Hong Kong Style Pineapple Bun

I never thought about making pineapple buns myself, in fact, I never thought I could do it. As for why I do this, of course it’s because of my baby son😅 The crispy pineapple skin, the soft sweet bun, and every bite has a light butter aroma. The recipe with less sugar and less oil makes this "evil" food feel a bit refreshing 😅

Ingredients

Steps

Making sweet buns
First, take out the butter and measure the butter for the sweet buns (25 grams) and the pineapple peel (65 grams). Cut into small pieces to allow the butter to soften quickly.
Measure all the ingredients for the sweet buns: bread flour, milk powder, salt, sugar, dry yeast, condensed milk, egg liquid and water, and pour them into the bowl of a blender one by one.
I will put the large bowl of the blender on the scale and then add the various ingredients. This can save time, but if you are afraid of accidentally adding too much, I suggest measuring the ingredients first and then pouring them into the dish.
After all the materials are measured, start the mixer and stir at low speed (this mixer is 1-6 degrees, use 2 degrees at this time) for two minutes to initially mix the materials.
After two minutes, switch to medium speed (4 degrees) and stir for 9 minutes.
Use a spatula to stir the dough occasionally, especially at the bottom, to make sure the entire dough is kneaded! .
After nine minutes, add the softened butter and mix at high speed (6 degrees) for 9 minutes. Similarly, you should use a spatula to stir the dough from time to time.
Tear off a small piece of dough. If it can be torn apart to form a continuous film, the dough has been well-formed.
Take a large bowl and spray it evenly with oil.
Spray a little oil on your hands, take out the dough, roll it into a ball, then put it into a large bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and carry out the first fermentation. If the room temperature is low, you can put it in an oven at about 30 degrees for fermentation. The first fermentation time is about one hour.
Each mixer has a different speed, the strength of the flour is different, and the time it takes to mix the dough is also different. Please note that the dough should be kneaded until it is elastic and forms a thin film.
(You can prepare the pineapple skin during this time, and come back to make the sweet buns after the dough has risen.)
Pineapple peel
Measure the icing sugar, cake flour and egg liquid. The butter has been measured and softened at the beginning. Since the amount of baking soda, baking powder and vanilla oil is too small, you can use a small spoon to scoop them up.
Find a large bowl, put in the butter that has been at room temperature for a while, and use a spatula to press and rub it.
Place a large plate on the scale, sift the icing sugar and add it, then check on the scale to see if the amount of icing sugar (50g) is correct.
Whisk icing sugar and butter.
Mix butter and icing sugar thoroughly.
Then place the large plate on the scale, sift the measured low-gluten flour (110 grams) and add it, and check whether the amount of flour on the scale is correct.
Then add baking powder. The amount of powder is small (4 grams). Please add it little by little using a spoon and check the amount on the scale all the time.
Then add baking soda. The amount of powder is small (1 gram), so add it little by little using a spoon and check the amount on the scale all the time.
Mix all the powders with butter.
If the room temperature is not high, you can rub the powder evenly with your hands.
When you reach this state, you can proceed to the next step.
Add Vanilla essential oil (1 gram). Since the amount is small, it is recommended to add it gradually with a spoon or a measuring spoon.
Finally add egg liquid (25 grams).
Mix all ingredients well.
Stir patiently until a firm dough is formed.
Wrap the pineapple peel dough with plastic wrap and roll it into a rectangle with your hands. Then refrigerate for an hour. Put it back into the fresh-keeping compartment after one hour. If you are afraid of forgetting, you can set the alarm.
At this point the dough for the sweet buns should have risen for more than an hour, so we return to making the sweet buns.
Making sweet buns (continued)
If the dough expands to twice its size and does not bounce back when you insert your finger, fermentation is complete.
Sprinkle flour on a work surface, turn out the dough and place plastic wrap on the bottom.
Weigh it on the scale.
Divide the weight by ten, then cut out ten small dough pieces of equal weight.
Roll the dough into a ball.
Cover with cling film and let sit for fifteen minutes.
After an hour the butter dough has become quite hard and can be placed back in the refrigerator.
Prepare two baking trays and line them with baking paper.
After the dough has rested for fifteen minutes, flatten it on a floured work surface and beat it with the back of your hand to expel the air from the dough.
Then fold the dough in half.
Fold in half again.
Close the mouth.
Then roll the dough into a ball.
Place the small dough balls on a baking tray, leaving enough space in the middle of each dough ball as the dough balls will ferment and expand again. Also cover the dough balls with pineapple peel.
After completion, cover with plastic wrap and allow for a second fermentation.
If the room temperature is not high, you can place it in an oven at about 30 degrees for fermentation. This fermentation takes about 45 minutes.
Sweet bun with pineapple skin
The second fermentation is complete.
Take out the pineapple peel butter dough from the refrigerator and measure its weight.
Divide the weight by ten and cut out ten small pieces of butter of equal weight. It is best to place the butter dough on a large ice cube as it will be difficult to push apart once softened. You can also put the slices back in the refrigerator and take them out while you use them.
Place a piece of plastic wrap on the bottom, put the small ball of butter on it, and cover it with another piece of plastic wrap. Flatten the butter dough with your hands.
Use a rolling pin to flatten it into a size that can cover the sweet buns.
After pressing, tear off the plastic wrap and take out the butter skin, which is the pineapple skin.
Cover the sweet buns.
After all the pineapple peels are rubbed, apply egg liquid to make the buns have a better color after baking.
When you are ready, preheat the oven to 180 degrees and then put it in the oven.
Bake in 180 degrees oven for 14-16 minutes.
When they are out of the oven, move them to the rack as soon as possible to prevent the steam from getting them wet.
Finish!