Chinese Pineapple Buns with Char Siu Pork

Combining two Chinese favorites to create an undeniably delicious savory sweet pastry. One bite of these Chinese pineapple buns with char siu pork and there's no turning back!

Watch how to make this

Ingredients

• Char siu pork: Also known as Chinese BBQ pork, char siu pork is a popular and flavorful Cantonese dish. It involves marinating and roasting or barbecuing pork until it develops a sweet and savory, glossy, and sticky exterior. You can use storebought char siu for these pineapple buns or make your own.
• Five spice powder: A blend of ground spices used in Chinese cuisine. It typically includes star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, and fennel seeds.
• Oyster sauce: A savory and thick sauce made from oyster extracts, soy sauce, sugar, and other seasonings.
• Hoisin: Hoisin sauce is a thick, dark, and sweet Chinese sauce made from soybeans, garlic, vinegar, and various spices.
• Milk: The milk, heavy cream, egg yolk, and butter all help to create a tender and moist bread dough. They create an enriched dough that is softer and richer than dough made with just flour, water, and yeast.
• Bread flour: Bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour, giving the buns more structure.
• Heavy cream: Adds richness to the pineapple buns while helping it achieve a soft texture.
• Dry milk powder: This powdered form of milk contributes to the texture of the cookie topping while enhancing the overall flavor. If you can't find dry milk powder, you can omit it.
• All-purpose flour: Since all-purpose flour has a lower protein content, we are using this specific flour to make the crunchy cookie topping.

Substitutions and variations

• Protein: Try this dish with another protein such as chicken or beef. Adjust the cooking times as necessary.
• Spicy: If you want the pork filling to have a little kick, you can add Sriracha or another chili sauce.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Make dough

I'm not going to lie, these Chinese pineapple buns with char siu pork are time-consuming. They take multiple steps and require different components. However, having said that, I still recommend taking the time to make them. Trust me, once you taste the results, you'll be happy you did.

So let's get started and make the dough. This particular dough is enriched, incorporating milk, heavy cream, egg, and butter to yield a rich and soft bun.

Use the help of a Kitchenaid stand mixer to knead the dough until smooth. Alternatively, use your sheer strength to knead the dough by hand - kneading dough is always a great arm workout! To gauge the perfect texture during kneading, aim for a smooth, elastic dough that springs back when gently pressed.

Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover it, and let it proof for 1 ½ hours or until doubled in size. Since this is an enriched dough, it will take longer to proof.

Step 2: Make filling

While the dough is resting, prepare the char siu filling. I made the char siu pork from scratch because I wanted to ensure that the filling was as delicious as possible. However, this also meant another day of work to include marinating and roasting the pork. To save time, you can purchase the pork from an Asian market or Chinese BBQ restaurant. If you do choose to make it at home, you can use a pre-made Chinese BBQ sauce to cut on time.

In a sauté pan, heat oil and sauté finely chopped shallots until tender. Then, add chicken stock, soy sauce, hoisin, oyster sauce, sugar, and five-spice powder.

Bring the sauce to a simmer, then, add the cornstarch slurry. Continue to stir the sauce until it thickens. It should be very thick, almost like pancake batter consistency. We want it thick enough to coat and season the pork. If the sauce is too thin, it will seep out of the buns and create a soggy bread.

Stir in finely chopped char siu pork, ensuring an even coating, and let the filling cool completely.

Step 4: Prepare cookie topping

While the pork filling cools, make the cookie topping. This topping is what gives pineapple buns that signature look. Bakeries have different ways of preparing the topping, either making it thick like a cookie or making it melt more into the bread. I chose to make it similar to a cookie, giving a crunchy texture to compliment the soft bread dough.

To make the topping, combine flour, dry milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In a separate larger bowl, whisk melted and cooled butter with sugar, incorporating milk, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until well combined.

Add the dry ingredients, stirring just enough to form a cohesive mixture. Wrap the cookie topping in plastic wrap, rolling it to create a log, and chill until firm. You can make the cookie topping the day before if you prefer.

Step 5: Shape buns

By now the dough should be done proofing. Now comes the artistic process of shaping the buns. Punch down the dough, and divide it into 12 equal portions. I like to use a scale to make sure each of the rolls is the same portion.

Roll each portion into roughly a 5-inch circle and fill the center with ¼ cup of the char siu filling. I found the sweet spot to be between ¼-1/3 cup of filling but it is much easier to seal the buns with ¼ cup of filling. If you do choose to go with ⅓ cup filling, keep in mind that you will need to prepare 4 cups of char siu.

Seal the edges by gathering them towards the center and pinching them to close the filling. Gently flatten the buns into a disc and place the buns on a lined baking sheet. Since the buns will continue to rise, do not overcrowd the baking sheet. Placing 6 on each will provide plenty of room for the buns to rise.

Loosely cover the bread and let them proof for 45 minutes in a warm area.

When it's about 10 minutes before the 45-minute mark, prepare the cookie topping. Slice the log into 12 equal portions and lay them on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Place another sheet of plastic on top and roll them until they're slightly larger than the buns.

The cookie topping has a high amount of sugar and butter, making it difficult to roll. By placing them between sheets of plastic wrap, you're able to roll them without adding more flour. You can roll them in batches to make the process easier since the topping will soften as it sits at room temperature.

Step 6: Bake

Brush the tops of the buns with egg wash and place a cookie topping directly on top, gently pressing down. If you want the traditional crisscross pattern, use a bench knife to score the topping. This is an optional step and can be skipped.

Use the same egg wash to brush the buns once more and pop them in the oven at 350 degrees F. To get even browning, rotate the sheet pans halfway through.

About 20 minutes later the pineapple buns with char siu filling are beautifully golden brown. Can you smell that glorious aroma? That, my friends, is a good sign.

Let the buns cool slightly and dig in while they're still warm. Although 12 pineapple buns may seem like a lot, you'll be amazed at how quickly they will be devoured. My husband and I gobbled up 5 by the end of the day - they're just too good! Or as the hubs said, "a tremendous success." I think Mei Lai Wah would be proud.

Make-ahead and storage

• Make-ahead: Both the char siu pork filling and cookie topping can be made the day before. It's actually best to make the char siu filling ahead of time to allow it to cool completely.
• Store: Store the pineapple buns in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat them in the oven at 350 degrees F until warm.

Frequently asked questions

More Chinese pork recipes

Looking for more dishes featuring Chinese pork? Try these:

Recipe

Print Recipe

Chinese Pineapple Buns with Char Siu Pork

Yields 12 buns

Total Time2 hours hrs

Course: Snack

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: bread, pork

Servings: 12

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Dough

• ¾ cup warm milk (187 ml)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar plus 1 teaspoon (54 grams)
• 1 tablespoon dry active yeast (10 grams)
• 3 ½ cups bread flour (507 grams)
• ½ cup heavy cream (125 ml)
• ¼ cup melted butter (57 grams)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

Char siu filling

• 2 tablespoons oil
• ¼ cup finely chopped shallots
• ½ cup chicken stock (125 ml)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon hoisin
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon five spice powder
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ cup water
• 3 cups char siu pork, diced (1 pound)

Cookie topping

• ¼ cup melted and cooled butter (57 grams)
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar (135 grams)
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all purpose flour (145 grams)
• 2 tablespoons dry milk powder (14 grams)
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

• Make bread dough. Combine warm milk with active dry yeast and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar. Gently stir to combine and let sit for 5 minutes or until yeast is activated and mixture is foamy.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast mixture, bread flour, heavy cream, butter, salt, and egg yolk. Mix until a dough forms and continue to knead until smooth, about 6-7 minutes. Transfer dough to a clean bowl, cover, and let proof for 1 ½ hours or until doubled in size.
• Meanwhile, make char siu filling. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add shallots and saute until tender and aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add chicken stock, soy sauce, hoisin, oyster sauce, sugar, and five spice powder. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes.
• Combine cornstarch with ¼ cup water, stirring until cornstarch has dissolved. Add cornstarch slurry to the sauce and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer until thickened, stirring constantly, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and add char siu, stirring until char siu is well coated. Let cool completely.
• Prepare cooking topping. Combine flour, dry milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
• Whisk together melted butter with sugar in a large bowl until well combined. Add milk, egg yolk, and vanilla extract, whisking until combined. Add dry ingredients and mix with a spatula just until combined. Wrap cooking topping in plastic wrap and roll into a log. Chill in the fridge until ready to use or until firm.
• Punch down dough and divide into 12 equal portions. Roll each portion into a 5-inch circle and fill the center with ¼ cup char siu. Gather the edges towards the center to enclose the filling, pinching together the edges. Gently flatten into a disc and place on a lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
• Lightly cover buns with a clean kitchen towel and proof for 45 minutes in a warm area.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Slice cookie dough into 12 equal portions. Place them in between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and roll into circles large enough to cover the buns. Brush the tops with the egg yolk and milk mixture and drape a cookie topping on top. Gently press down to secure the topping.
• Score the topping with a bench knife in a criss cross pattern if desired. Brush the tops with more egg yolk and milk mixture and bake the buns for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Rotate the sheet pans half way through.
• Remove pineapple buns from the oven and let cool slighlty. Serve warm.

Notes

The char siu filling can be prepared the day before. It is best to fully chill the filling before assembling the buns.

The cookie topping can also be prepared the day before.