Buttery Bolo Bao 菠蘿包 (Hong Kong Pineapple Buns)

Sink your teeth into the warm embrace of this crunchy yet immensely fluffy bun. Decked with Butter and the undeniable fragrance of Cream, it is no wonder that this bun is SO popular among both Hong Kong locals and tourists.

Best served warm with a generous slab of butter, YUMYUM!

Note: Contrary to popular belief, Bolo Bao or Pineapple Buns don't contain any pineapples! These buns are simply known for their bright yellow topping resembling pineapples.

Prep: 35 - 40 mins | Dough Rising: 60 mins (+ 30 mins) | Bake: 15 mins

Makes 15 Buns

Ingredients

(Bolo Bao Topping) - Measure out in advance

• 60g Butter, Melted

• 140g Granulated White Sugar

• 2 Tsp Milk, Room Temperature

• 1 Egg Yolk

• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

• 150g Plain Flour

• 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

• 1/8 Tsp Salt

(Bolo Bao Dough) - Measure out in advance

• 180g Milk

• 8g Instant Yeast

• 70g Granulated White Sugar

• 160g Heavy Cream or Thickened Cream

• 1 Large Egg

• 300g Bread Flour

• 225g Self-Raising Flour

• 1 Tsp Salt

• 50g Butter, Softened

(Egg Wash) - Mix together and set aside

• 2 Egg Yolks

• 2 Tsp Milk

• 1/2 Tsp Granulated White Sugar

Directions

A. (Bolo Bao Topping)

1. In a large bowl, add melted butter (slightly warm still), sugar, milk, egg yolk and vanilla and mix till well combined.

2. Add in Flour, Baking Soda and Salt and mix with chopsticks until it becomes a dough.

3. Transfer the dough unto a Cling Wrap and pinch the ends. Then, shape the dough into a log and refrigerate for 2 - 3 hours.
   

B. (Bolo Bao Dough: First Rising of Dough)

1. In a saucepan, warm up the milk until it is warm. (Guide: It should be slightly warmer than your underarm and it should not be boiling hot)

2. Pour the Milk into a large mixing bowl. Then, stir in the yeast and sugar and set aside for 5 minutes or until the mixture starts to bubble.

3. Add in the Cream, Egg, Flours and Salt and lightly knead till a dough is formed.

4. Spread the softened butter on the dough ball and knead for 10 - 12 minutes using an electric mixer until dough is smooth and stretchy (Use the Dough Attachment of your mixer on Medium Speed)

5. Once done, shape the dough into a smooth ball and loosely cover the mixing bowl with cling wrap. Let it rise for 1 hour.
   

C. (Bolo Bao Dough: Second Rising of Dough)

1. After 1 hour, remove the cling wrap and lightly press down on the dough to release the air bubbles

2. Divide the Dough into 15 equally sized balls and place them on a baking pan fitted with baking paper. Loosely cover with cling wrap and let it rise for 30 minutes.
   

D. (Bolo Bao Dough: Assembling)

1. Once the buns have risen, take the Bolo Bao Topping out of the fridge and slice into 15 pieces. Flatten each piece and place above the risen buns. (Note: Flatten the sliced Bolo Bao Toppings between two pieces of cling wrap to roll them out easily)

2. Preheat the oven to 176°C.

3. In the meantime, lightly brush the buns with egg wash twice.

4. Bake the buns for 15 mins or until they become a nice yellowish brown colour.

5. Let the buns cool down in the baking pan and they're ready to serve!
   

Made too much?

Let the Bolo Buns cool down and store them at room temperature in an air tight container. They should be good to eat for the next 2 -3 days. Or, store them in the freezer for up to a month and reheat them in the oven before eating.

[Note: This recipe was adapted from Omnivore's Cookbook]

Watch how beautiful the dough is after kneading:

Enjoy~

Signing off, Cher