The classic asian-bakery bread, the pineapple bun. A soft and fluffy milk bun made from the tangzhong method, topped with a sweet cookie crust, all in the shape of a cute pineapple!
Aren’t these so cute!
Pineapple buns are a staple in any asian bakery, a soft and fluffy bun topped with a sweet cookie crust. If served with a slab of cold salted butter, this is a dream.
Unlike their name these don’t have any pineapple in them. The name comes from the crackling of the cookie as it bakes, becoming something that looks like a pineapple, and I thought what a better way to make pineapple buns than to add a little pineapple head to it too.
When I was developing this recipe there were a few things that I struggled with. First was trying to recreate the same fluffiness of asian bakery bread... If you guys have tried it, you would know how unbelievably soft it is, and every time I thought I had managed to nail the bun, the pineapple topping managed to make the bread more dense that it should be. Second was the sweetness of the bun, getting the right balance of sweetness in the bread and the cookie crust was super important because that’s all there is to the bun!
So to fix these problems I baked pineapple buns over and over again… I’ve made sooo many pineapple buns in the past few weeks that I’m pretty sure my family never wants to see a pineapple again. Anyway, after all those attempts I can say that we have the answers!
You guys don’t need to worry about the flavour balance of the bun because I’ve sorted that all out for you in the recipe, but to achieve that beautiful fluffiness it’s in the process and technique. First, when kneading the dough make sure you knead it enough to develop gluten. This can be tested by doing the windowpane test, where you stretch the dough between your finger to create a thin film/layer. If you can create this without tearing the dough then its ready! (It can be a little confusing so search it up on google for a few examples). Second is the rolling of the balls, make sure that you roll them nice and tight so that the buns rise up nice and tall. Lastly is the topping. When rolling out the topping make sure its an even thickness all around and it’s not too thick. That’s it! You will be rewarded with warm and delicious bread 🍞
These buns are best eaten straight out of the oven, but if they do cool down just pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds or so to heat up before eating them! Enjoy with a nice slab of butter, jam, eggs, ham… or just on its own! Can’t wait for you all to try this recipe and if you recreate it make sure to tag me on instagram @catherine.justdessertsau and hashtag #cattycakes so I can share your recreations. Have fun baking!
Pineapple-Shaped Pineapple Buns
The classic asian-bakery bread, the pineapple bun. A soft and fluffy milk bun made from the tangzhong method, topped with a sweet cookie crust, all in the shape of a cute pineapple!
- Prep Time: 120 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 150 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
Ingredients
Roux
- 75 g Water
- 15 g Plain flour
Pineapple Topping
- 60 g Unsalted butter
- 15 g Custard powder
- ¼ tsp Baking powder
- ¼ tsp Baking soda
- 150 g Plain flour
- 150 g Icing/Confectioners sugar
- 2 tbsp Whole milk
Bun
- 310 g Bread flour
- 1 ½ tsp Instant dry yeast
- 25 g Sugar
- 90 g Thickened/Heavy cream
- 100 g Condensed milk
- 1 Egg white
- 40 g Unsalted butter
- 1 Egg yolk
Pineapple Leaf Cookie
- 45 g Unsalted butter
- 50 g Plain flour
- 20 g Icing/Confectioners sugar
- Green food colouring
Instructions
Roux
- Combine the flour and water in a small saucepan, whisk
- Whisk constantly on low heat until thick
- Transfer to a small bowl and cool to room temperature
Pineapple Topping
- Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and bring them together with a wooden spoon
- Transfer to a clean surface and knead until a dough forms
- Roll into a log and wrap in cling wrap
- Rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour (a good step to do while your dough is proofing!)
Bun
- Into the bowl of a stand-mixer add the flour, sugar and yeast, mix to combine
- Add the cooled roux, heavy cream, condensed milk and egg white and mix on low speed until combined
- Turn the mixer up to medium and continue mixing until the dough comes together and becomes elastic and smooth, 5-10 minutes at medium speed
- Add the softened butter a little at a time, incorporating it into the dough completely before the next addition
- Continue mixing the dough on medium-high speed for 15 minutes until silky smooth, elastic and can pass the windowpane test*
- Cover with a moist tea towel or cling wrap and leave in a warm place to proof for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size
- Once proofed remove from the bowl and press out the air
- Divide into 10 equal portions and roll each portion into little balls
- Cover with the tea towel/cling wrap and allow to proof for 30-60 minutes, or until almost doubled in size
- Once proofed take the pineapple topping out of the fridge and divide it into 10 portions, rolling each out into a flat circle
- Place on top of each bun and brush the tops with an egg yolk
- Bake at 180°C for [cooked-timer minutes=”15″]15 Minutes[/cooked-timer]
Pineapple Leaf Cookie
- Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, bringing them together to form a dough
- Place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll out until ~3mm in thickness
- Using a small knife cut out shapes that resemble the top of pineapples
- Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes at 180°C, or until lightly golden on the edges
- Remove and cool
- Once cooled cut a small slit at the top of each pineapple bun and slide the cookie in!
Notes
*The windowpane test is when you stretch the dough with your fingers to form a thin layer, "windowpane" to check whether or not your dough has developed enough gluten. If you're confused a quick search on google should give you what you are looking for
**These are best enjoyed warm, heat them up in the microwave for a 30 seconds and place a slice of cold salted butter in between, YUM!
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Ingenious! Thanks for another great recipe.
Thank you! You're welcome 😊
These look amazing! What can I use as a substitute for custard powder?
You can use cornstarch and then add a little more sugar 🙂