Bo Lou Bao – Pineapple Bun

Instructions

Prepare dough for buns.

1. In order to obtain the quantities of egg required for both the dough and the topping, we will beat one large egg and divide it into two parts; one of 25 g (for the dough) and the other of 20 g (for the crust).
2. In a bowl add the flour together with the water, egg and powdered milk. Mix lightly.
3. Add crumbled yeast and mix again.
4. Incorporate half of the sugar and knead until it is completely integrated. Add the other half and knead again until homogenized.
5. Add the salt and continue kneading. Transfer to a clean work surface and knead until we obtain a semi-developed dough.
6. At that moment, add the butter little by little, we will do it in batches. Allow the butter to fully integrate into the dough before adding more.
7. Knead the dough until we obtain a good gluten development. It should be elastic, soft, smooth and not break.
8. Round the dough and place in a bowl or airtight container, previously greased with oil. Cover with film or with its corresponding lid.
9. Let rise until it grows a little more than doubling its volume. Depending on the temperature it may take more or less time. In my case it was 3 and 1/2 hours at 85,4ºF/29,7ºC.
10. If we want to divide the process in 2 days, once it has grown 1/3 of its volume, refrigerate until the next day.

Prepare the topping for the bo lou bun or pineapple bun.

1. In a bowl add the butter and smooth with a spatula.
2. Add powdered sugar and whisk until the mixture is whitish and airy.
3. Pour the egg and mix until homogenized.
4. Incorporate powdered milk and salt and mix again.
5. Finally, add the flour and mix until a homogeneous dough is obtained.
6. Form a disc, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Divide and shape.

1. If you have decided to place the dough in the refrigerator, remember to remove the dough from the refrigerator and leave it at room temperature for 1-2 hours. If it has not reached the desired volume, leave it until it reaches this point.
2. Divide the dough into 6 pieces of approximately 75 g each.
3. Shape the dough gently, without exerting too much tension. The softer you handle the dough, the more tender the final result will be. Remember that if you have created scraps when dividing the dough, these should always remain in the center of the piece.
4. In this case we will not preshape the dough, but shape it directly.
5. Place the pieces on a perforated tray lined with baking paper or Teflon.
6. Cover with cling film.

Divide the crust to place on the buns.

1. Divide the topping dough into pieces of approximately 45 g, we will obtain 6 units. Round gently and cover them with film to prevent them from drying out.

Place the toppings on the buns and make final proof.

1. Stretch the piece of dough with the help of a rolling pin, placing it on a piece of film and placing another piece of film on top (in this way it will be very easy to handle it without it breaking or sticking to the work surface or our hands). Ideally, it should be slightly larger in diameter than the dough piece.
2. Brush the piece of dough with beaten egg and place the cover on the shaped piece and adjust it. To do this we will help us with the film and remove it when it is adhered and adjusted.
3. With the help of a scraper, create lines that simulate the external aspect of a pineapple.
4. Repeat the same process with the rest of the pieces.
5. Cover with cling film and let rise until doubled in size. In my case it was 2 and 1/2 hours to 86ºF/30ºC. You will notice that the cuts you have made on the cover have opened and you will be able to see the depth in them.
   

Bake.

1. Preheat the oven to 338ºF/170ºC with heat up and down.
2. Bake at medium height for 17-18 minutes. Remember that the internal temperature must reach 190º-194ºF/88-90ºC for the baking to be finished.
3. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.
4. In the NOTES section, I tell you how to keep them for a long time.

Notes

• Respect all the steps, resting and rising times to obtain a good result both in flavor and in texture and sponginess.
• Some recipes use tangzhong in the process. You can incorporate it into the preparation if you wish.
• I recommend using a good quality butter because it will affect the final flavor of the dough.
• The egg that we use to brush the bun and the crust, we will keep it covered with film between both processes and refrigerated in case it is very hot.
• If you prefer, you can carry out the whole process in a kneader. Just follow the same steps that I detail, but using it instead of kneading by hand.
• If it is very hot, the crust should be refrigerated for a longer time (or even frozen), so that we can handle it without problems. Otherwise it will melt and be very difficult to work with.
• They will keep in perfect condition for 4 days stored in a zip bag at room temperature (if it is not too hot). From this point on, they will begin to lose their tenderness.
• If we want to keep the pineapple buns for several days/weeks maintaining the same freshness as the day we baked them, we will do the following. Once they have cooled completely, store in zip freezer bags 2 by 2 (or more if you wish) and freeze. When we want to eat them, we take them out the night before and leave them at room temperature. The next morning they will be like freshly baked, very tender.
• If it is a very hot time of the year, in 2-3 hours they will be thawed and ready to eat.
  

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