Pineapple Bun
A soft milk bun under a crackled sweet crust that splits into a pattern in the oven. No pineapple in it anywhere.
Photograph credit: Pineapple buns (image of pineapple bun on Wikidata Q1140567) by Party Lin · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photograph credit: Ananasbroodje by Helanhuaren · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
The Method for Pineapple Bun
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Mix the strong flour, caster sugar, yeast and salt, then work in the warm milk and egg to a soft dough.
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Knead 10 minutes, then work in the softened butter and knead 5 minutes more, until smooth and elastic.
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Prove covered in a warm place for 75 minutes, until doubled.
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Beat the topping butter with the icing sugar until pale, then beat in the egg yolk.
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Fold in the plain flour, custard powder and baking powder to a stiff dough. Wrap and chill 45 minutes.
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Knock the risen dough back, divide into 8 and shape into tight balls.
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Prove on a lined tray for 45 minutes.
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Divide the chilled topping into 8 and roll each between baking paper into a thin disc.
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Lay a disc over each bun, pressing lightly, and brush with beaten egg.
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Bake at 180°C / 355°F for 18 minutes, until the topping has cracked into a pattern and turned deep gold.
Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.
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Things to Watch For
- Topping cold and rolled thin.
- Press it on lightly — pressing hard stops it cracking.
- Eat warm, split, with a slab of cold butter inside.
About This Recipe
The topping is a cookie dough and it must be cold and rolled thin when it goes on the risen bun. It cracks because it sets before the bun finishes rising, and the expanding dough underneath tears it apart — warm topping stretches instead of cracking, and thick topping never sets in time. Chill it hard and roll it thinner than seems sensible.
On the Table Alongside
Hong Kong milk tea · A slab of cold butter · Egg tarts
Storing Leftovers
Best the day they are baked. Freeze 1 month and refresh at 160°C / 320°F for 6 minutes.
Questions People Ask
How long does Pineapple Bun take to make?
40 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking, plus 2 hours 45 minutes of proving and chilling, so allow 3 hours 45 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 8.
Nutrition per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
Cooked this? Keep a note for next time
Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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