Pineapple Bun (Polo Bun)
Pineapple Bun (Polo Bun) – Very popular bun in Asia. Easy pineapple buns (polo bun/菠蘿包) recipe that you can try at home. Polo bun is tasty and crusty.
If you have been to Chinatown and have tried authentic Cantonese dim sum, you will probably know pineapple buns (boroh bun). Regardless of its name, there is no pineapple in the bun—it’s a soft bun with a sweet and crusty topping, which is extremely tasty when it’s freshly baked.
I love pineapple buns and that’s why I asked my contributor Siew Loon to share her pineapple buns recipe. If you love Asian-style pastry, buns, and bread, I am sure you will love this. Enjoy!
Over the last few months, the craze about Asian breads and pastry has prompted me to try baking these delicacies such as pineapple buns, Hokkaido milk loaf, Castella, and the list goes on.
One of my favorites is pineapple buns (or called buo luo bao/菠蘿包 in Cantonese) which is a popular bun in Hong Kong. This is a MUST EAT on my list whenever I visit Hong Kong.
Pineapple bun is a combination of soft bun with a butter pastry topping. While enjoying the softness of the bun, we are also able to savor the sinfully fragrant butter pastry and this is really irresistible.
And this pineapple bun is always great to be taken hot-off-the-oven so baking it yourself will allow you to pop the bun into the mouth as soon as it is out of the oven. It is best to go with a cup of green tea.
After a lot of trials and errors, I have finally made it. I hope you will enjoy this pineapple bun recipe as much I do.
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Pineapple Bun (Boroh Bun/菠蘿包)
Pineapple bun (polo bun) is very popular bun in Asia. Easy pineapple buns (polo bun/菠蘿包) recipe that you can try at home. Polo bun is tasty and crusty. | rasamalaysia.com
Ingredients
For the Bun:
- 500 g bread flour
- 10 g yeast
- 2 TBSP milk powder
- 60 g fine sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 60 g butter
- 280 ml water
- 1 large egg
Pastry Topping:
- 80 g butter
- 30 g shortening
- 80 g powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 200 g all-purpose flour
Egg wash
- 1 egg lightly beaten and sieve
- 1 Tbsp water
Instructions
Bun
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Mix flour, sugar, salt, milk powder and yeast till combine.
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Add water and egg to flour mixture and use a dough hook to knead on medium speed till combine. (about 5 minutes)
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Gradually add in butter and knead till smooth and elastic. (dough should be shining and elastic, kneading time is about 10-15minutes).
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Leave dough to proof for about 40 minutes or double in size.
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While dough is proofing, prepare the pastry topping.
Topping:
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Beat butter, vanilla essence and sieved powdered sugar till light.
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Add in egg.
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Fold in flour.
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Refrigerate the dough in the fridge for 15-20 mins for easier handling.
To make the bun:
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Scale the bread dough into 50g each and mold into a ball.
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Leave to proof for about 45minutes or double in size. Glaze it with egg wash.
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Divide the topping into 20-30g each. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin and roll it out thinly into a circle.
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Gently put the pastry topping on to of the glazed bun. Glaze again.
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Bake at 210 Celsius for 12-15 minutes.
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Devi Amrita Persand via Facebook
Rasa my husband uses your recipes all the time……we really like it……he is Maurice Souresh Pursand
momgateway
I used to buy these whenever we go to this bakery in Dallas. I’ve always wondered how they make the pastry topping. Thanks!
Rasa Malaysia
Now you know how to make this pineapple buns. :)
June
hi, isn’t bolo bao, the custard bun supposed to have egg custard inside that oozes out when you bite into it?
can share how to make that? yum yum :P
Rasa Malaysia
Yes, but not all pineapple buns have fillings. This is the plain ones.
l c tan
will try the recipe. is it instant yeast or what type pls advise. thanks
siewloon
I use instant yeast. Pertaining to your second question, you will need to proof until it double in size or 45 mins whichever is earlier.
l c tan
sorry – You mentioned “Leave to proof for abt 45 min or to double in size. Glaze it with egg wash.” Do I glaze it immly when I leave the dough to proof or after the 45 min.thks
siewloon
Glaze it after proofing.
gaininja
Are these like the Japanese melon-pan? They seem similar – named after a fruit, don’t contain said fruit, and both have a crusty topping that splits when they’re baked.
Rasa Malaysia
I think they are similar but also different.
Darren Tran
I’m ashamed to say I’ve finally tried these for the first time at a dim sum place in Rosemead… they are sooooo amazing!
I have to try this recipe out!
Rasa Malaysia
That’s great, I am glad that you finally discovered the deliciousness of pineapple buns. :)
Rasa Malaysia via Facebook
Hi Devi – thanks for your comment. Glad that your husband loves my recipes. :)
Maia
Is your cookbook available in the US yet?
[email protected]
Awesome, Bee! I have always wanted to make this! Have you tried Roti Boy? I am trying to find time to make that soon…. :)
siewloon
We will be featuring Rotiboy in our next write up. Please look out!
l c tan
sorry, when do I have to add the 30g shortening for the Topping. Its not mentioned in the Method for Topping. Thanks
Siewloon
Add it together with butter
jjag66
Thanks for sharing this recipe. My hubby loves this bun but he doesn’t like it fresh he prefers those that is 1 day old. Yup, strange guy! Anyway,I may surprise him one day and try my hands in making these buns.
Before I do so, just need to clarify a couple of those ingredients.
What is “shortening”? Is there another name for it? I live in Australia and I wonder if it’s readily available in Western supermarkets or should I try my luck at Asian grocers.
Is powdered sugar the same as icing sugar?
Thank you.
siewloon
The famous brad for shortening is CRISCO. Don’t know if it is available in Australia but I think they do sell it in the supermarket like Coles. Powdered sugar is icing sugar.
l c tan
Sorry to trouble u again. To proof the dough, do I need to cover it and place in unheated oven. Thanks
Alyssa
I tried the recipe and I couldn’t get the pastry topping to turn out correctly. It ended up staying a pale white color after baking, and was all flat. Do you have any tips/troubleshooting?
Eva
I have been wondering forever how these are made (I love the ones with red bean filling), thanks for the recipe! Any clue as to why they are called pineapple buns?
bichi naneun solo
the original ones have crossed lines down the topping, like a pineapple
Jean
My husband loves this type of bread recipe and we usually buy our dozen at our local bake shop, but here in Sacramento they have a coconut filling that he absolutely loves. Do you, by chance, have a coconut cream filling recipe that I could add to this bun?
Choon
I replaced all purpose flour with bread flour, because I only have bread flour.
I replaced shortening with butter, and used fine sugar instead of powder sugar.
I quartered all ingredients to just make 5 buns (for experimental purpose, I don’t want to make that many buns in case they don’t turn out nice).
And thank goodness, everything turned out GREAT !!
But the top and bottom is a little too crusty for my liking (but my mum finds it ok), I prefer softer and less crusty bread.
Is it due to my oven? Or dough is too dry? Or should I put a cup of water into the oven while baking?
Thanks!!
lisa robinson
how do you store the leftovers? instead of using shortening, i used sunflower oil instead. hope it works. i am making them now. thanks.
geanie
I love these and our favorite dim sum restaurant (mill creek, WA) just closed. they served these both with custard filling and coconut cream filling. do you have recipes for the fillings? and would you please share them? thank you. You have helped me create at home some of my favorite Asian recipes.
Pauline
Just wondering, is the Chinese “pineapple bun” related to the hispanic “Pan dulce”? The two seem very similar.
Jo
This is fabulous! Thank you for sharing the recipe! Do you have a recipe for making the “Cock tail” bun too? It’s the version with the sweet coconut filling….
Marissa
Why they called pineapple bun if thres no pineapple ingredient?
Rasa Malaysia
It looks like pineapple.