdu, where the pastry counter sold plain buns and nothing blue. Butterfly pea would have astonished my mother — and delighted her, I think, once she tasted the cheese inside. This xiachufang recipe is a bakery project worth the afternoon: the dough is soft and faintly floral, the filling rich and tangy, and the slash-and-dust finish makes them look professional. I tested it twice — the first time I skipped sifting the filling and it baked with lumps; the second time, sieved smooth, every bun cut open cleanly. The cook’s own note about lowering the oven temperature next time is exactly the kind of honesty I trust in a recipe.
Authoritative References
King Arthur Baking on enriched doughs for kneading and proofing guidance, and USDA Safe Temperature Chart for storing cream-cheese-filled baked goods safely.
Butterfly Pea Cheese Rice Bread (蝶豆花奶酪米面包): Blue and Creamy
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Baking Sheet
- Sieve
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 4 cups rice bread premix 500 g
- 1.1 cups water 270 g
- 1 whole egg, beaten
- 1 tsp instant yeast 4 g
- 1.5 tsp butterfly pea powder 5 g
- 4.5 tbsp butter, softened 65 g
For the Cheese Filling
- 180 g cream cheese, softened
- 0.25 cup sugar 50 g
- 1 large egg
- 0.25 cup cornstarch 35 g
- 2.5 tbsp milk powder 20 g
- 0.5 cup milk 110 g
Instructions
- Mix the premix, water, yeast, egg, and butterfly pea powder, 4 minutes low and 2 minutes high.
- Add the butter and knead to a thin membrane (4 min low, 4 medium, 3 high). Cover and rest 30 minutes.
- Beat the cream cheese with sugar, then add egg, cornstarch, milk powder, and milk in order; sieve the filling.
- Divide the dough, roll each piece out, wrap it around filling, round into buns, and proof about 1 hour.
- Dust the proofed buns with flour and slash the tops.
- Bake in a convection oven at 160°C (320°F) for about 18 minutes, adjusting for your oven.
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