Pineapple Buns (Bo Luo Bao) [菠蘿包]

Pineapple Buns (Bo Luo Bao) are soft and sweet bread rolls topped with a crispy, golden crust that resembles a pineapple's texture. This recipe is very special, as it is the last recipe of The 80 Challenge.

Fun fact: Although it is known as a "pineapple bun", the traditional version contains no pineapple. The name originated from the fact that its sugary top crust is cooked to a golden-brown colour, and because its checkered top resembles the skin of a pineapple.

Recipe dedicated to:My friend, artist and vlogger Jen alias Petite Yun (IG@petite.yun YT@yun.ni.)

4.95 from 34 votes

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: Chinese

Prep: 30

Cook: 30

Rest: 2

Total: 3

Equipments

Parchment paper (option 1)

Baking sheet (option 1)

Muffin pan (6 cups) (option 2)

Muffin liners (option 2)

Digital scale

Measuring tools

Ingredients

Instructions

The Tangzhong

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Whisk the 20 g all-purpose flour and ⅓ cup water inside a saucepan until the flour dissolves. Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir the mixture frequently. In about a minute, the flour will start to thicken. Once the flour develops into a light paste, turn off the heat. Do not let the Tangzhong burn. Transfer the Tangzhong to a bowl to cool. It will thicken as it cools.

The Dough

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In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the 1/2 cup milk + 2 Tbsp. milk for about 45 seconds. Add the 18 g sugar to the milk. Use a thermometer to check the temperature of the milk. It should be around 110ºF to 120ºF.
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Add the 7 g active dry yeast and stir to hydrate the yeast. Let it sit for 8 minutes to let it foam up while you prepare the other ingredients.
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While waiting for the yeast, in the bowl of a bread/dough maker, combine the 490 g bread flour, 1 tsp. salt, 80 g condensed milk, 1 egg, melted 55 g unsalted butter, the Tangzhong from earlier and the foamy milk/yeast mixture.
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Set the bread/dough maker on dough mode. It should start stirring and forming the dough while slowly heating it for 60-90 minutes. If you see some dough stuck on the sides, make sure to unstuck it so it mixes in the dough ball.

The Topping

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While waiting for the dough, in a mixing bowl, add the 55 g unsalted butter 135 g sugar, 1 egg yolk, 1 Tbsp. milk, and 1 tsp. vanilla extract.
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Using a baking spatula, mix the topping.
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In another small bowl, whisk the 120 g all-purpose flour, 1/4 tsp. baking powder, and 1/8 tsp. turmeric.
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Add the flour mix with the wet ingredients, and mix until the flour is combined. Once all the loose flour has been incorporated, use your hands and gather it up into one large ball of dough. Cover it with a towel or silicone mat until the buns are done proofing.

The Buns

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Once the bread/dough maker has finished, the dough should be already twice the original size.
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Turn the dough onto a work surface. Divide the dough in 2. Next, divide each piece dough into 6 equal pieces (75 g each). Take one of the pieces of dough and knead it several times to get rid of any air bubbles. Then, shape this dough into a ball, seam side down. Repeat to create 12 pieces of dough.
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Now you have 3 options, to bake the buns.
Option 1: Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Option 2: Line 2 large muffin pans (6 cups) with large muffin liners.
Option 3 (My choice): Do one of option 1 and one of option 2.
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Cover the balls of dough with a towel and let them rise in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes, until they increase to 1.5 times its size (about 3 inches in diameter).

The Baking

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Preheat the oven to 370ºF. Position an oven rack to the center position. While the buns are proofing, divide the dough for the topping into 12 pieces (about 28 g each). Roll each piece into a ball.
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Using a small plate or a measuring cup, press on the balls to crush them in 3 inch.
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After the buns are done proofing, drape the topping over one of the buns. The topping shouldn’t cover the bun completely. The topping can burn if it touches the bottom of the baking sheet.
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In a small bowl, prepare the egg wash by whisking an 1 egg yolk with 1 Tbsp. milk. Brush the tops of the buns with egg wash.
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Bake the buns for 20 minutes or until the tops are lightly golden. Once the first batch of buns is in the oven, prepare the second batch of buns and bake.

The Serving

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Let the buns cool on the baking sheet for several minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
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Enjoy the Pineapple Buns (Bo Luo Bao) [菠蘿包] while they’re still warm! They are popular as a snack or breakfast item, often paired with tea or coffee. If they are cold, you can reheat them for 30-45 seconds in the microwave.

The Variants

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Before brushing the egg wash, you can draw using a sharp blade a design on the top such as an X or grill marks.
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You can use a regular muffin pan (12 cups) with regular cups, but you will need to manually weight the dough and separate in 12 instead of the 6. They will look like regular muffins.

Nutrition

Elasdenis.com is written and produced for informational purposes only. While I do my best to provide nutritional information as a general guideline to our readers, I am not a certified nutritionists, and the values provided should be considered estimates. Factors such as brands purchased, natural variations in fresh ingredients, etc. will change the nutritional information in any recipe. Various online calculators also provide different results, depending on their sources. To obtain accurate nutritional information for a recipe, use your preferred nutrition calculator to determine nutritional information with the actual ingredients and quantities used.

My own adaption of

healthynibblesandbits.com

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Pineapple Buns (Bo Luo Bao)
[菠蘿包]

Pineapple Buns (Bo Luo Bao) are soft and sweet bread rolls topped with a crispy, golden crust that resembles a pineapple's texture.

Pineapple Buns (Bo Luo Bao) [菠蘿包]

Equipments

Ingredients

The Tangzhong

The Dough

The Toppings

The Egg Wash

Cook Mode

Instructions

The Tangzhong

The Dough

The Topping

The Buns

The Baking

The Serving

The Variants

Nutrition

My own adaption of

Sharing