Bolo Bao (菠蘿包)

Despite the name, Bolo Bao contains no pineapple — the name refers to the golden, crackled sugar topping that resembles a pineapple's skin. These fluffy, slightly sweet buns are an icon of Hong Kong's cha chaan teng breakfast culture, best eaten warm from the oven, split, and filled with a cold slab of butter.

Serves: 8 buns

Ingredients

For the bread dough

• 300g (10.5 oz / 2½ cups) bread flour
• 50g (1.75 oz / ¼ cup) caster sugar
• 5g (1 tsp) instant dry yeast
• 5g (1 tsp) fine salt
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 120ml (½ cup) warm whole milk
• 40g (1.4 oz / 3 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened

For the pineapple topping

• 80g (2.8 oz / ⅔ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 50g (1.75 oz / ¼ cup) caster sugar
• 30g (1 oz / 2 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp (15ml) whole milk
• 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 egg yolk + 1 tsp milk, for egg wash

To serve

• Cold unsalted butter slabs (optional but traditional)

Instructions

1. Make the dough: Combine flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Add egg and warm milk and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Knead by hand 5 minutes, then incorporate butter and knead 8–10 minutes more until smooth and slightly tacky. Cover and prove until doubled, about 1 hour at room temperature.
2. Make the topping: Beat butter and sugar until pale. Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla. Sift in flour and baking powder, mixing until just combined into a soft dough. Wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
3. Divide bread dough into 8 equal pieces (about 65g each). Shape into smooth balls and place on lined baking trays, spaced generously.
4. Divide topping dough into 8 pieces. Press each into a flat round disc and drape over the top of each bun, covering the top two-thirds.
5. Use the back of a knife to score a crosshatch pattern (the pineapple pattern) lightly into the topping without cutting through. Brush with egg wash.
6. Prove a second time for 30–40 minutes until noticeably puffed. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 14–16 minutes until golden and crackled on top.
7. Eat warm, ideally split and filled with cold butter.

Cook's Notes: The contrast between the crisp, buttery topping and pillowy bread interior is everything — do not over-bake. These are best the day they are made. Warm day-old buns in a 160°C oven for 5 minutes to restore the topping's crackle.