Ted's Bakery

Many of you must be wondering what I was doing at Ted's Bakery.  After all, Ted's is on the other side of the island and I can easily buy Ted's Bakery pies at the local supermarket.

I actually took a drive out to the North Shore to eat at Giovanni's Aloha Shrimp, but once there, I discovered that the line was too long.  There was no parking, and judging by the number of people there, the wait was probably in excess of an hour.  Hungry and disappointed, I continued on, down the road, until I got to Ted's.

Ted's occupies most of the space that is/used to be the Sunset Beach Store, which has been around since the late 50's.  Ted's has been here for more years than I can remember and they are most famous for their cream pies -- most notably, the chocolate haupia cream.  When I arrived at the shop with a couple of friends in tow, there were a few tourists, and locals, ordering food and purchasing baked goods.  In addition to the pies and other baked goods, Ted's has a nice selection of sandwiches and plate lunches.

Since we hadn't eaten, and were starving, we decided to eat here.  The bento (US$6.95) sounded good, so that's what we all had.

The bento came with FOUR (!) scoops rice, a few pieces of chicken katsu, a piece of teriyaki beef, a piece of Spam®, and a piece of mahimahi.  The little containers in the middle of all that rice hold some chicken katsu sauce and some tartar sauce.  The first thing I have to say about this bento was that it was huge!  The second thing that I have to say about this bento is that it was delicious.

The contents of this bento were prepared fresh and because Ted's was a little busy, that meant a wait of about 7 minutes.  The chicken katsu was golden brown and crunchy.  Lightly seasoned, and not at all greasy.  The teriyaki beef was cut thick, the sauce was slightly sweet and meat was so tender.  The bento was worth its price for the teriyaki beef alone.  Awesome and delicious.  The mahimahi was dipped in egg, then pan fried -- once again, not greasy.

For dessert, I took home a slice of Ted's famous chocolate haupia cream pie (US$1.95).

Now, this is the best chocolate haupia cream pie that you will ever have.  The chocolate filling is chocolately, smooth and creamy, and doesn't really taste much like the pudding that it's probably made from.  The haupia on top, provides the perfect compliment to the chocolate.  On top of the haupia, is lots of piped whipped cream.  This is one of my favorites.  The only thing that I think needs improving is the "doneness" of the crust.  In my opinion, it could be baked a little darker and made a little flakier.  Other than that, this is one pie that can't be beat!

Next time you're on the North Shore, stop by Ted's for some of their delicious cream pies.  If you haven't yet had lunch, make sure to have one of their awesome plate lunches, or the BIG bento.  You'll be glad you did.

Ted's Bakery
59-024 Kamehameha Highway
Telephone:  (808)638-5974

Comments

[AugustusGloop]

Reid - I could barely scroll down fast enough when I saw that first pic! =P

The chocolate filling looks very wet and the cream looks a little scary (artificial) but I'll wait for the tasting notes.

PS. I spy Spam!

[babe_kl]

the pie sounded great but one look kinda so much whipped cream or was it not??

[Min]

Yum!So huge and so good!

[Reid]

Hi AG,

You have good eyes. Yes, there was a piece of Spam® lurking around back there! =)

The chocolate looks wet, but actually isn't. It took me more than an hour to get home, and I didn't have a cooler with me, so the pie started to melt. =(

It sat in the refrigerator for a little while before I ate it. Mmmmm! It's so delicious.

BTW...I normally don't like too much cream on my pies, but this is OK! I wanted to indulge myself. =P

Hi babe_kl,

It might look like a lot of whipped cream, but it's not really. There's a layer of haupia (coconut pudding, for lack of a better word), right below it. The whipped cream isn't too sweet, so it was OK. =)

Hi Min,

Long time no hear! I hope you're adjusting to life back in Singapore. The bento was huge, and so delicious!

[AugustusGloop]

Aha. Sorry, me and my motor mouth. Should've waited for the post. Didn't realise it had haupia cream (I forgot what haupia was!).

And I was gonna say the pastry looked a little dry too but thought I'd better wait until you posted properly.

Good eyes? Of course! Any photo that involves food necessitates long bouts of scrupulous examination (and resulting drool).

[MrsT]

Hey..Reid,
That's really good food for a small price..! i would have loved it.. ;)
And my spouse would have loved the cream pie.. ;)
Did anyone tell you that spam taste different in singapore than anywhere else in the world..?? the spam i'm used to.. is call luncheon meat.. and it taste wonderful.. ;) i love it with bread.. or anything.. ;)

[Jo Rutherford]

oh man Reid... ok, IF you get to come, forget bringing the shave ice from Wailoa, bring a few of these pies instead!

I can't believe the amount of rice in the bento, WOW! The greatest thing I found about Hawaii was all the spam! My husband hates the stuff but I grew up with it and love it. My favorite dinner spam is to slice it rather thin, dip in flour, dip in egg, and fry it to light brown. Serve with white rice & fried cabbage... YUMMO!

[stacey]

Have you tried an okinawan sweet potato haupia pie with macadamia nut crust? Now *that* is the best pie in the world. I've never had from Ted's but they probably have it there yeah? Oh gosh... it sounds so good. Plus I love okinawan sweet potato. And haupia.

[Colette]

Reid,

You are going to be the death of my diet! I forgot how much I love those Ted's pies, and that bento...

For the previous poster, Yama's Fish Market has Okinawan sweet potato pies with haupia. I haven't had it in a while, but I remember it being pretty good.

[Tea]

Mmm...my sweet tooth is calling me after looking at your pie picture. Chocolatey pie...*drool* I haven't heard of haupia before...is it Hawaiian?

[Julia]

That bento is so huge, and so much meat! It's really value-for-money. But I'd have preferred some veggies to go along. And that pie looks divine! If there's one thing you could FedEx to me, it'd be haupia pie, Reid. It sounds really amazing!

[Reid]

Hi AG,

You're not Motor Mouth Mabel are you? =)

Haupia is a coconut flavored dessert. It's made by combining coconut milk with cornstarch, sugar and water. It's quite nice.

Hi MrsT,

The bento was really good and really worth it too. The pies are probably some of the best around. It's a good thing they sell them in a couple of the supermarkets nearby.

I've heard that Spam® was different in Singapore, but you know, we also have luncheon meat here. I like to eat it fried with the little charred bits on the edges. =)

Hi Jo,

If I am able to visit SF, I will definitely bring along a pie for you to try.

Spam® dipped in egg sounds nice. Almost reminds me of the Spam® katsu which I made at home once. =)

Hi Stacey,

I love Okinawan sweet potato and haupia pie. In fact, I posted my recipe for it here back in October. Here's the link:

http://onokinegrindz.typepad.com/ono_kine_grindz/2004/10/okinawan_sweet_.html

I love Okinawan sweet potato too! Yum! BTW...I don't think Ted's makes this pie.

Hi Colette,

Thank you for dropping by my blog. =)

I haven't had the Okinawan sweet potato and haupia pie at Yama's because my preference is to make it at home. If you want the recipe, the link is provided above.

Hi Tea,

Yes, haupia is Hawaiian. It's a coconut flavored dessert. If you'd like to make it at home, you can use the following recipe:

Haupia

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
2 12-ounce cans frozen coconut milk, defrosted

Combine sugar and cornstarch, then add water until dissolved. In a heavy bottomed pot, heat coconut milk until warmed through. Slowly add sugar/cornstarch/water mixture until combined and cook until mixture starts to thicken, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a 9" square baking dish and refrigerate until set (about 2 hours).

Good luck!

Hi Julia,

The bento is huge and it is really a good value for the money. I too wish that more places would include veggies. Sadly, that's not the case here in Hawaii. =(

Next time I visit Singapore, I'll make you one of the chocolate haupia pies if I can get my hands on all the ingredients. If you'd like to make it at home yourself, you can use the Okinawan sweet potato and haupia pie recipe that I posted before, but instead of the Okinawan sweet potato layer, you'll substitute it with either homemade chocolate pudding or a couple of boxes of store bought stuff. It's really quite simple to make. =)

[jascp]

Hi AG,

My wife wife and I had 6 slices in 2 days while staying in the area. This pie ranks as one of the best I have ever had and trust me I eat alot of pie. The crust was done almost perfectly, made with lard I suspect. I agree that it could be a little flakier but disagree with the need for it to be browner.

If anyone can asemble the rest of the recipe please let me know about it.

Chuck
Ohio

[Reid]

Hi Chuck,

Thanks for visiting!

I've eaten many Ted's Bakery pies over the years. In fact, there were a few of us in the office that used to place weekly orders for the pies (they would deliver).

The doneness of the crust is my own personal preference as are the comments on my site. That said, this pie is still great just the way it is.

If you'd like to make a similar pie, use a standard pie crust recipe. If you're going to use lard, use the following recipe:

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup lard (or shortening)
2 1/2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon white vinegar

Sift together flour and salt, then cut in lard until pea sized clumps are formed. Sprinkle dough with water, then with vinegar. Form into a ball, then roll out between two sheets of plastic wrap. Press into pie tin. Prick pie crust all over to prevent shrinkage then bake at 425F for 10-12 minutes or until it reaches the desired level of doneness.

For the chocolate portion of the pie, you can use chocolate pudding and for the final layer, which consists of haupia, you can use the recipe above.

Good luck!

[Sonya]

I live in the mainland, does anyone know if anybody ships Ted's pies anywhere? I know zippys ships their food nationwide. If nothing else, does anyone know what kind of chocolate Ted uses in his chocolate pies?

Thanks!

[Elle]

Hi!
I live in Japan and went to Hawaii this August.
I didn't go to Ted's Bakery, but bought a slice of blueberry pie at Foodland.It was so yummy!

[Reid]

Hi Sonya,

Welcome! So sorry that I missed you there. Please accept my apologies.

I'm not certain what type of chocolate Ted's uses, but I'm sure any standard chocolate pudding recipe will suffice.

As far as shipping of the pies, you may want to contact Ted's directly at 808.638.5974. Good luck!

Hi Elle,

Welcome to you too!

The blueberry pie at Ted's is definitely yummy. In fact, all of the pies here are delicious. Hopefully you'll be able to visit again and sample more of Ted's pies. =)

[Chris]

I live in Utah and am planning a visit back to Hawaii next month. It is in the top 3 things to do when I come out and one of them is visit Ted's Bakery. Best plate lunch deal on the island and the pie is to die for. Nothing beats the pie! It's worth the drive!

[Diana]

Just happened upon your site. Chocolate haupia pie is my favorite, and Ted's does it especially well. I have to suggest though, if you make it yourself, rather than using chocolate pudding for the chocolate part, mix 5-7 ounces of melted semi sweet chocolate (depending on how chocolatey you want it) with half of the haupia and pour that in first, then the plain haupia, let it sit for an hour and then top with whip cream. It's delicious and tastes a lot like Ted's!

[Cindy Muise]

ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS IT WAS THE BEST PIE I EVER HAD IN MY LIFE..I HAVE TO GO BACK TO HAVE MORE..SOOOOOO GOOD.

[melody]

hello,

i live in the States and a good friend of mine swears by Teds Macadamia Nut Pie.. he has been really kind to me and I want to surprise him for christmas. is there any way i can get a pie shipped here? i dont know anyone in hawaii :( plz help