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    Home » Recipes » Asia Cuisine

    Bao: Chinese Steamed Buns

    Published: Oct 20, 2015 · Modified: Feb 13, 2022 by Cara Kretz · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

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    Chinese Steamed BunThese fluffy white pillows of bread are a delight to make. It seems like a lot of steps, but once you taste a warm, steamed homemade bao, you will be in love. I can’t wait to stuff it with my crispy succulent pork belly recipe with pickled cucumber and hoisin sauce. My imagination is running away with me concocting new flavor profiles to use with these buns.  Half are in the freezer and can be easily re-steamed for another dish. The dough recipe can also by used for Chinese pork-stuffed steamed buns called Char Siu Bao, but here I make them as a plain split bun to fill like a sandwich. The recipe credit goes to Chef David Chang of Momofuku.

    Chinese Steam Buns flourI used an all-purpose, bleached flour to get the distinctive white color. For extra flavor I used rendered pork fat in the dough , a tip suggested by Chef Chang.

    dough in bowlI made the dough in the Kitchen-aid and placed in oiled bowl to rise.

    divide in 5 piecesCut the dough into 5 pieces and again in 5 smaller pieces. Roll the little pieces into ping-pong balls-size, and let rise again.

    Folding_ Folded-2 To make the bun with a pocket, roll out each ball into a oblong shape. Brush with vegetable oil, and fold in half. Chef Chang uses a chopstick to keep the pocket a bit open.

    folded on parchement-2Place 2 or 3 buns on squares of parchment paper.

    Covered on panCover with plastic wrap to rise again for short time.

    Chinese Steamer PanI like to use a large stock pot of boiling water with one layer a  bamboo steamer for steaming the buns. You can also use a vegetable steamer.

    Buns on parchmentSteam them in batches for 10 minutes.

    Chinese Steamed BunsUse them right away. They are best eaten warm right from the steamer.  Or let cool and freeze in large freezer bags. I made a large batch and froze half.  One thing I learned the hard way is to not microwave them to revive.  They get hard. Instead steam them and they revive perfectly.

    Crispy Pork Belly with Chinese Steamed BunsThese are perfect served with my Pork Belly and Pickled Cucumbers with Hoisin Sauce. Watch the video on how to make this fabulous dish.

    Chinese Steamed Bun
    Print Pin
    5 from 1 vote

    Chinese Steam Buns - Bao Buns

    These are the real deal. Fluffy, steamy, white pockets of soft bread that are used for succulent and crispy meats such as Pork Belly and Duck. They are easier to make at home than you think. The best part is you can make a huge batch and freeze them. Steam them to revive and they are just like new. Get the recipe for Pork Belly with Chines Steamed Buns, Pickled Cucumbers and Hoisin Sauce at www.homemakeitaliancooking.com
    Prep Time 4 hours
    Cook Time 10 minutes
    Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
    Servings 40 -50 buns
    Author Homemade Italian Cooking with Cara

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
    • 4 ¼ cups all purpose bleached white flour
    • 6 tablespoons sugar
    • 3 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
    • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder rounded
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ⅓ cup rendered pork fat bacon fat or vegetable shortening, at room temperature
    • Vegetable oil

    Instructions

    • Stir together the yeast and 1 ½ cups room temperature water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
    • Add the flour, sugar, milk powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda and fat and mix on the lowest speed setting for 8 to 10 minutes. The dough should gather together into a ball on the hook.
    • Lightly oil a large bowl and put the dough in it, turning it over to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with a dry kitchen towel and put it in a warm place and let the dough rise until it doubles in size, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
    • Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a clean work surface. Using a sharp knife, divide the dough in half, then divide each half into 5 equal pieces. Gently roll the pieces into logs, then cut each log into 5 pieces, making 50 pieces total. They should be about the size of a Ping-Pong ball and weigh about 25 grams each. Roll each piece into a ball and set them on baking sheets. Cover them loosely with plastic wrap and let them rise for 30 minutes. While they're rising, cut out fifty 4-inch squares of parchment paper.
    • After 30 minutes, use a rolling pin to roll each ball into a 4-inch-long oval. Brush lightly with vegetable oil, lay a chopstick horizontally across the center of the oval and fold the oval over onto itself to form a bun. Gently pull out the chopstick, leaving the bun folded, and transfer it to a square of parchment paper. Put it back under the plastic wrap and form the rest of the buns. Let the buns rest for 30 to 45 minutes: they will rise a little.
    • Set up a steamer on top of the stove. Working in batches so you don’t crowd the steamer, steam the buns on the parchment squares for 10 minutes.
    • Remove the parchment. You can use the buns immediately or allow them to cool completely, then put them in plastic freezer bags and freeze for up to 2 months.
    • Reheat frozen buns in a stove top steamer for 2 to 3 minutes, until puffy, soft, and warmed all the way through. Freeze half the buns in airtight bags for another time.

     

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    Comments

    1. Pan Bao

      June 01, 2020 at 10:27 am

      5 stars
      Magnifica receta, muchas gracias!! Saludos desde España

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Succulent and Crispy Pork Belly on Chinese Steamed Buns with Pickled Cucumbers and Hoisin Sauce • Homemade Italian Cooking says:
      October 20, 2015 at 9:22 am

      […] important ingredient for this dish is to make the Chinese Bao buns fresh.  The recipe I used made over 40 buns. I used 20 and froze the other half. They freeze well. […]

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Cara Mia Cipolla. My goal is to pass on my recipes, tips and secrets and hopefully inspire others to become great home cooks. In addition to the blog, I also write cookbooks, teach cooking classes, and take on the occasional consulting project for other culinary businesses.

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