I first made this Garlic Cheesy Monkey Bread from Joanne Chang’s Pastry Love earlier this year when we started shelter in place and I was in serious need of some comfort food, and it turns out that comfort food craving continued as this year kept going. I’d never made a savory version of monkey bread […]...
Chinese Cocktail Buns (Gai Mei Bau)
I’m still getting comments on my Hokkaido milk bread post, and I’m really pleased that’s working out for so many bread lovers! I was feeling hungry for some of that bread myself, so fitting that my next baking challenge used the milk bread recipe to make another Chinese bakery classic: Cocktail buns, or coconut buns, […]...
Pineapple Buns (Bolo Bao): A Hong Kong classic
Do you have your standard “test” item when you visit a new restaurant or bakery? Whenever I check out a new bakeshop, I like to try out their croissants – and their tarts. If I love their puff pastry and their tart crust, I’m sure to make a return visit. Chinese bakeries have a different standard repertoire; I usually […]...
Chinese Steamed Buns at the SF Cooking School
Soft, fluffy, cloudlike steamed buns are a cornerstone of Chinese cuisine. They form the pillowy base for all kinds of toppings and fillings both savory and sweet, or they can even be eaten alone. A visit to a Chinese bakery or dim sum house isn’t complete without seeing trays of piping-hot tennis-ball sized buns filled […]...
Rabbit Bunny Buns for Easter
Hokkaido Milk Bread: The Tangzhong Method
One of my pastry goals for 2015 is to start making more Asian pastries. I grew up poring over the Betty Crocker and Better Homes and Gardens cookbooks on my mom’s shelf, but I also remember the red bean and sesame-filled buns, flaky egg custard tarts, and fluffy breads from the Chinese bakeries and […]...
Anita Chu, also known as pastrygirl, is a baker, writer, and photographer with a passion for pastry. She trained at Tante Marie's Cooking School and is the author of Field Guide to Cookies, Field Guide to Candy, and Lollipop Love. Anita lives in San Francisco with her husband, daughter, and dog Max. 
