If you are wondering what else you can do with bananas besides making banana bread, you need to make this popular Indonesian banana puff pastry that originated in the city of Bandung, West Java. Pisang bolen is made with bananas, cheese, and chocolate wrapped in homemade puff pastry. They are so delicious.
The mention of bolen pisang Bandung transported me back to the short time I spent in Jakarta. A friend of mine traveled to Bandung and brought back two boxes of bolen pisang Bandung. I was lucky to get to taste it and I was hooked ever since. More than two decades later I decided to make this bolen pisang Bandung because I have been missing it so much.
What is bolen pisang Bandung?
Bandung is the capital city of West Java province in Indonesia. One of its famous snacks or pastries is this bolen pisang Bandung. It is made with banana slices, cheese, and chocolate wrapped in a homemade flaky puff pastry. It has that sweet and salty taste profile that I really dig! Not to mention the addition of chocolate! Simply out of this world!
How to make bolen pisang Bandung
1. For water dough: Mix flour, salt, sugar in a mixing bowl and stir to mix thoroughly. Rub the butter into the flour to form coarse crumbs. Add the water and gradually mix into a smooth dough. Divide into 12 portions (I only made 6 portions in this tutorial, but full recipe will give you 12 pieces). Keep them covered to prevent drying
For oil dough: Mix the flour with butter and continue to knead until you can form a dough. Divide into 12 portions. Rest both doughs for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Do not skip the resting
2. Get one water dough and flatten into about 3 inch round circle. Place the oil dough on top and wrap the water dough around it. Repeat with the rest of the water and oil dough. Keep them covered and rest again for 15 minutes. Please don’t skip this resting step
3. Lightly dust your working surface with a bit of flour. Get the one dough and use a rolling pin to roll this dough into a flat oval shape
4. Roll it up tightly starting from the bottom like a Swiss roll
5. Then rotate the dough 90 degrees to the left or right (doesn’t matter)
6. Use a rolling pin to roll it out again to an oval.
7. Use your fingers to roll it up again like a Swiss roll one more time. Keep them covered and rest again for 15 minutes
8. Preheat oven to 340 F (170 C) for a conventional oven. For a convection oven, please lower the temperature by 20 degrees.
Flatten the dough slightly and then roll it out into a rectangle, about 4 x 7 inches, roughly about that size, it doesn’t have to be exact
9. I use Cavendish bananas. Use the ones that have ripened but not too mushy. If the bananas are large, you can cut into 3 or 4 pieces to get 12 pieces. If you use raja bananas, which are much smaller than Cavendish bananas, then you may need 5-6 to get 12 pieces. Place one piece of banana in the middle of the flattened dough. Split the banana pieces halfway, don’t cut through it
10. Put the cheese stick or shredded cheese in there. Top with about one tablespoon of chocolate sprinkles/jimmies
11. Fold both sides of the pastry over and then the top and bottom over. It’s like wrapping a parcel. Repeat with the rest of the filling and pastry dough
12. Arrange this on the prepared pan, side by side. Combine egg yolk with honey for egg wash. Once you have arranged all the pastry in the pan, brush with egg wash on top. Sprinkle with more chocolate jimmies and/or shredded cheese if you want
13. Place the pan in a preheated oven, middle rack and bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the pan and let them cool down in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack
That flaky layers of pastry, the sweet bananas, the savory cheese, and the chocolate, need me to say anymore?
Can I use store-bought puff pastry sheets to make bolen pisang?
You certainly can. Get your favorite brand that you like. You will need about 1 lb (450 grams) of puff pastry sheets. Let them come to a room temperature and then cut the sheet into 12 pieces and roll it to the size mentioned in the recipe and proceed to fill and wrap. Follow the baking instruction on the puff pastry package for the time and temperature to bake.
Bolen Pisang Bandung (Indonesian Banana Pastry)
Ingredients
Oil dough:
- 110 gr all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 30 gr shortening
- 20 gr butter softened
Water dough:
- 150 gr all-purpose flour
- 25 gr sugar plus more for sprinkle if needed
- 30 gr butter softened
- 72 ml water
- ¼ tsp salt
Filling:
- 5-6 Raja bananas or you can use 4 large cavendish bananas
- 1 cup cheddar cheese just an estimate amount
- 120 gr Chocolate sprinkle just an estimate amount
For brushing:
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp honey
Instructions
- Line a 8 x 8 square pan with some parchment paper and set aside
Prepare the dough:
- For water dough: Mix flour, salt, sugar in a mixing bowl and stir to mix thoroughly. Rub the butter into the flour to form coarse crumbs. Add the water and gradually mix into a smooth dough. Divide into 12 portions. Keep them covered to prevent drying
- For oil dough: Mix the flour with butter and continue to knead until you can form a dough. Divide into 12 portions. Rest both doughs for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Do not skip the resting
Put water and oil doughs together:
- Get one water dough and flatten into about 3 inch round circle. Place the oil dough on top and wrap the water dough around it. Repeat with the rest of the water and oil dough. Keep them covered and rest again for 15 minutes. Please don't skip this resting step
Shaping:
- Lightly dust your working surface with a bit of flour. Get the one dough and use a rolling pin to roll this dough into a flat oval shape. Roll it up tightly starting from the bottom like a Swiss roll
- Then rotate the dough 90 degrees to the left or right (doesn't matter). Use a rolling pin to roll it out again to an oval. Use your fingers to roll it up again like a Swiss roll one more time. Keep them covered and rest again for 15 minutes
- Preheat oven to 340 F (170 C) for a conventional oven. For a convection oven, please lower the temperature by 20 degrees
Filling and wrapping:
- I use cavendish bananas. Use the ones that have ripened but not too mushy. If the bananas that you use aren't sweet enough, you can sprinkle with some sugar when you wrap and this will caramelize during baking, adding more flavor to the pisang bolen. If the bananas are large, you can cut into 3 or 4 pieces to get 12 pieces. If you use raja bananas, which is much smaller than cavendish bananas, then you may need 5-6 to get 12 pieces
- I only have shredded cheese and that's what I use. You can also use block of cheese and cut into stick, about the length of the banana piece and about 1/2 inch wide
- Flatten the dough slightly and then roll it out into a rectangle, about 4 x 7 inches, roughly about that size, it doesn't have to be exact
- Place one piece of banana in the middle of the flattened dough, sprinkle with some sugar if your bananas aren't sweet enough. Split the banana pieces halfway, don't cut through it. Put the cheese stick or shredded cheese in there. Top with about one tablespoon of chocolate sprinkles/jimmies. Fold both sides of the pastry over and then the top and bottom over. It's like wrapping a parcel. Repeat with the rest of the filling and pastry dough. Arrange this on the prepared pan, side by side
- Combine egg yolk with honey for egg wash. Once you have arranged all the pastry in the pan, brush with egg wash on top. Sprinkle with more chocolate jimmies and/or shredded cheese if you want
Baking:
- Place the pan in a preheated oven, middle rack and bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. If the pastry gets brown too quickly before end of baking time, you can loosely tent with an aluminum foil on top (shiny side up) and continue to bake
Cooling:
- Remove from the pan and let them cool down in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack
How to store:
- Let them cool down completely on a cooling rack. If you plan to eat them the next day or two, keep them in a paper bag. Push all the air out and fold over. The paper bag can help to retain the crispiness and flakiness at least for a day or two
- For longer storage, wrap each pastry in plastic wrap and put in a freezer bag, push all the air out. They can be kept frozen for about 4 weeks
- Thaw them at room temperature or overnight in the fridge and then reheat briefly in the oven or an air-fryer at 350 F (180 C) for 8-10 minutes or until crisp again
Notes
You will need about 1 lb (450 grams) of puff pastry sheets. Let them come to a room temperature and then cut the sheet into 12 pieces and roll it to the size mentioned in the recipe and proceed to fill and wrap. Follow the baking instruction on the puff pastry package for the time and temperature to bake.
