Hong Kong Egg Tarts & Pineapple Buns • 港式蛋撻和菠蘿包
Updated: Jul 3, 2021
Hello, my name is Halden Levin, and you are listening to Little Dragon’s Journey. 你好！我叫李靜辰，你正在聽小龍的旅程。
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Every year, for Thanksgiving, my family does a chill pie baking competition. Luckily enough, since my aunt, uncle, cousins, and grandma (all on my mom’s side of the family) live nearby, they’ll all be joining us for Thanksgiving and for our pie baking endeavors. Since I’ve been branching out in trying to cook authentic Chinese, Taiwanese, Hong Kongese, and other sorts of Asian cuisine, I thought I would continue the challenge by making Hong Kong egg tarts as my pie. If all else fails, I hope I at least get creativity points for trying to make a tart/pie that isn’t a Thanksgiving classic, like pumpkin, pecan, and apple pies.
On top of Hong Kong egg tarts, I will also endeavor to create pineapple buns. In the past, I’ve tried different biscuit recipes to share on Thanksgiving, but there are so many wonderful Chinese/Asian bun recipes I’ve been hoping to try; I thought Thanksgiving would be a good opportunity to try one. Since today’s the sixteenth, I have yet to make the Hong Kong egg tarts and pineapple buns, so today I will be sharing a little bit about these baked goods and the process that I will likely follow. I will certainly share pictures when possible.
So, what are Hong Kong egg tarts? Egg tarts are a slightly sweet pastry found in Hong Kong with quite a bit of history. Puff pastry certainly isn’t common is Chinese cuisine. Hong Kong egg tarts developed due to Portuguese and British influences (Hong Kong became a British colony in the mid 1800s; Portugal colonized parts of China in the early 1500s.). The English and Portuguese egg tarts actually came from France. Quite an international pastry. The crust is like puff pastry, and the filling is a simple combination of five ingredients.
How are Hong Kong egg tarts made? This time, instead of the Omnivore’s Cookbook, I’m using a recipe from The Woks of Life. As with most baked goods, precision is key; for exact measurements, please see the link to the recipe I will be using in the transcript of the episode. First, to make the dough, you need to mix flour, salt, and sugar. Then mix room temperature butter chunks into the dry ingredients, being sure to leave butter chunks in the dough. To help the dough form, add a bit of cold water, and then cover and refrigerate for about 20 minutes. After the dough rests, gently knead the dough on a floured surface, and use a rolling pin (or another clean, cylindrical object) to form a rectangle, making sure not to overwork the dough. Fold, turn, and roll again; cover and chill for 30 minutes.
For the filling, dissolve sugar in hot water, and then let your sugar solution cool to room temperature. Whisk eggs and evaporated milk; then whisk in the sugar water solution and vanilla. For a nice, smooth egg tart, run the filling mixture through a strainer. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F, roll out the dough and cut circles for the tins, press the dough into the tins, ladle the filling into each, and carefully transfer the egg tarts to the oven. After 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for and additional 10-12 minutes. Based on what I’ve read, egg tarts are best eaten warm; of course be patient, so you don’t burn your mouth.
So, what are pineapple buns? Pineapple buns are a popular baked good in Hong Kong; you can also find this sweet bun in other Asian countries, including Taiwan. Despite the name, pineapple buns are actually made without pineapple and don’t have any pineapple flavor. Pineapple buns are called pineapple buns because of the appearance of the topping, which resembles the exterior of a pineapple. Interestingly enough, the process for making pineapple buns was actually listed as an “intangible cultural heritage” by the Hong Kong government in 2014. In Hong Kong, Tai Tung Bakery in Yuen Long is one of the oldest family-run bakeries, producing, among other pastries, thousands upon thousands of pineapple buns each year.
How are pineapple buns made? As I mentioned, one ingredient you won’t find in pineapple buns is pineapple. I’ve mainly been looking at two recipes to make pineapple buns, one from the Omnivore’s Cookbook and the other from the Woks of Life; both recipes are pretty similar but there are a few minor differences in the ingredients and directions. Pineapple buns are composed of two main parts: the bread, which is like Asian milk bread, and the cookie topping. When the cookie cooks onto the bread, that’s when you see the classic pineapple pattern on the buns.
There are different ways of approaching the process of making pineapple buns; I’m leaning towards mainly following the directions from the Omnivore’s Cookbook. Start with the cookie topping by mixing the wet ingredients, melted butter, milk, egg yolk, vanilla, and sugar, and dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, and baking soda in separate bowls. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Form the dough into a log shape, cover, and refrigerate.
Now make the bread dough. Mix warm milk, sugar, and yeast together, and let the yeast activate (about 5 minutes). Next, add the heavy cream, egg, bread flour, all-purpose flour, and salt into the bowl and mix with a KitchenAid for about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer, and smear in the butter with a spatula. Mix/knead again for 14 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, place the dough back into the bowl, and loosely cover. Let rest for about 1 hour.
Once rested, form the large dough ball into 16 buns. Let rest again for 30 to 45 minutes. Before putting everything together, make the egg wash by combining egg yolk, milk, and sugar; chill in the fridge for a thicker egg wash consistency. Finally, cut the cookie dough into 16 pieces, roll the dough out a bit thinner, and place on top of the buns. Finish them off with a bit of egg wash and bake in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for about 15 to 17 minutes. Buns are best served warm with a bit of butter or jam or just straight up plain.
More on Pineapple Buns:
More on Egg Tarts:
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Please visit haldenlevin.wixsite.com/littledragonjourney to access the transcript of this episode, and know you are always welcome to contact me through my website, email, or social media. Thank you for joining Little Dragon’s Journey. 謝謝你們參加小龍的旅程。拜拜！
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