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The Bakery 100 · make it at home

Pineapple buns (bo lo bao)

3 hr 30 min, 45 min hands-on · 10 buns

Hong Kong's soft milk bun under a sweet, crackled cookie crust that looks like a pineapple (there's no pineapple in it). Eat it hot with a slab of cold butter.

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The real one

You need

• Tangzhong: 25 g bread flour (3 tbsp) and 125 ml whole milk (1/2 cup)
• Dough: 325 g bread flour (2 2/3 cups)
• 50 g sugar (1/4 cup)
• 6 g instant yeast (2 tsp)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 100 ml whole milk (1/3 cup + 1 tbsp)
• 30 g soft unsalted butter (2 tbsp)
• Topping: 60 g soft unsalted butter (4 tbsp)
• 80 g powdered sugar (2/3 cup)
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp milk powder
• 120 g cake or all-purpose flour (1 cup)
• 1/4 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp baking soda
• Egg wash: 1 yolk + 1 tsp water
• Cold salted butter, sliced thick, to serve

How to make it

1. Tangzhong (5 min): Whisk the flour and milk in a small pan over medium heat until thick like pudding, about 2 minutes. Cool. This paste is what keeps the bun soft for days.
2. Dough (15 min plus 1 hr): Knead the tangzhong with the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, egg and milk for 5 minutes, add the butter and knead 8 minutes more, until it stretches thin without tearing. Cover and rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
3. Topping (5 min): Cream butter and powdered sugar, beat in the yolk, then mix in milk powder, flour, baking powder and soda into a soft dough. Chill 15 minutes, then divide into 10 balls.
4. Shape (15 min): Divide the dough into 10 balls and set them on lined trays. Proof 40 minutes, until puffy.
5. Top (10 min): Flatten each topping ball between plastic wrap into a thin disc a little smaller than the bun and drape it over. Brush the topping with egg wash and, if you like, score a light crosshatch.
6. Bake (15 min): Bake at 190C (375F) for 15 to 18 minutes until the top is golden and crackled.
7. Serve: Split one warm and slide in a thick slice of cold butter (bo lo yau).

Tips

• Cold butter in a hot bun is the whole point; don't let either reach room temperature.

Chef Amazing's own home version of pineapple bun, in our words; not any bakery's recipe.