Prepare the Tang Zhong Dough: In a small pot, stir together the flour and water until there are no lumps using a spatula with a flat top that way you can scrape the bottom of the pot properly. Over medium-low heat, stir constantly and cook the mixture until it reaches 65C or 159F or until it is semi-translucent or it becomes a gooey wet dough. The tang Zhong should be thick and slightly translucent. Let it cool completely before use.

To Prepare the Bread Dough: In a microwave-safe cup, warm the pineapple juice for 20 seconds or until it reaches 110 degrees F. Stir in the yeast and a teaspoon of brown sugar. Let it stand for a few minutes until bubbly. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the cooled Tang Zhong, remaining brown sugar, salt, vanilla, custard powder, milk powder, and all-purpose flour, mixing until well combined. Turn mixer to dough setting, pour in the pineapple juice-yeast mixture. Beat the mixture for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, add in the softened butter, a tablespoon at a time, alternating the remaining all-purpose flour in between each addition. When all the ingredients are in, beat for another 10 minutes or until the bough comes together and form a ball. Slightly grease the bottom of a mixing bowl, slight round out the dough and place the dough in the bowl seam side down and covered with a plastic wrap. Let it rest in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour. When 1 hour is up, gently knead the dough a few times to deflate the dough. Weight and evenly divided it into 20 pieces.

Round each portion into a ball and return the dough balls into the mixing bowl to rest for 15 minutes. Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ rectangular baking pan with cooking spray. Lightly dust a rolling mat and rolling pin. Gently deflate each portioned dough ball by rolling it flat. This will prevent uneven bubbles inside the buns. Round each piece of dough into a smooth ball and space the buns in the pan seam side down. Tent the dough gently with lightly greased plastic wrap.

Let the dough rise in the pan for 50 minutes to 1 hour in a warm place, or until it doubles in size again. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F. To prepare the egg wash: Whisk the egg yolk with 2 teaspoons of milk, brush a thin layer onto the surface of the rolls with a pastry brush. Wait for 5 minutes and brush the second layer of egg wash on the buns.

The double layers of egg wash will give the buns a shiny and golden brown crust. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes rotates the baking pan halfway through the baking process. Remove the baking pan from the oven cool on a wiring rack. Serve warm and enjoy. To store unfinished buns, wrap them with plastic wrap and they’ll stay soft for a few days. To reheat, simply unwrap from plastic wrap and heat in the microwave for 8 to 10 seconds for each bun.

Ingredients;

For the Tang Zhong Dough:

  • 1 cup of water
  • 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For the Bread Dough:

  • 1/2 cup pineapple juice, canned
  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • 6 tablespoons softened butter
  • 1/3 cup (or 1/2 cups) plus 1 teaspoon brown sugar, divided
  • 3 tablespoons custard powder
  • 2 tablespoons of milk powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 ¼ cups All-Purpose Flour, divided (plus more for rolling)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Egg Wash:

  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons of milk, or water

Instructions;

To Prepare the Tang Zhong Dough:

  1. In a small pot, stir together the flour and water until there are no lumps. Over medium-low heat, stir constantly and cook the mixture until it reaches 65C or 159F. The tang Zhong should be thick and slightly translucent. Let it cool completely before use.

To Prepare the Bread Dough:

  1. In a microwave-safe cup, warm the pineapple juice for 20 seconds or until it reaches 110 degrees F. Stir in the yeast and a teaspoon of brown sugar. Let it stand for a few minutes until bubbly.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the cooled Tang Zhong, remaining brown sugar, salt, vanilla, custard powder, milk powder, and 2 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour, mixing until well combined. Turn mixer to dough setting, pour in the pineapple juice-yeast mixture. Beat the mixture for 5 minutes.
  3. After 5 minutes, add in the softened butter, a tablespoon at a time, alternating the remaining 1/2 cup of flour in between each addition. When all the ingredients are in, beat for another 10 minutes or until the bough comes together and form a ball.
  4. Slightly grease the bottom of a mixing bowl, slight round out the dough and place the dough in the bowl seam side down and covered with a plastic wrap. Let it rest in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour.
  5. When 1 hour is up, gently knead the dough a few times to deflate the dough. Weight and evenly divided it into 20 pieces. Round each portion into a ball and return the dough balls into the mixing bowl to rest for 15 minutes.
  6. Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ rectangular baking pan. Lightly dust a rolling mat and rolling pin. Gently deflate each portioned dough ball by rolling it flat.
  7. This will prevent uneven bubbles inside the buns. Round each piece of dough into a smooth ball and space the buns in the pan seam side down. Tent the dough gently with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in the pan for 50 minutes to 1 hour in a warm place, or until it doubles in size again then preheat the oven to 350°F.

To prepare the egg wash:

  1. Whisk the egg yolk with 2 teaspoons of milk, brush a thin layer onto the surface of the rolls. Wait for 5 minutes and brush the second layer of egg wash on the buns. The double layers of egg wash will give the buns a shiny and golden brown crust.
  2. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 190°F on a digital thermometer. Rotate the baking pan halfway through the baking process.
  3. Remove the baking pan from the oven cool on a wiring rack.