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.

• Preparation Time: 45 mins
• Cooking Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 60 mins
• Calories: 242 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup butter
• 1 ½ cups white sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 1 cup lukewarm milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 7 cups bread flour, or more as needed
• ⅔ cup salted butter, melted
• 1 cup canned red bean paste, or as needed (Optional)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

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

Step 2

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

Step 3

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 4

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 5

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

Step 6

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 7

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 8

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.