Bolo Bao (Chinese Pineapple Buns)

I love making these Chinese pineapple buns (bolo bao). They’re my favorite treat. Being Chinese, my parents would always go to the Chinese bakery during the weekend and buy these to eat for breakfast or for a snack. Now that I learned how to make these myself, it has saved a lot of money.

Step: 1

Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, lukewarm water, and 1 cup lukewarm milk in a very large bowl. Add yeast and let stand until yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam, about 10 minutes.

Step: 2

Add 2/3 cup melted butter and 2 eggs to the bowl with the yeast mixture and mix well. Add 7 cups flour, 1 cup at a time and mix in; when dough comes together, start kneading until elastic but still sticky. Cover the bowl and let rise for 1 hour in a warm place.

Step: 3

Divide dough into 36 equal pieces; cover and let buns rise for 1 hour more.

Step: 4

While buns rise, beat 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup butter together in a bowl. Add egg yolks, 4 tablespoons milk, and baking soda. Combine 2 cups flour and baking powder in a separate bowl; add to the sugar-egg yolk mixture. Refrigerate cookie topping at least 1 hour.

Step: 5

Flatten 1 bun in your palm; place a spoonful of red bean paste inside. Squeeze edges together to cover filling and roll bun back into a ball. Let filled buns rise again, 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Step: 6

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step: 7

Divide cookie topping into 36 equal balls. Flatten the balls and use a knife to make shallow hash mark lines resembling pineapple skin on each. Place 1 topping on each bun and place them on a baking sheet.

Step: 8

Bake in the preheated oven until golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

Per Serving: 242 calories; protein 4.9g; carbohydrates 39.8g; fat 7.1g; cholesterol 38.2mg; sodium 126.9mg.

The best flavour of the flour could make a real deal to your bread. Different brands do vary. Extra-strong or Canadian flours, which are naturally higher in gluten, may give you a better rise than standard bread flours – especially if you’re making wholemeal dough , which not always rise as well as white bread.

To make this in a dough , add all the menus to your breadmaker and follow the makers instructions.

A bread first rising can be done in the fridge 24 hours . This slows down the time it takes to rise to double its size, giving it a deeper flavour. It’s also a great limit , as you can start it night before , then finish it off the next day.