From making mooncakes to honor the Mid-Autumn Festival to celebrating the end of the AP exam with homemade dumplings, food has always been a staple in Ning Zhang’s Chinese class. After chatting with Ms. Zhang about her favorite foods, we quickly stumbled upon the bakery item that has transfixed the hearts and souls of many: the pineapple bun.
Pineapple buns are one of the most beloved Asian desserts. They’re crispy and deliciously sweet on the outside, and pillowy soft on the inside. But, contrary to its name, pineapple buns contain not even a speck of real pineapple! Shocker, right? Its name actually comes from the bun’s resemblance to the checkered skin of a pineapple. The pineapple bun is traditionally served steaming and fresh from the oven. However, some variants are served with a slab of butter, red bean paste, or savory barbecue pork.
The origin of this popular baked good remains divided. Hong Kong’s Tai Tung bakery has been making pineapple buns since its opening in 1943, where pineapple buns were originally called “crispy-skin buns.” The bakery owner, Tse Ching-yuen, had been making pineapple buns from the young age of 11 years old! Another story describes the members of the Ng family, who were deported from Mexico to Hong Kong in 1946. Upon their arrival, they brought traditional Mexican bread, concha, and adapted it to suit local tastes. Thus, the pineapple bun was born.
After my extensive research of the pineapple bun, I was ready to bake! I gathered all my ingredients and got right to work.
I started off with the dough, as it needed ample time to rest. In a bowl, I combined heavy cream, milk, one egg, sugar, cake flour, bread flour, yeast, and salt, and began to mix. After the dough came together, I covered the bowl with a damp towel and allowed it to rest for an hour.
At the end of the hour, I was amazed, as the dough had nearly doubled in size. I then kneaded the dough to get rid of any air bubbles. After that, I lightly floured my surface, and dumped my dough onto it. I cut the dough into 12 semi-equal pieces (I eyeballed it) and formed each piece into a circular shape. I placed each dough bun onto a baking sheet and covered it with a dry towel. It was time to wait another hour to let the dough rise to its full potential.
But it wasn’t time to relax yet! During the hour, I started on the cookie portion of the pineapple bun, which is the most important part of the dessert. First, I mixed my softened butter and sugar together until smooth. Then, I added one egg yolk (for the classic golden color), vanilla extract, sifted flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Once thoroughly incorporated, the dough is wrapped with plastic wrap and rolled into the shape of a log. In order to firm up the dough, I placed it in the fridge for half an hour. After the dough sufficiently firmed up, I cut the dough into 12 even pieces, which I flattened into ¼-inch thick pieces.
It was finally time to assemble! I placed each piece of cookie dough on its respective bun. With a knife, I lightly scored each bun in a crosshatch pattern. After that, I brushed each bun with egg yolk to give it that nice, golden finish.
From there, I placed the pineapple buns into my oven at 350°F for 12 minutes. While baking, the delicious smell of pineapple buns wafted all over my house. Even my reclusive sister came out to take a peek! The nostalgic smell of pineapple buns is truly like no other.
The next morning, I woke up extra early to reheat the pineapple bun so that Ms. Zhang would have the joy of experiencing a warm, freshly baked pineapple bun. I wrapped the bun in a parchment paper bag, and off to school I went.
When meeting Ms. Zhang, her demeanor completely changed the moment I presented her with my pineapple bun. Ms. Zhang dug right into the steaming bun, which was “still warm” and remarkably “authentic.” I was practically glowing from her praise!
After chatting with her during the taste-test session, she confided in me that during her college years, she would rarely find the time to treat herself to breakfast. But, on the rare occasion, she would pop by to her local mom-and-pop bakery to purchase a freshly baked pineapple bun. My replication brought her back to those chilly morning days, which were always brightened up by the sweet treat.
All in all, I immensely enjoyed baking the pineapple bun for Ms. Zhang. Although it is certainly a labor of love, the end product is absolutely sensational!
