Pineapple Buns🍍 (菠萝包）
Fun fact - pineapple buns don’t have pineapple (lol). They’re actually much more custard vibes - making them soooo sweet and delicious! The pineapple names comes from the shape of the sweet crust on top, which usually is yellow and looks like a pineapple. Also, pineapple buns don’t usually come with custard inside, but my boyfriend has a custard addiction so I put it in. Feel free to disregard, but you can really do this recipe without the pineapple crust on top and just have milk buns with custard, or just regular pineapple buns!
Ingredient List
Bread:
Cookie Topping:
55g softened butter
135g superfine sugar
1 TSP vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1 TBSP whole milk
120g AP flour
1/4 TSP baking powder
Custard
3 egg yolks
50g white granulated sugar
25g corn starch
300ml whole milk
Splash of vanilla
30g butter (you will melt it on a stove)
Step 1: Make the Custard
Step 2: Make the Milk Bread, Up until the first proofing
That is the 1 hour proof, before you shape the dough and proof again for another 40 minutes
Step 3: Make the Cookie Topping While you wait for the Bread to Proof
Use a whisk or stand mixer to whip up 55g softened butter until it turns paler.
Add 1 egg yolk and 1 TSP vanilla and cream together.
In a separate bowl, mix 95g AP Flour, 1/4 TSP baking powder, 1/8 TSP salt, 20g corn starch, and 100g fine sugar.
Gradually add the dry mixture into the wet mixture.
It will be dry and crumbly but if you press down, it should hold as a dough. The dryness is great because it will crackle on the bun later!
I like to roll this into a log and wrap in cling wrap, and then set in the fridge.
Step 4: Shape the Buns and do the 40 minute proof
The second proofing is 40 minutes.
Step 4: Roll Out the Cookie Topping
Preheat your oven to 400F.
Take the cookie log out of the fridge and cut into 8 pieces.
Take a plastic baggie and cut off the zipper top, and then cut the plastic bag into half (slicing the bottom so you have 2 sheets of plastic). This is NOT plastic wrap because that’s sticky! Plastic baggies work very well as you want to put your portioned cookie topping between the plastic sheets, and then roll it out carefully. The rolling pin won’t stick onto the cookie crust at all because it is rolling on the plastic, and it is much easier to lay the cookie topping onto the bun!
Roll each out carefully between the two plastic sheets using a rolling pin into a circle with a diameter enough to cover each bun. This might be 2-4 inches, it really depends how many buns you made and if you put a filling in.
Take the Buns out from proofing and gently drape each with a cookie topping. It’s ok if some falls off, it’s super dry!
Brush some egg wash on each bun
Bake at the third rack from the top in the oven at 400F for 10 minutes (or 6-8 if your buns are smaller), and then lower the temperature to 350F for 5-6 more minutes.
I like to rotate my trays halfway through if I have that many trays just to ensure even heating. If you have your trays too far apart, they will bake at totally different speeds.
Also, Eevery oven is different! Keep an eye on it, the top should be golden brown and crackly. Mine took a bit longer, I kept it at 400F for around 12 minutes and 350F for 6-7 more minutes.
Step 5: Eat them all!
These buns last 5 days at room temperature covered, and actually taste quite amazing second day. I like them warm or cold actually. They’re quite crumbly to eat, so make sure you have a plate!
FAQ
What is fine sugar and do you need it? This is NOT powdered sugar!
Fine sugar is between regular granulated sugar and powdered sugar. If you use powdered sugar, it will just melt and not be the proper crumbly when baked. If you want to err, err on the side of granulated. What I do is just stick the granulated sugar in the blender for 30 seconds. Make sure you still have the right amount of sugar left after you blend!
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