Bao Buns is a traditional Chinese recipe for a classic yeasted bun that's steamed to cook. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Chinese version of: Bao Buns.
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Bao buns are deliciously light and fluffy and surprisingly easy to make at home. They're traditionally steamed but can also be deep fried (as they often are in Singapore) to cook.
Ingredients:
265g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
¼ tsp salt
1½ tsp fast action dried yeast
2 tbsp caster sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil, plus extra for brushing
Method:
Sift together the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder into a large bowl then stir in the yeast.
Mix 1 tablespoon of the oil and 150ml warm water together in a jug (make sure the water is on the hotter side of warm to the touch). Pour half of the liquid into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir into the flour mixture using a spoon.
Gradually add the remainder of the liquid until all the flour has come away from the sides of the bowl. Once combined, remove the dough from the bowl and knead for 5–10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough should be fairly wet, but still manageable. If the dough is too sticky, use a little extra flour to dust the outside of the dough when kneading. If the dough feels a little dry, add a small amount of water to get a tacky feel to the dough.
Once the dough is smooth and elastic, dust with 2 tbsp of flour, scraping off any additional dough from the sides of the bowl. Knead 5–6 more times and then shape the dough into a rough ball. Coat the dough ball lightly with the remaining oil, cover the bowl with a damp cloth and leave in a warm, draught-free location for 1–1½ hours, or until doubled in size.
To make hirata bao, the lip-shaped bao used for stuffing, roll the proved dough into a thick cylinder, similar to the size of a salami. Divide the cylinder into 7–8 pieces and roll each piece between the palms of your hands to create individual balls of dough.
Roll until each ball until smooth. Press down on each ball of dough with your palm to flatten. Lightly flour a rolling pin and roll each flattened piece out further to make elongated oval shapes.
Lightly brush the top of each oval with a little vegetable oil. Then gently fold one side over the top to form a lip-shaped bun. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside to rest for a further 15–20 minutes. After this short proving, the buns are ready to steam.
Place 3–4 buns on a sheet of greaseproof paper or non-stick baking paper in a bamboo steamer basket, leaving plenty of room between the buns. Stack the steamer baskets and cover with their lid. Half-fill a wok with boiling water and place over a high heat. (If using a metal steamer, see the Recipe Tips.) Add the steamer baskets and steam for 8 minutes, without removing the lid. Once steamed, the buns will be cooked through and well risen.
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