Pineapple bun or bo lo bao (菠蘿包) is a popular, classic and common bread among Hong Kong bakeries, just like coconut buns and Chinese hot dogs that most of people love it. This delicious authentic homemade Chinese pineapple bun or bo lo bao recipe is simple and easy with step by step photos and a video.
Love bread? Check out these custard buns, Japanese milk bread rolls, cheese bread sticks, rosemary garlic bread, dinner rolls, sugar donuts and ciabatta recipes.
What is pineapple bun (菠蘿包)?
Pineapple bun is kind of sweet bun. Also, in Cantonese it is known as bo lo bao (菠蘿包) which means pineapple bread. In fact, pineapple bun doesn't contain any pineapple ingredients.
Why do people call it pineapple buns?
This is because the top of the bun is made of sugar cookie dough. When it bakes in an oven, the top cracks naturally and looks like pineapple skin. Therefore, people named them bo lo bao (菠蘿包) or pineapple bun even though it doesn't contain any pineapple ingredients.
What are the ingredients for Chinese pineapple bun?
In this bo lo bao or pineapple bun recipe, it has two main dough. One is the bread dough and the other is the topping dough.
For the bread dough, the ingredients are milk, heavy whipping cream, sugar, yeast, egg, salt, bread flour, cake flour, dough enhancer and vital wheat gluten.
The ingredients for topping dough are all purpose flour, egg yolk, sugar, dry milk powder, butter, vanilla extract, milk, baking soda and baking powder.
Cooking tips for how to make Chinese pineapple buns or bo lo bao recipe:
Bread dough:
- Personally prefer to use a Bosch mixer to make bread because they mix the dough very well.
- Remember to leave the milk and heavy cream at room temperature for 30 minutes or just warm up a little bit in the microwave for 15 seconds. This can help the yeast rise faster.
- Add 1 & ½ cup bread flour first, then let the dough mix it together. If the dough is still sticky, add the rest of ¼ cup of bread flour slowly.
- I added dough enhancer and vital wheat gluten, so the bread has a better texture.
- To speed up the rising time. Normally, I preheat the oven to 200F. Then, turn off the oven and put the dough in for 30 minutes.
Topping dough:
- Put regular sugar and dry milk powder in a chopper and run it for a few seconds. Thus, it is smooth and fine.
FAQs:
Most people in Hong Kong eat pineapple buns in the morning for breakfast or in the afternoon as a snack. It is best to eat pineapple bun when it is fresh, warm and straight out of the oven.
You can refrigerate pineapple bread and warm them up in a microwave for 10-20 seconds or toast it.
Around a few days to a week in the refrigerator.
Instructions for how to make Chinese pineapple bun or bo lo bao:
Bread dough:
- Pour ½ cup of warm milk, ½ cup of heavy whipping cream, and ¼ cup of sugar into the Bosch mixer. (Warm up the milk in the microwave for 15 seconds or leave it out at room temperature for 30 minutes before using it. Also, I used 2 % milk. You can use fat free or whole milk.)
2. After that, add 1 tablespoon of active dry yeast and 1 large egg into the Bosch mixer. ( I prefer to use a Bosch mixer.)
3. Turn on the lowest setting #1 and let it mix it a little bit and turn off the mixer. Then, wait for 5 minutes. (Don't run the mixer too long, just want to mix the ingredients.)
4. In another container, put 1&½ cups of bread flour, ½ cup of cake, ½ tablespoon dough enhancer, ½ tablespoon of vital wheat gluten and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix it well.
5. After, turn on the mixer at the lowest setting #1 and pour the flour mixture slowly into the yeast mixture. (Note: if the dough is sticky, add the rest of ¼ cup bread flour at a time until the dough comes together). Then, change the mixer from lowest setting to medium or high setting #3 and let it run for 10-15 minutes.
6. After 10-15 minutes, the dough is ready. Then, take the dough out in a bowl and cover the bowl with a damp towel and let it sit for 45 minutes. (My trick to speed up the rising time. Normally, I preheat the oven to 200F. Then, turn off the oven and put the dough in for 30 minutes.)
Topping dough:
7. In the meanwhile, prepare the topping dough. Put ¼ cup of nonfat dry milk powder into the chopper.
8. Then, add ¾ cup of sugar into the chopper. Let it run for a few seconds until it's smooth and fine.
9. In a container, put 1 & ¼ cups of all purpose flour, the chopped sugar and dry milk powder from step 7 and 8. Also, 1 large egg yolk, ½ teaspoon of baking soda, ¼ teaspoon of baking powder, ¼ cup of melted butter, ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract and 4 tablespoons of milk.
10. Mix the ingredients well and keep kneading until the dough comes together. Set it aside and cover with a cloth.
11. When the dough rises, roughly divide the dough into 12 or 10 pieces depending how big the bun or bread you want. (I did it for 12 pieces.)
12. Next, roll the dough into balls and put on the parchment paper with oil spray on the tray. Cover it with a wet cloth and let it wait for 15 minutes.
13. At the same time, roughly divide the topping dough from step 10 and roll it into a ball.
14. Take a topping dough and cover with plastic wrapper.
15. Press with your palm to flatten the topping dough.
16. The following step, put the topping dough on top of the bread dough from step 12.
17. Beat a large egg yolk or egg and brush the egg on top of the topping dough.
Baking:
18. Preheat the oven at 350F, bake at 350F for 18-22 minutes until it's golden brown.
Enjoy this delicious Hong Kong Chinese pineapple bun recipe! Also check out these beef broccoli, steamed pork patty and pad thai noodles recipes.
You May Also Like These Recipes:
Subscribe Oh My Food Recipes to get our new recipes delivered straight to your inbox! Follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all the latest updates.
Pineapple Buns (菠蘿包）
Video
Ingredients
BREAD DOUGH:
- ½ cup Milk (I used 2 % at room temperature)
- ½ cup Heavy whipping cream (At room temperature)
- ¼ cup Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Active dry yeast
- 1 large Egg (At room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ tablespoon Dough enhancer
- ½ tablespoon Vital wheat gluten
- 1 & ¾ cups Bread flour total (Add 1 & ½ cup first, then let the dough mix it together if the dough still sticky add ¼ cup slowly.)
- ½ cup Cake flour
TOPPING DOUGH:
- 1 & ¼ cups All purpose flour
- 1 lagre Egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon Baking powder
- ¾ cup Sugar (Use a chopper let it run around a few seconds)
- ¼ cup Nonfat dry milk powder (Use a chopper let it run around a few seconds)
- ¼ cup Butter (Melted)
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons Milk
BRUSH THE BUNS:
- 1 large Egg yolk
Instructions
- Pour ½ cup of warm milk, ½ cup of heavy whipping cream, and ¼ cup of sugar into the Bosch mixer. (Warm up the milk in the microwave for 15 seconds or leave it out at room temperature for 30 minutes before using it. Also, I used 2 % milk. You can use fat free or whole milk.)
- After that, add 1 tablespoon of active dry yeast and 1 large egg into the Bosch mixer. ( I prefer to use a Bosch mixer.)
- Turn on the lowest setting #1 and let it mix it a little bit and turn off the mixer. Then, wait for 5 minutes. (Don't run the mixer too long, just want to mix the ingredients.)
- In another container, put 1&½ cups of bread flour, ½ cup of cake, ½ tablespoon dough enhancer, ½ tablespoon of vital wheat gluten and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix it well.
- After, turn on the mixer at the lowest setting #1 and pour the flour mixture slowly into the yeast mixture. (Note: if the dough is sticky, add the rest of ¼ cup bread flour at a time until the dough comes together). Then, change the mixer from lowest setting to medium or high setting #3 and let it run for 10-15 minutes.
- After 10-15 minutes, the dough is ready. Then, take the dough out in a bowl and cover the bowl with a damp towel and let it sit for 45 minutes. (My trick to speed up the rising time. Normally, I preheat the oven to 200F. Then, turn off the oven and put the dough in for 30 minutes.)
- In the meanwhile, prepare the topping dough. Put ¼ cup of nonfat dry milk powder into the chopper.
- Then, add ¾ cup of sugar into the chopper. Let it run for a few seconds until it's smooth and fine.
- In a container, put 1 & ¼ cups of all purpose flour, the chopped sugar and dry milk powder from step 7 and 8. Also, 1 large egg yolk, ½ teaspoon of baking soda, ¼ teaspoon of baking powder, ¼ cup of melted butter, ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract and 4 tablespoons of milk.
- Mix the ingredients well and keep kneading until the dough comes together. Set it aside and cover with a cloth.
- When the dough rises, roughly divide the dough into 12 or 10 pieces depending how big the bun or bread you want. (I did it for 12 pieces.)
- Next, roll the dough into balls and put on the parchment paper with oil spray on the tray. Cover it with a wet cloth and let it wait for 15 minutes.
- At the same time, roughly divide the topping dough from step 10 and roll it into a ball.
- Take a topping dough and cover with plastic wrapper.
- Press with your palm to flatten the topping dough.
- The following step, put the topping dough on top of the bread dough from step 12.
- Beat a large egg yolk or egg and brush the egg on top of the topping dough.
- Preheat the oven at 350F, bake at 350F for 18-22 minutes until it's golden brown.
Notes
Cooking tips for how to make Chinese pineapple buns or bo lo bao recipe:
Bread dough:
- Personally prefer to use a Bosch mixer to make bread because they mix the dough very well.
- Remember to leave the milk and heavy cream at room temperature for 30 minutes or just warm up a little bit in the microwave for 15 seconds. This can help the yeast rise faster.
- Add 1 & ½ cup bread flour first, then let the dough mix it together if the dough is still sticky add ¼ cup of bread flour slowly.
- I added dough enhancer and vital wheat gluten, so the bread has a better texture.
- To speed up the rising time. Normally, I preheat the oven to 200F. Then, turn off the oven and put the dough in for 30 minutes.
Topping dough:
- Put regular sugar and dry milk powder in a chopper and run it for a few seconds. Thus, it is smooth and fine.
Leave a Reply