Asian Recipes
But somewhere along the way, someone came up with the genius idea of making folded over steamed buns which could be opened up and filled with a variety of ingredients, much like a burger or sandwich.
How to Make Bao Buns
Step 1
To make the perfect bao buns, you need both yeast and baking powder to help the buns to rise. Start by measuring all of the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
Then measure the warm water and oil into a measuring jug. The water needs to be a bit more than lukewarm to help activate the yeast, but it shouldn’t be boiling hot.
Step 2
I prefer to make my bao bun dough using my electric stand-mixer, but you can, of course, do everything by hand.
Using a dough hook on medium speed, mixing the liquid into the dry ingredients. Depending on the type of flour which you have used, you might need more or less liquid that than stated in the recipe. You want just enough liquid to bring everything together into a sticky dough.
Then, continuing on medium speed, knead the dough until it becomes soft and smooth to touch. This should take about 10 minutes using the stand-mixer on medium speed, or about 5 minutes by hand.
Step 3
Once the dough is soft and smooth, I recommend kneading it by hand for a few more minutes on the kitchen benchtop.
To test if the dough is ready, press your finger into the dough to make an indent. If the dough bounces back, it is ready. If the indent remains, you need to knead the dough a little bit more.
Place the ball of dough back into the (clean) mixing bowl, and place the bowl somewhere warm for about 60 to 90 minutes for the dough to rise and double in size.
Step 4
Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it back and knead it by hand for about 5 minutes to release any air bubbles in the dough.
Then roll out the dough until it is about 1 cm in height.
Use your hands to rub some oil onto the surface of the dough. This will prevent the dough from sticking together later when you shape the buns.
Step 5
Use an 8 cm (3 inch) cookie cutter to cut out rounds from the dough. Re-roll the dough as needed until you have used up all of the dough.
Step 6
Place these rounds onto a small sheet of baking paper – I like to use plain white cupcake wrapperswhich I flatten with a rolling pin. This saves me from having to cut up a sheet of baking paper into small pieces.
Fold over each round in half and then use a rolling pin to gently flatten the dough to form the bun shape.
Step 7
Place all of the shaped buns onto a large tray, cover with a tea towel, and place in a warm place for about 30 minutes for the buns to rise again.
After this time, the bao buns should have risen and puffed up slightly.
Step 8
Meanwhile, prepare the steamer on the stove (see notes below). Steam the buns in batches for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are puffy and soft, and cooked all the way through.
How to Proof Dough
Dough needs a warm environment for the yeast to activate and cause the dough to rise. If you don’t have a warm place in your home, try one of the following ideas:
In the oven with the oven light switched on (works only for some ovens).
In the oven with a tray of boiling water on the bottom shelf. Use about 1 litre (4 cups) of water, and top up after about 1 hour.
In the oven at a low temperature of about 25-30°C (77-86°F).
On the open oven door, with the oven turned on at 100°C (212°F).
How to Steam Bao Buns
Bamboo steamers are great for steaming bao buns and Asian grocery stores tend to stock a large variety of sizes at inexpensive prices. Aside from price, another advantage of bamboo steamers is that they also look good for serving at the table.
I recommend buying the largest steamer which can fit your saucepan and stove.
The bamboo steamer should be the same size as the saucepan you are using underneath. So if you are using a bamboo steamer which is 12 inches in diameter, your saucepan should also be 12 inches in diameter.
If you plan to make bao buns (or even dumplings) often, I recommend buying at least two steamer baskets which can sit on top of each other to save on cooking (and waiting) time.
If you are particularly serious about making bao buns, I recommend investing in a multi-tiered metal or stainless steel steamer which you can find at most Asian grocery stores. These also come in a range of sizes and have the advantage of being dishwasher-safe.
Fill the saucepan about one-third full with boiling water, and place the steamer baskets on top.
Place the saucepan with the steamer baskets on the stove over low-medium heat. If you steam the bao buns at too high a temperature, there is a risk that the buns might overcook or they might even become soggy.
Place the bao buns in each steamer basket, giving them some room to rise and expand upon cooking.
Place the lid on the top steamer basket and steam for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the buns have risen and are light and fluffy once opened.
How to Store Homemade Bao Buns
Bao buns are best eaten fresh and as soon as they are steamed.
Any leftover cooked bao buns can be stored in zip-lock bags in the freezer. To reheat, simply steam the frozen bao buns for about 5 minutes to warm through completely.
What to Serve with Bao Buns
One of my favourite ways of serving bao buns is to fill it with char siu pork and quick pickled vegetables. Please see my recipe for Sticky Pork Bao Buns for full details.
To make the perfect bao buns, you need both yeast and baking powder to help the buns to rise. Start by measuring all of the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
Then measure the warm water and oil into a measuring jug. The water needs to be a bit more than lukewarm to help activate the yeast, but it shouldn’t be boiling hot.
Step 2
I prefer to make my bao bun dough using my electric stand-mixer, but you can, of course, do everything by hand.
Using a dough hook on medium speed, mixing the liquid into the dry ingredients. Depending on the type of flour which you have used, you might need more or less liquid that than stated in the recipe. You want just enough liquid to bring everything together into a sticky dough.
Then, continuing on medium speed, knead the dough until it becomes soft and smooth to touch. This should take about 10 minutes using the stand-mixer on medium speed, or about 5 minutes by hand.
Step 3
Once the dough is soft and smooth, I recommend kneading it by hand for a few more minutes on the kitchen benchtop.
To test if the dough is ready, press your finger into the dough to make an indent. If the dough bounces back, it is ready. If the indent remains, you need to knead the dough a little bit more.
Place the ball of dough back into the (clean) mixing bowl, and place the bowl somewhere warm for about 60 to 90 minutes for the dough to rise and double in size.
Step 4
Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it back and knead it by hand for about 5 minutes to release any air bubbles in the dough.
Then roll out the dough until it is about 1 cm in height.
Use your hands to rub some oil onto the surface of the dough. This will prevent the dough from sticking together later when you shape the buns.
Step 5
Use an 8 cm (3 inch) cookie cutter to cut out rounds from the dough. Re-roll the dough as needed until you have used up all of the dough.
Step 6
Place these rounds onto a small sheet of baking paper – I like to use plain white cupcake wrapperswhich I flatten with a rolling pin. This saves me from having to cut up a sheet of baking paper into small pieces.
Fold over each round in half and then use a rolling pin to gently flatten the dough to form the bun shape.
Step 7
Place all of the shaped buns onto a large tray, cover with a tea towel, and place in a warm place for about 30 minutes for the buns to rise again.
After this time, the bao buns should have risen and puffed up slightly.
Step 8
Meanwhile, prepare the steamer on the stove (see notes below). Steam the buns in batches for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are puffy and soft, and cooked all the way through.
How to Proof Dough
Dough needs a warm environment for the yeast to activate and cause the dough to rise. If you don’t have a warm place in your home, try one of the following ideas:
In the oven with the oven light switched on (works only for some ovens).
In the oven with a tray of boiling water on the bottom shelf. Use about 1 litre (4 cups) of water, and top up after about 1 hour.
In the oven at a low temperature of about 25-30°C (77-86°F).
On the open oven door, with the oven turned on at 100°C (212°F).
How to Steam Bao Buns
Bamboo steamers are great for steaming bao buns and Asian grocery stores tend to stock a large variety of sizes at inexpensive prices. Aside from price, another advantage of bamboo steamers is that they also look good for serving at the table.
I recommend buying the largest steamer which can fit your saucepan and stove.
The bamboo steamer should be the same size as the saucepan you are using underneath. So if you are using a bamboo steamer which is 12 inches in diameter, your saucepan should also be 12 inches in diameter.
If you plan to make bao buns (or even dumplings) often, I recommend buying at least two steamer baskets which can sit on top of each other to save on cooking (and waiting) time.
If you are particularly serious about making bao buns, I recommend investing in a multi-tiered metal or stainless steel steamer which you can find at most Asian grocery stores. These also come in a range of sizes and have the advantage of being dishwasher-safe.
Fill the saucepan about one-third full with boiling water, and place the steamer baskets on top.
Place the saucepan with the steamer baskets on the stove over low-medium heat. If you steam the bao buns at too high a temperature, there is a risk that the buns might overcook or they might even become soggy.
Place the bao buns in each steamer basket, giving them some room to rise and expand upon cooking.
Place the lid on the top steamer basket and steam for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the buns have risen and are light and fluffy once opened.
How to Store Homemade Bao Buns
Bao buns are best eaten fresh and as soon as they are steamed.
Any leftover cooked bao buns can be stored in zip-lock bags in the freezer. To reheat, simply steam the frozen bao buns for about 5 minutes to warm through completely.
What to Serve with Bao Buns
One of my favourite ways of serving bao buns is to fill it with char siu pork and quick pickled vegetables. Please see my recipe for Sticky Pork Bao Buns for full details.
This recipe and image sources are referred in website: Eatlittlebird.com. Thanks so much!
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