How to Make Hawaiian Buns (Tang Zhong Method) 夏威夷麵包-湯種法

Do you love Hawaiian Buns?  My family is a big fan of these buns!  Today, I want to share this homemade copy cat recipe with you.  After several recipe testing, I have finally ended up with this amazing recipe that our family absolutely loved!  The verdict?  We all agreed that my homemade version is way better than the store bought ones!  After all, it’s quite difficult to beat freshly baked buns that are still warm right out of the oven.  This is especially true since these buns are made with all natural ingredients and packed with amazing sweet aromas!  When you bake these buns, your whole house would smell amazing, like a bakery.  As my Son puts it, these buns are simply irresistible! 



If you had been following my blog for a while, you probably know that I like making bread and buns with the Tang Zhong Method 湯種法.  This Hawaiian Bun recipe is no exception.  Tang Zhong Method is a bread making method that involved a partially cooked dough added into the main bread dough.  This method yields the most amazing soft and fluffy texture of breads and buns.  The most amazing part is that the softness will last for a few days (that is if you haven’t finished these buns by then!)  You can read more about the science behind the Tang Zhong Method by clicking here. 



For the unfinished portions, simply wrap them tightly in plastic wraps.  To reheat, simply unwrap the buns and heat them up for a few seconds in the microwave.  They will be warm and soft just like they are fresh out of the oven!  If you haven’t try the Tang Zhong method of making bread, I highly recommend that you give it a try.  Once you have done it, you would not go back!  
  


To give these Hawaiian Buns their tropical flavor, I used pineapple juice in the bread dough.  They are slightly sweet because of the brown sugar and vanilla extract.  There’s no egg in the bread dough, but I added some custard powder to give these buns a hint richness of egg aromas.  I used custard powder quite often in a few of my other recipes.  It’s a more common ingredient in Asia countries.  Unfortunately,I haven’t seen them in the local supermarkets in the States yet and I always have to order them online.  I’ll list the ingredients and tools used in this recipe below this post for your convenience.



Although these Hawaiian Buns are just perfect the way they are, they are even more irresistible if you put a little butter and let it melt in the middle!  Each bite is simply heavenly!  If you are a Hawaiian Buns lover, you’ve got to give this recipe a try and thank me later!  After trying this recipe, you’ll never go back to the packaged version!



Thank you so much for visiting, stay tuned for more fresh and delicious recipe next week!  Remember, Eat, Drink, and Be Happy!

Ingredients and Tools Used:
9X13 Rectangular Baking Pan (Click here for more information)
Infrared Thermometer (Click here for more information)
Wooden Spatula (Click here for more information)
Dole’s 100% Pineapple Juice (Click here for more information)
Active Dry Yeast (Click here for more information)
Custard Powder (Click here for more information)
Dry Milk Powder (Click here for more information)
Kerrygold Salted Butter (Click here for more information)
Measuring Spoons Set (Click here for more information)
Kitchen Scale (Click here for more information)
Dough/Bench Scraper (Click here for more information)
Silicone Pastry Brush (Click here for more information)
Brown Sugar (Click here for more information)
Stand Mixer (Click here for more information)
Cooling Racks (Click here for more information)
Rolling Mat (Click here for more information)
Rolling Pin (Click here for more information)
Organic Vanilla Extract (Click here for more information)
Heat Proof Measuring Cups (Click here for more information)

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Hawaiian Buns (TangZhong Method) 夏威夷麵包-湯種法:
Makes: 20 Buns

Ingredients for the Tang Zhong Dough:
1 cup water
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

Ingredients 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, see note below) plus 1 teaspoon brown sugar, divided*
3 tablespoons custard powder
2 tablespoons milk powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ¼ cups All-Purpose Flour, divided (plus more for rolling)
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Ingredients for the Egg Wash:
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons of milk, or water

To Prepare the Tang Zhong Dough:
In a small pot, stir together the flour and water until there’s 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:
In a microwave safe cup, warm the pineapple juice for 20 second or until it reaches 110 degree 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 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.

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.

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. 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 double 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.  Wait for 5 minutes and brush a 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, or until the internal temperature reads 190°F on a digital thermometer.  Rotate the baking pan half way 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, simple unwrap from plastic wrap and heat in microwave for 8 to 10 seconds for each bun.








*Amy's Note: For a more authentic flavor and sweetness level to the packaged Hawaiian Buns, please use 1/2 cup of slightly packed brown sugar.  Since I am trying to control the sugar intake of my family's diet, I usually only put 1/3 cup of brown sugar.  I personally think 1/3 cup is sweet enough.  But if you want the your buns to taste just like the packaged ones, use 1/2 cup.