This Social Media Hack Makes Pineapple Toast A Breeze
Those of us who regularly pop by — or at least peer into — Chinese bakeries will recognize the distinctive soft white bun topped with a sweet, crunchy, criss-cross pattern. Delighted Cooking says these baked treats, aka pineapple or bolo buns, are especially popular in Hong Kong, where they are served for breakfast or as a snack, and it usually takes one bite to discover that not only are the buns not made of pineapple, there is no trace of the fruit in them at all.
Foodicles says the buns date back to the 1940s, when the Ng family lost their home in Mexico, and they settled on Shanghai Street where they began making sweet-topped buns they called "Mexico bun," and it's said that the pineapple bun derived from that early incarnation.
Pineapple buns are best enjoyed after they've just come out of the oven, when they are piping hot and when the sweet topping is crisp, warm, and sugary. Hong Kong people also enjoy them cut up with a slab of ice-cold butter nestled in between, making it not exactly healthy but oh so satisfying.
This hack lets you make a toasted version of the pineapple bun at home
If all this talk of pineapple buns has succeeded in whetting your appetite but you don't have an Asian bakery close by, Instagram user @lizziebeats says there is a way to hack everyday milk toast so you can turn it into a pineapple bun lookalike — pineapple toast, if you will. As she says, "Seriously, it takes no effort to make but has the same flavor as a bolo bao. It's so good, you won't tell the difference!"
The hack involves mixing present quantities of softened butter and sugar, then adding flour and a pinch of salt. Once combined, spread it on a slice of toast (preferably the soft and fluffy Asian milk toast variety), then use a knife to score with the distinctive "pineapple" criss-cross pattern. Brush with egg wash and bake for eight to ten minutes. While the hack calls for the pineapple toasts to be cooked in an air fryer, its creator says you can use an oven to bake it as well. Judging from the likes and comments its picked up on Instagram, the hack looks like a hit with followers, with one saying, "Probably the best hack I've ever seen!"