These matcha pineapple buns go perfectly with our Coconut Matcha Latte for your morning breakfast or afternoon snack.
First off, for those who have never had pineapple buns (boluo bao 菠萝包) you may be surprised to learn that there is, in fact no pineapple nor pineapple flavor involved in pineapple buns. The name comes from the cutting pattern in the top crust resembling pineapple skin.
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Pineapple buns are a popular sweet treat in Hong Kong and the Canton region of China. They're often served warm with a big piece of butter but there are countless ways to serve them including using them to make a sandwich with pulled pork. The matcha flavor of these pineapple buns make them great even plane when served warm or with butter or cream cheese spread inside.
This recipe can seem a bit intimidating for those not used to bread baking and can even be a new experience for the bread bakers out there who have never made a milk bread or never used Tangzhong (heated milk and flour) in a bread recipe. With the rise time for the dough included, these buns can take up to about 4 hours in total to complete so start them early in the day if you want them fresh with dinner.
While that could be intimidating, a large batch of these buns could last you a long time. While they'll only last about 4 days in the refrigerator, you can store them for 2 months frozen after you've baked them. From frozen they can easily be heated back up in the oven in about 10-15 minutes and they taste just as good!
For those used to bread baking, you will notice that this dough may be a bit wetter than your used to. Don't panic and add a bunch more flour, it's supposed to be that way. As it goes through it's first rise it will dry out just a bit and you'll be able to handle the dough with un-floured hands on a non-floured surface to roll the dough into balls for the second rise.
Some of you may be asking "What is this Tangzhong you mentioned?". It's really simple to make in just a minute or two. Consisting of flour and whole milk, heated in a sauce pan, you'll end up with a goo almost the consistency of mashed potatoes. This tangzhong will be added to the dough during the initial preparation and will bring the desired consistency into the final product.
Matcha Pineapple Buns (BoLuo Bao)
Recipe for Matcha Pineapple Buns
Servings: 11 Buns
Keywords: Baked Goods, Milk Bread, Dessert, Buns
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 18 mins
- Total Time: 1 hours 3 mins
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- ½ Cup Whole Milk
- ¼ Cup Bread Flour
Dough Ingredients
- 2 ½ Cups Bread Flour
- ½ Cup Granulated White Sugar
- ¾ Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- ¼ Oz (One Packet) Active Dry Yeast
- ⅔ Cup Whole Milk
- 1 Large Egg (At Room Temperature)
- 4 Tablespoons (1/2 Stick) Softened Unsalted Butter
Topping Crust
- 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
- ⅔ Cup Granulated White Sugar
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 Teaspoon Matcha Powder
- 4 Tablespoon (1/2 Stick) Softened Unsalted Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Whole Milk
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 Large Egg Yolks
Instructions
Tangzhong
- Add 1/2 cup whole milk and 1/4 cup of bread flour to a sauce pan and heat on medium heat while whisking. Whisk until the mixture combines to form a consistency similar to mashed potatoes.
- Remove the tangzhong from the sauce pan into a small bowl to cool.
Bun Dough
- Heat 2/3 cup of whole milk until around 110 degrees F (warm to the touch). Add one tablespoon of honey and 1 packet of yeast to the warm milk and stir. Over the course of about 5-10 minutes, the mixture will foam (yeast blooming).
- While waiting for the yeast to bloom mix your dry dough ingredients (bread flour, sugar, salt) in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, mix until combined.
- Add your tangzhong, egg and bloomed yeast mixture to the bread and mix until you achieve a shaggy dough. If using a stand mixer, use a dough hook on low speed and this should take about 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds.
- Add 4 tablespoons of butter, one tablespoon at a time. Fully mix and fold each tablespoon in before adding the next. After the fourth tablespoon of butter is added, mix until you achieve a smooth dough.
- Lightly coat a large bowl with neutral oil (grapeseed oil is a good option which won't change the flavor of the dough) and transfer the dough to the oiled bowl. Cover with a kitchen cloth or plastic wrap and place in a warm space for about 1 hour 45 minutes until the dough has doubled in size.
Topping Crust
- In a medium sized bowl mix together 1 cup all purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and matcha powder.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together 1/2 a stick (4 tablespoons) of butter, 2/3 cup granulated sugar.
- Add 1 large egg yolk, 1 tablespoon of whole milk, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the creamed butter and sugar, and mix until fully combined.
- Add the mixed topping crust dry ingredients from Step 8 to the cookie dough mixture from step 10 and stir until fully combined.
- Wrap the cookie dough crust in plastic wrap forming a log, place in the refrigerator until the buns are ready for the cookie crust topping.
Forming Bun Dough
- After the bun dough as risen for about 1 hour 45 minutes or until it has doubled in size. Uncover the dough and gently punch it down then transfer to a working surface (counter top or large cutting board).
- Divide the dough into 11 equally size pieces. If you have a kitchen scale, each piece should be about 65-70 grams.
- Using your palm and the heel of your palm press down on each piece of dough and move your hand in a circular motion to form balls of dough.
- Place each ball on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper at least 3 inches apart. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and place in a warm space, free of any draft or breeze to rise for about 1 hour 30 minutes.
Topping Buns with Cookie Crust
- After the buns have completed their rise for about 1 and a half hours. Preheat your oven to 325F (190C) Remove the topping crust from the refrigerator and divide it into 11 roughly equal portions forming each into a ball.
- Use the heel of your palm to press each crust dough ball down into a disc about 1/4 of an inch thick.
- Remove the plastic wrap from the dough balls on the baking sheet and gently top each with with a disc of topping crust. Note that if you can only fit half of the buns in your oven at once, that's ok, keep the extras covered with plastic wrap and wait to top them until the first batch is removed from the oven and you can free up space.
- Gently cut a diamond pattern into each topping crust.
- Whisk one egg yolk. Using a brush, apply egg wash to the top of each bun.
- Bake for 16 to 18 minutes until the crust starts to brown and crisp up.
- Let the buns cool on the baking sheet until they are cool enough to handle before removing them to a cooling rack. Serving the buns warm or waiting until they reach room temperature are both ok.
Storing Your Matcha Pineapple Buns
- If you are unable to eat all of your buns the day they are made, once cooled, they can be stored in air tight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. To reheat from the refrigerator put them in the oven at 325F (190C) for about 5 minutes. To reheat from the freezer put them in the over at 325F (190C) for about 12 minutes.