Pineapple "Bun" Custard Coconut Breakfast Braid

It's appropriate that Halloween is right around the next spooky corner, because Frankenstein (the doctor, not the monster) would definitely approve of this treat.

It's a--wait for it--


...breakfast braid stuffed with coconut custard from the Chinese bakeries' cocktail bun masquerading as a pineapple bun.

Phew!

If you love pineapple buns, or if you're feeling even vaguely intrigued by the prospect of Chinese pastries, or if your name contains a vowel anywhere in it at all, you're going to love these.

Wait, what?

Yeah, I just did that. Did y'all catch that? Never mind. Just make these. Please. Oh, and for those of you who keep up with Willow Bird Baking (a must!), you must know that these delicious "bun" braids were made for the stellar weekly challenge she's hosting over at her blog.

Print this amalgamation, and head over to my blog to check out more appetite-whetting photos and thoughts! 

Pineapple Custard Coconut “Bun” Breakfast Braid

Yield: 1 medium braid

For breakfast bun braid:

Adapted from Willow Bird Baking

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1.5 ounces cream cheese OR 1 ounce tofu + 2 tablespoons plain yogurt*
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in softened butter or margarine, as well as cream cheese (or substitute–see note below) and mix until a sort of coarse meal forms.  Add milk and vanilla, and stir until a very loose dough forms. Be sure not to overmix–doing so might turn your pastry dough from a rocking good pastry to a plain old rock!
2. Turn out onto floured surface and knead very gently about five or six times, until your dough just comes together. Julie notes that it will be a very rough dough at this point, and that this is “perfect” for our purposes! Roll out into a rectangle about 5″ by 10″–just as long as it’s not too thin, you’ll be good to go.
3. In the vertical middle third of your dough, spread coconut custard filling (see below for instructions). Then, along each side, make diagonal cuts (all in the same direction) about 1.5-inch in length and 1-inch apart from each other. Starting on one side, carefully fold one of the strips over the filling, then fold the matching strip from the other side. Continue folding until a braid is formed. Ta-da! Not so bad, was it?
4. Top with pineapple layer (see below for instructions) and brush with egg wash (see below for instructions). Bake in preheated oven for 14-18 minutes, or until your top pineapple layer becomes golden. Allow to cool slightly before serving–the filling will be hot!

*Note on cream cheese substitute: I’m offering my cream cheese substitute because I do a really good job of not checking all of my supplies beforehand (d’oh) and didn’t have a package on hand. The tofu and yogurt will do the trick if you’re making small batches like I did; however, if you’re making a full-on breakfast honkin’ braid, it’s probably best if you use the cream cheese like a normal responsible  human being.

For the coconut custard filling:

Adapted from Christine’s Recipes

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
• 3 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/4 egg, beaten (hold on to the rest of the egg–it’s going into your pineapple topping!)
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

Directions:

1. Combine butter and sugar. Mix until light and fluffy.
2. Stir in egg. Add coconut and stir in until just combined.
3. Place mixture in fridge for at least a few minutes before using it, if possible; this will make it more manageable.

For pineapple bun topping:

Adapted from Rasa Malaysia

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
• 1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Beat butter or margarine, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy and light. Add in egg. Fold in flour.

For egg wash:

• Use remaining 1/4 beaten egg and brush onto pineapple-topped breakfast braids immediately before baking.