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1
Combine the flour, sugar, and dried yeast in a large bowl, then add the eggs and coconut milk and mix to a shaggy dough. Add the softened butter in pieces and knead — by hand or machine — until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky but no longer sticky, adding the butter gradually so it is fully absorbed before the next piece goes in rather than pooling on the surface and slicking the gluten apart. The dough is ready when it holds a windowpane without tearing.
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2
Cover the bowl and leave the dough to prove at room temperature for 1 hour, choosing a warm, draught-free spot so the yeast works at an even pace rather than starting and stopping. It is ready when it has roughly doubled in volume and a finger pressed into the surface leaves an indent that springs back slowly.
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3
While the dough proves, make the filling by combining the grated fresh coconut, gula melaka, and salt in a pan over low heat — the salt sharpens the palm sugar's caramel depth without making the filling taste seasoned. Cook, stirring, until the palm sugar melts completely and coats every strand of coconut evenly; the mixture is ready when it is cohesive and glossy, with no pools of liquid sugar remaining. Spread onto a plate and cool completely before use, because warm filling will soften the dough from within and make clean sealing impossible.
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4
Turn the proved dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into portions of approximately 50 g each, keeping the portions covered loosely as you work so the surface does not dry out and crack when you flatten them. Flatten each portion into a round disc with the palm of the hand.
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5
Place 1 tablespoon of cooled filling in the centre of each round, then bring the edges of the dough up around the filling and pinch them firmly shut, gathering all the dough into a single tight seam — this is where the dish lives or dies, because the filling expands during proving and baking, and any gap will cause the bun to burst open and the filling to caramelise on the surface rather than remain inside. After pinching, roll each sealed bun between your palms to confirm and tighten the seal. Place each bun seam-side down immediately so the weight of the dough presses the seam closed as it rests.
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6
Place the buns seam-side down on a greased baking tray, spaced well apart so they have room to swell without touching and fusing together during the second prove. Leave to prove for a further 30 minutes. The buns are ready for the oven when they are visibly puffed and a finger pressed lightly to the side leaves an indent that only partially springs back.
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7
Heat the oven to 170–175 °C — a moderate heat that sets the crumb fully before the coconut-milk crust darkens too quickly — and brush each bun with beaten egg wash so the surface colours to an even, glossy gold. Bake for 15–18 minutes; the buns are done when the tops are a deep golden brown and the undersides sound hollow when tapped.
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8
Transfer to a wire rack so air can circulate beneath the buns and the base does not steam and toughen as it cools. If dusting with icing sugar, do so once the buns have cooled completely, as residual heat will melt the sugar into a damp, uneven crust rather than a clean white bloom. The finished pang susi should be soft and pillowy to the touch, with no hardened crust.