Bolo (Pineapple) bun 菠蘿包

I really like this but have resisted making because it is so time intensive. I now finally have a Kitchenaid on the way (yay!) and I hope I can finally be able to make this. There are several version, notably the HK and Japanese version (called melon panメロンパン rather than pineapple; even tho neither contain any fruit!). What's the difference? I don't really know but I suspect the HK version is eaten with a big slab of butter (which I'll always remove) but the Japanese version  here the various recipes are for comparison.

HK method
- What's common about these methods is the use of Tangzong for the bread portion with milk powder, and kneading butter into the dough at the last stage like brioche.

1. Miki's Food
- Makes 6 buns
- Uses bread flour only.
- Cookie batter has no rising agent in the cookie batter, uses milk powder.
- Interesting: uses back of plate to flatten cookie dough rather than rolling out
- same method using air fryer

2. Dessert First Girl
- Makes 16 buns
- Mixes plain and bread dough. Uses custard powder.
- Butter is added at the last stage like brioche
- Cookie batter has bicarb of soda and baking soda with custard powder.

3. Yi Reservation
- Makes 10 buns
- This recipe uses bread maker
- Uses bread flour only. Uses milk powder.
- Cookie batter uses baking powder and ammonium bicarb to get the crackly effect with milk powder

4. Christine's recipes
- Makes 12 buns
- Uses bread flour only. Uses milk powder.
- Cookie batter uses evaporated milk, condensed milk, milk powder, together with ammonia powder and baking powder

Finally, a recipe without tangzong!
Omnivore's Cook - Tried below
- Makes 16 buns
- Mixes plain and bread dough. Uses heavy cream instead of tangzong. No milk powder, yay!
- Cookie batter uses both bicarb and baking soda, but an extra egg yolk
- Interesting way the cookie dough is made, by rolling into a log then cutting out discs before flattening it out

Japanese version
This is the only one I know by JOC. According to JOC, the HK version's cookie crust is less crispy or firm than the Jap version and flakes more easily. Bolo buns are also supposed to be fluffier and softer than Melon Pan.
- Makes 10 buns
- Mixes bread and cake flour
- Similar to HK method, butter is added at the final stage like brioche
- Cookie batter uses only baking powder
- The only recipe that uses stand mixer to mix the cookie dough

Ingredients (makes 16)
Cookie topping
60g (4 tbsp) butter, melted
4 tsp milk (*original recipe is 2 tsp: This has been slightly changed because I forgot the egg yolk and it was a good accident. The top was probably less rich but quite easy to work with and very crispy. Good change cos I hate having a leftover egg white anyway)
*1 egg yolk
½ tsp vanilla extract
140g (⅔C) sugar
150g (1C) flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
Pinch salt

Bread dough
200ml milk (180g or ¾C)
70g (⅓ C) sugar
2½ tsp yeast
160g (¾C) double cream
1 egg
300g (1¾C) bread flour
225g (1¾C) flour
1 tsp (5g) salt
3½tsp (50g) butter

Egg wash
2 eggs (original recipe: 2 yolks, 2 tsp milk)
½tsp sugar

Method
1) Prepare the cookie topping. Mix the butter, sugar, vanilla, milk, and salt until smooth.
2) In another bowl, sift the flour, baking soda and baking powder, and mix well.
3) Sift the flours into the cookie down and fold until well combined. Roll into a 5cm diameter log. Wrap in cling film and put in the fridge.
4) Prepare the bread dough. Warm the milk in the microwave until warm to the touch (about 40 deg C). Add the sugar and yeast and stir, and set aside.
5) In the stand mixer bowl, pour in the milk, double cream, flours. Attach the shield to prevent flour bombing. Use Speed 2 to stir until incorporated. Add the butter, kneading it into the dough with your hand. Use Speed 2 to mix, about 2 minutes. Use a spatula to scrape down if needed.

6) Turn up the mixer to Speed 4 and mix for 14 minutes, stopping occasionally to check elasticity. Stop when it passes the window pane test and the dough is smooth and shiny and leaves the bowl clean.
7) In the bowl, tuck the sides of the dough in until you get a smooth ball. Cover the bowl the cling film and leave to proof until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
8) Meanwhile, take out the log and slice into 16 equal discs. Flatten each disc in between two pieces of cling film with a pastry roller. Roll out to 6cm wide or 5mm thick. I've also seen a cook use a veggie cleaver to flatten it and scoop it up. I used a bench scraper to do the same.
9) Prepare 2 baking trays by lining with parchment. When the dough has sufficiently proved, divide into 16 portions (approx 62 to 65g; measure).
10) Roll each portion into a ball and tuck the ends underneath to form a nice ball.
11) Cover and leave to prove for 30 to 45mins until doubled in size. (If time permits, knock out the air, re-shape the balls, and leave to prove for another 30 to 45 mins)
12) Prepare the egg wash. It is easier to spread when cold so keep it refrigerated.
13) Use the bench scraper to transfer each cookie layer on the proved ball. Leave to prove for 15 minutes if time permits.
14) Brush each of the cookie layers with egg wash, twice so that a sufficiently thick layer coats it to give it that nice golden brown hue.
14) Bake at 176 deg C for 15 to 17 minutes until top is golden and bottom is slightly brown. I swapped the trays and turned them around halfway for a more even colour.

Recipe feedback
I forgot to include the egg yolk in the cookie dough and because it wouldn't come together, I added 2 tsp of milk instead to help it come together. The effect was that it wasn't very crumbly and a lot easier to work with. I haven't tried with the original yolk so have no idea whether it's very much harder to work with.

The next day, it had softened as expected but reheated by airfrying and it came out beautifully!

Poached chicken (chicken rice chicken)

This is a great recipe for small family of 2. I haven't tried with more chicken maryland pieces but I must say that it is a MUST to use chicken maryland and not substitute for drumsticks. My previous failed attempts at cooking chicken rice chicken failed because I used drumsticks. I can't find a chicken small enough to fit my pot so thought I could substitute with drumsticks. As Y pointed out, the skin will shrink and it looks very ugly! So true, that's always where I went wrong!

This is a video recipe by oe cook. I didn't follow her cooking times but just the method and ingredients very broadly. An important point was that she left the pot uncovered. It will probably affect the cooking times and also temperature. My attempt led one maryland to be just cooked but the other was overcooked. I'd probably adjust the timings in a future recipe.

Ingredients
For chicken
2 chicken marylands, brought to room temperature
1 spring onion, chopped
1 slice of ginger, lightly smashed
2 pandan leaves, knotted
Dash of cooking wine

For serving sauce
2 spring onions, chopped
2 tbsp oil
1 thumb sized ginger, grated
1 small shallot, finely sliced
2 tsp light soya sauce

Method
1. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the chicken marylands. Add the aromatics and bring to a boil.
2. Once boiled, add the chicken maryland. You can dip it in and out three times, some bloggers say that this 'seals' the skin so that it's more springy. Bring back to a reboil.
3. Cover and once reboiled (my AMC pot has come to the 2nd indicator) and turn off the fire. Leave covered to steep for 25 minutes. Meanwhile prepare water bath.
4. At the 15 minute mark, reboil to 2nd indicator again. This step was important because while one chicken was slightly overcooked (the skin shrank), the other was JUST cooked and perfect! Strain out and test for doneness with a chopstick skewered to the thickest part. Juices should run clear.
5. Immediately strain and place the chicken into the water bath. Top off with ice cubes. Leave aside to cool down.
6. Prepare the sauce. Place chopped up spring onions and grate the ginger.
7. Warm up the oil. Fry the shallots on medium flame until golden. Strain the shallots and save for another time. (If not using shallots, warm the oil until it is smoking, you can smell the oily smell).
8. Pour the boiling oil over the ginger and spring onion. Careful, it will splatter. Stir in until combined.
9. Add the soya sauce. To make it extra delicious, skim off some of the chicken fat from the stock and pour into the sauce and mix.
10. Serve the thicken with the cooking caramel sauce and topped off with the serving sauce.

Update: Alternate method using rice cooker: Kitchen Tigress

Char siu bao 'smiling'

I have several pork bao recipes but for char siu bao, I've never really found the trick. I have recently found that the trick is wheat starch. This recipe is very detailed and has researched several sites, including the 'seminal' recipe by Lydia Teh. Everybody eats well. I also found another recipe by RasaMalaysia but it seems that someone is copying someone... not sure who. The instructions are very similar (sometimes even word for word) and the ingredient list and weights are exactly the same.

The advice is also similar (rephrased here):

1. The baking powder must be well dissolved in the cold water, otherwise it will leave yellow spots.
2. To get a white bao, first, use lard rather than oil. It just happened that I have some lard sitting around after a roost pork crackling dinner. Second, use HK flour or cake flour rather than normal flour. Cake flour has a lower gluten level than HK flour. Both are bleached. I don't have HK flour on hand (without running out to the Asian grocer) and I've tried cake flour and it was terrible to work with. So I'll probably stick to normal flour (which EEW doesn't recommend).
3. Use some vinegar in the steaming water, also for apparently whiter baos. I've tried this both with and without and no difference.
4. Only steam the baos when the water has come to a rolling boil, otherwise the baos won't rise properly. Do not open the lid during steam and cover the lid with a cloth so that the condensation doesn't drip on the surface of the buns.
5. Spray the buns with a water mist after proofing but before steaming to produce even fluffier baos.

I realised I used this exact char siu bao recipe from Rasa Malaysia when I adapted for Kimchi Pork Buns but this time I'm following the recipe more closely.

Smile or burst?

Ingredients 
For Bao (16x3" bao)
2.5 tsp (8g) instant yeast
280g normal flour, remove 4 tbsp of the flour and add 4 tbsp corn flour
100g wheat starch
160ml warm water (warm to the touch)
½ tsp white vinegar
2 tbsp sugar (original recipe was 90g icing sugar)
Pinch of salt
30g shortening (I used lard)
2 tsp (10g) baking powder
10ml cold water

Char siu: I had leftover from here and even the sauce.
250g char siu
1 chopped small shallot
approx 175ml of sauce (char siu sauce, including 150ml water and 1.5 tbsp corn starch)

Prepare: 3 by 3" parchments. Prepare steaming wok. Wrap the cover in a cloth.

Method
1. Sift together the flours and add the sugar. Mix well. Add the yeast and salt (do not put one on top of the other or the salt deactivates the yeast). Mix well.
2. Create a well in the middle. Pour in the water and vinegar. Bring together with a spatula or chopstick.
3. Add the shortening and knead for 10 to 15 minutes until smooth and no longer sticky.
4. Cover with cling film and proof until doubled in size (about 40 mins to 1 hour).
5. Dissolve the baking powder in the COLD water. Ensure there are no lumps and well dissolved. Sprinkle onto the surface of the buns and knead well. Rest for 10 minutes.
6. Divide dough into 16 portions. Roll out into 4" circle. Using the Asian rolling pin, leaving it slightly thinner at the edges and thicker in the centre.
7. Spoon one heaped tbsp into the centre and pleat. Place on pre-prepared parchments of 3 by 3". Cover and rest for at least 15 minutes.
8. Meanwhile your water should already be heating up. When it has come to a rolling boil, steam the buns on high heat for 10 to 12 minutes. Turn off the fire and rest for 5 minutes.
9. Remove and serve immediately. Best eaten hot. Store in fridge for up to 4 days. EEW doesn't recommend freezing but I find no problem, as long as they are frozen immediately when cool (rather than left lingering in the fridge). They can be reheated from frozen, approx 2 minutes on one side and turn.

Recipe feedback
- Misting the bao was definitely the wrong idea because it made the bao soggy.
- The mix of flour, corn starch and wheat starch made the bao very flat, no different to when cake flour was used.
- However, the use of wheat starch meant that the dough was a lot more manageable and handleable. It was very stretchy and I could make very nice pleats. Problem is that it was so thin that it tore, which is also why I couldn't seal it properly.
- The bao was already leaking before I even put it in the steamer, so it didn't really burst. I was probably too generous with the sauce.
- Was the dough fluffy like dim sum char siu however? It wasn't. It was a great fluffy bao but it wasn't the dim sum bao. For the first time, I actually think there wasn't enough dough on top! Maybe I should do what I've seen in some other receipe and put my pleats facing down instead so that if it leaks, it will leak onto the paper. The top may or may not open up and 'smile' but at least it wouldn't leak.