Recipe: Chinese egg custard bun/pineapple bun

Many, many thanks to all of you who replied to my query about the topping for the egg custard buns I used to have as a toddler in Taiwan.

I am *thrilled* to have found on the internet the recipe for the topping, posted by Carol, who tells me she is an exchange student from Hong Kong. In Hong Kong (and in some Chinatown bakeries I have been to in the U.S.), these buns are called "pineapple buns" not because of the ingredients but because the criss-cross pattern scored into the topping before baking creates a pineapple effect. These buns are made with and without the egg custard filling inside (and it is definitely not a mung bean filling -- that's another type of bun that I adore, too, which uses two types of dough, water-based and not water-based, in layers). Carol's topping recipe is posted at the Village Bakery website, with a *photo* (for those of you who would like to see what the buns look like), at:

http://countrylife.net/pages/recipes/817.html

Please note that Carol's recipe is just for the special topping; it lets you use whatever yeast-leavened sweet bread dough recipe you wish. Here is the sweet bread dough recipe I use for these buns:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 scant tablespoon or 1 package active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup milk
2 large eggs

To make dough, in large mixing bowl combine 1/2 cup flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. In microwave oven, melt butter in large mixing bowl. Add oil and milk to mixing bowl and heat until warm, about 115 degrees. Add flour mixture and eggs. Beat for three minutes. Add just enough of remaining flour to form dough. Knead for eight minutes or until elastic. Place in covered bowl to rise to double in size. Punch down and let double again. Divide dough into 12 pieces and form into flat rounds. Let sit, covered with damp cloth, until doubled in size.

At this point, before baking, one places the topping on the top of the buns and applies an egg wash for make it all golden and glossy. Please see Carol's recipe for the topping and egg wash.

The egg custard filling is not inserted into the buns until after baking. For the egg custard filling, I use the custard from the custard tart recipe that is found in the cookbook entitled _Chinese Snacks_ and published by Wei-Chuan Publishing. As in filling a jelly doughnut, I insert a knife into the baked bun and, taking care to keep the entry hole as small as possible and to avoid slicing through the crust, create a pocket in the interior. I then use a pastry bag and large tip to pipe an amount of custard into the bun.

And there you have it. Mmmmmmmmm! I feel like a child again whenever I have one of these buns!