Crumbly Buns (කැට බනිස් / ගෙඩි බනිස්) – Bringing Back One Of My Favourite Childhood Foods

Yield – 6 

Prep time – 20 mins                  Baking time – 25 mins                  Resting time – 90 mins 

As a kid, I remember there was a person called “Banis Mama” similar to the role of an Uber Eats coming over to our neighborhood every morning and evening with freshly baked bakery items packed in a huge box on the trunk of his bicycle. There were a variety of buns, breads, and cookies to choose from and my mother used to grab some of them for me and my younger brother for teatime, breakfast, or dinner. The hot and fresh Jam Buns with the oozing middle of the jam and spongy Fish Buns are making me drool even right now. Nowadays, Banis Mama’s job has been upgraded to “Choon Pan (චූන් පාන්)” where a Tuk Tuk carries all the bakery goods with the speed of light. As a matter of fact, you need even more speed and energy to catch him. LOL…

Keta Banis or Gedi Banis aka Crumbly Buns is a popular bakery food among Sri Lankan kids in the 80s and 90s. It’s a version of Tea Buns with crumbles attached to the surface and is often served with a cup of tea. Unfortunately, it’s not that popular nowadays as all the Western foods like burgers, subs, and pies have taken over modern Sri Lanka. Since I’m a big fan of my childhood food and culture, I thought of sharing my version of Crumbly Buns with you. It’s not just nostalgic, but also gives me the satisfaction of sharing Sri Lankan food culture with the world. Hope you will enjoy and try making this recipe.

What do you need: 

For the dough: 

• 1/2 cup milk, warm (120˚F) 
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast 
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 
• 1 egg, medium 
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter  
• 1 tablespoon milk, regular 

For the crumbles: 

• 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar 
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

Let’s make it: 

1. Add warm milk, sugar, and yeast in a small bowl and mix it with a spoon until sugar dissolves. 
2. Cover and rest the mixture for about 15 – 20 minutes until the yeast is fully activated to create a frothy mixture. 
3. In a separate bowl, add flour, salt, egg, and the yeast mix. 
4. Mix everything using a fork until everything combines together. 
5. Knead the dough for 3 – 4 minutes. The texture of the dough will be loose and sticky. 
6. Add butter and knead for another 4 – 5 minutes until the dough becomes soft and nonsticky. 
7. Place the dough in the same bowl, cover it with a warm wet towel, and rest in a warm place until it doubles in size. 
8. Remove the towel and punch in the center of the dough to remove the excess air from it. 
9. Roll the dough into a cylinder and divide into 6 equal portions. 
10. Shape the dough pieces into balls with hand and place on a baking tray. 
11. Let the dough balls rest for another 10 minutes without covering them.  
12. In the meantime, Add crumble ingredients in a separate bowl and mix with fingers to make the crumbles. 
13. Brush regular milk on the surface of the buns and glue the crumbles by pressing the dough ball on the crumble mix. 
14. Bake the buns at 350ºF for 20 – 25 minutes until golden brown in colour. 
15. Cool the buns for about 10 minutes before serving.  

Tips for you: 

• Add 3 – 4 tablespoons of sugar to the dough if you prefer more sweetness. 
• Press a finger on the dough surface to see if it’s bouncing back before proofing for the first time. 
• Feel free to use an electric mixer to make the dough accordingly. Please note that the time of kneading will be different as per the speed of the machine. 
• Brush the surface of the buns with a thin layer of butter as soon as out of the oven to get more softer and spongy texture.

Make ahead info: 

• Line the baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone mat before laying out the dough balls. 
• Make sure to keep some space between dough balls when baking as they need space for expansion. 
• Preheat the oven to 350ºF for 10 minutes before baking.