Hong Kong pineapple buns

Your ingredients

Get ready: Kitchen scales, stand mixer with dough hook, lined trays and cooling rack.

• 🥛Bread: 160 ml double cream
• 🥛Bread: 240 ml milk
• 🥚Bread: 1 large egg
• 🍯Bread: 65 g caster sugar
• 🍚Bread: 500 g plain flour
• 🥣Bread: 9 g active dried yeast
• 🥣Bread: 1½ tsp salt
• 🥛Topping: 30 g milk powder
• 🍚Topping: 160 g plain flour
• 🥣Topping: ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda and ¼ tsp baking powder
• 🍯Topping: 135 g caster sugar
• 🥛Topping: 55 g softened butter
• 🥛Topping: 30 ml milk
• 🥚Topping: 1 egg yolk
• 🥣Topping: ⅛ tsp vanilla extract
• 🥚Glaze: 1 egg yolk

Let’s make it

1. Knead the bread

   Bring dairy and egg to room temperature without leaving them out for hours. Mix all bread ingredients in a stand mixer with a dough hook for about 15 minutes on low, following its flour capacity instructions. Aim for a smooth elastic dough. Cover and rise in a warm place for about an hour, until roughly one-and-a-half times its original size.

2. Shape and rise again

   Knead briefly to release large bubbles, divide into 12 and shape into smooth buns. Put on lined trays with room to expand. Cover and leave for about another hour, until puffy. Rising time varies with room temperature.

3. Make the cookie caps

   Mix topping milk powder, flour, raising agents and sugar. Work in butter, milk, yolk and vanilla to make a soft dough. Add milk only by teaspoons if needed. Divide into 12 balls and flatten each into a thin disc.

4. Top and bake

   Heat oven to 180°C, or 160°C fan. Lay a topping disc over each bun without stretching it underneath. Brush with beaten glaze yolk. Bake for about 12–15 minutes, allowing longer if needed until golden and the bread is cooked through.

5. Cool on a rack

   Leave to cool before pulling one apart. The topping cracks as it expands, so a slightly uneven cap is part of the charm. No pineapple was harmed in making these buns.