Hong Kong Pineapple Buns
Pineapple buns, or bo lo bau, are one of my favorite Chinese pastries and may be the most well known bun in Chinese pastry cuisine. Characterized by a flaky, crunchy, yet sweet crust topping over a soft bread, it's a perfect snack that combines two delicious delights. Literally, a bun and a cookie combined!
Fun fact: It's called a pineapple bun because it resembles a pineapple, but there's actually no pineapple fruit or flavorings inside!
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Hong Kong Pineapple Buns Recipe
Serving: 8 buns
Prep: 4 hours
Cook: 11 minutes
Total: 5 hours
Ingredients:
Dough:
- all-purpose flour, 240g
- butter, melted, 20g
- egg yolk, .67
- milk, warm, 100ml
- salt, 1/5 tsp
- sugar, 2.33 tsp (separated in 1.33 tsp and 1 tsp)
- honey, 2 tsp
- active dry yeast, 2/3 tsp
Crust Topping:
- sugar, 53.4g
- butter, room temp, 33.3g
- egg yolk, 1.33
- honey, 2 tsp
- all-purpose flour, 93.4g
- baking powder, 1.33 tsp
- milk, 1.33 tsp
Egg Wash:
- egg yolk, 1.33
- milk, 3.33 tsp
Directions:
Crust:
- In a small bowl (#1), combine flour and baking powder.
- In another bowl (#2), cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks, milk, and honey.
- Add bowl #1 to bowl #2.
- Put dough in a plastic wrap in a "cigar-like shape" and refrigerate for 1-1.5 hour.
- Cut into discs and apply the egg wash.
- Make vertical and horizontal markings with a pastry scraper or a knife.
Dough:
- Combine yeast, 1.33 tsp sugar, and milk in a small cup or bowl. Wait 15 minutes.
- Add egg yolk and butter.
- In another bowl, add flour, salt, and 1 tsp sugar. Mix. Add honey.
- Knead for 20 minutes.
- Let it rise for 1.5 hour in a butter-greased bowl.
- After it has risen, punch out the air, knead, and let it rise for another 30 minutes.
- Divide the dough in 8 balls on a cookie sheet.
- Add crust and let it rise for 45 minutes.
After you apply the crust on top of the dough, bake for 350F for 11 minutes.
Done!
Done!
