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, […]...
Happy Year of the Monkey! With Chinese Pineapple Cakes (Feng Li Su)
Happy Chinese New Year! I’ve just returned from Hong Kong, where preparations for the Year of the Monkey were fully underway. I’m sad I couldn’t stay for the actual new year festivities, but I’ve brought back plenty of new year treats, including these traditional Chinese pineapple cakes that are a wonderfully simple baking project as well. […]...
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 […]...
Guava Mango Passion Fruit Cake
Summer’s coming to an end and alas I didn’t get my tropical vacation this year. I have a couple of other small trips coming up that prevented us from adding in a Hawaii getaway. Maybe that’s why I found myself craving something sweet and fruity and faintly exotic, that could make me feel like I’d […]...
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 […]...