Bo Lo Bao (Pineapple Bun) 菠蘿包

Photo courtesy of Francis Ko and Eric Tsoi

Bo Lo Bao (Pineapple Bun)

It is an invention by Hong Kong bakers and very popular in this ex-English colony. The bun is soft and topped by a crunchy crust. It is often enjoy for breakfast and afternoon tea time. Do not be misled by the name. It does not have any pineapple in the ingredients. It gets the name because it looks like the outer skin of a pineapple.

There are many recipes around but they fail to make the crust crunchy. The traditional crust or top of Bo Lo Bao is made of sugar, eggs, ammonia bicarbonate, flour and lard. But the following recipe substitutes lard with butter for a slightly healthier version. Ammonia bicarbonate is not a common item on most grocery shelves so it is replaced by baking soda and baking powder as well. They produce the same delicious and crunchy texture.

Dough:

make 15 buns

428g   unbleached bread flour         

68g     sugar                          

1        large egg                             

7g      instant yeast               

80g    water                                                     

1 tsp  custard powder (optional)

7g     salt                            

45g   unsalted butter, room temperature
180g Tong Zhong
       

(Tong Zhong: put 30g flour and 150g water in a small pot. Stir well and put under low heat until it turns to a paste. Then let it cool to room temperature before mixing in with the main dough.)

Crunchy top:

110g      unbleached all-purpose flour                           

80g        sugar                          

1/4 tsp   baking soda                

1/4 tsp   baking powder                                                                   

20g        unsalted butter, softened                        
40g        vegetable shortening, Spectrum is recommended, see notes
half an egg, slightly beaten

roll out the crunchy top dough in between two sheets of wrap

put the rolled out crunchy top onto the bun and brush with egg wash

Mix all the crunchy top ingredients and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Divide into 15 parts and roll out to the size of the bun.

The way to make the dough is similar to other breadmaking techniques (click Tong Zhong Bread for more detailed instructions). Mix all the ingredients (except butter, add last) and knead for 15 minutes if you hand knead it; 7 minutes if using a stand mixer. Let it rise in a warm place until double or triple in size. It may take anywhere from 90 minutes to two hours, depends on the temperature of your kitchen. Divide evenly into 15 parts. Roll into a ball and let them rise a second time until it almost doubles, about 45 minutes.

Roll out the crunchy top and gently put on top of the dough. Brush with egg wash and bake at a preheated 375°F oven for 15-20 minutes until it is golden brown. Cool on a rack for about 15 minutes and best to serve warm.

Notes:  

1)  Custard powder is optional. It gives the bread a yellowish color and nice aroma.

2)  It is easier to roll out the crunchy top dough if you do it in between two plastic wraps.
3)  For a healthier version of vegetable shortening, use organic and non hydrogenated version from Spectrum:

菠蘿包

麵包材料:

可做十五個

428g     高筋粉     

68g       糖
1 隻      蛋             
7g         酵母         

80g       水                         

1茶匙   吉士粉 (如沒有,可省略)
7g         鹽             

45g       牛油, 室温
        

湯種:將30g高筋粉加150g水加熱至糊狀,離火,降温後使用。

脆皮面材料:

110g       麵粉            

80g         糖                

1/4茶匙  梳打粉        

1/4茶匙  泡打粉                                         

20g         牛油            

40g         固體菜油(Crisco or Spectrum) 
半隻       蛋

將所有材料混合,放雪柜半小時,分成十五等分,捍平。

做法與其他麵包大至相同(可參考湯種麵包),就是先做湯種,待冷,然後加入其他材料(牛油最後加),混合,搓至起筋,手搓大約十五分鐘,用機器大慨七,八分鐘。跟着便等它發酵至一、兩倍大。然後分割十五等份,滾圓,作第二次發酵,大約四十五鐘,便可將脆面料放上,掃上蛋液,放入己預熱375F焗爐,焗十五至二十分鐘,至表面金黄便成。

注意事項:

1)  麵包加了吉士粉可以更香,也會增加色澤。

2)  將脆皮面材料放在二張保鮮紙中更容易捍。