Pineapple Bun

In Taiwan, or I can say in most Asian cities, we prefer softer buns or bread. Of course, I like crispy breads, like baguette. Sometime, I still miss those soft buns.

Having a life in a foreign country means you can’t eat your hometown food easily. Even, it might be sold in a foreign country, the taste will be changed to fit local people’s taste. Pineapple bun is very popular in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan that it is sold in every bakery. There is no huge different on baking, but the way people eat it will vary. Most people eat is directly as a breakfast in Taiwan, while people eat it with a layer of butter in between in Hong Kong.

So, let’s just do it today. Ingredient is reference Carol 自在生活 : 湯種菠蘿麵包

Oven Setting and Time: 170 degreeC, around 20 ~ 22 minutes

 

Ingredients - For 8 buns 

Check here for Hot Batter (http://selenaskitchentalk.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/hot-batter.html)

 

Steps for Buns

 

(1) Put yeast into 50ml milk. And then, put milk into a hot water bowl to warm it up. It takes around 5 minutes

(Selena's Kitchen Talk: Check your manufacturer and check their instruction.)

(2) Weight all ingredients well before starting our brilliant work

(3) Put Strong Flour, Plain Flour, Granulated Sugar and Salt into a big bowl. And then, stir a while. (Selena’s Kitchen Talk: Every time I bake the bread, I will mix dry ingredients firstly. Salt will kill yeast if it touches to yeast directly )

 

(4) Then, add Hot Batter, Large Egg and item (1) into the bowl as well. Stir and mix into well until there is no flour.
(5) Now, having the rest 30ml milk into the jar. (Selena’s Sharing: If there is any yeast leaving on the surface of jar, you can get a small piece of dough to stick the rest yeast.)

(6) Move the dough ball into a lightly floured work space. And put butter on the dough. Then, start to knead it.  

 

(7) Add 30ml milk several times when you knead the dough into a smooth and elastic dough ball. (Selena’s Sharing: Adding milk into dough several times can make sure that the dough totally absorb the milk. I tried to add once at the beginning when I started to bake. It was okay, but the dough ball was very dried. )

(8) When the dough ball has a smooth surface, moving it back to the lightly greased bowl. And brush some watch or milk on the surface of the dough ball. Wait around 1~2 hours until it doubles the size. Either you cover the bowl with wet towel or you can put into a cold oven or microwave. 

 

Then, we well-utilize the time to prepare the topping when waiting dough doubling the size.

Steps for Toppings

(1) Weight all ingredients firstly.

(2) Put Unsalted Butter and Granulated Sugar into a bowl. And then, whip butter and sugar until it looks like pale and fluffy.

 

(3) Add whipped egg into the bowl. And then, whip with the butter and sugar mixture until it is well-mixed.

(4) Add Plain Flour into the batter twice or third time and mix it. 

(5) Make sure there is no flour left. And then, cover it and wait it at refrigerator.

Steps of Assembling Topping and Buns

(1) Separate topping dough into 8 small balls

(2) Put one on a lightly floured work space. Press into a flatter circle and roll it into a 2 ~ 3mm. Repeat 8 times

(3) Separate bun dough into 8 balls as well

(4) Cover the topping sheet with bun dough

(5) Put it on a greased flat tin

(6) Slash the top as a grid

(7) Wait another 40 ~ 60 minutes until it doubles the size.

(8) Brush some whipped egg on the top before sending it into oven

 

LALA~ Wait around 20 ~ 22 minutes. It is ready when the surface becomes brown. Then, we are ready to ENJOY it.