Bao buns are a type of Chinese food that is made from a wheat flour-based, leavened dough filled dish which is filled with sweet or savoury fillings. They are usually steamed cooked, but they can be baked or pan-fried too. Bao buns are essentially a flattened dough, cut into a circle and folded into half circles, which are then steamed and can be opened and filled.
Here we will show you how to make steamed, folded bao buns, which are the simplest to make and look a little like taco’s. Other types of bao buns includes the classic Baozi, which seals its fillings inside a parcel with pleated patterns. Most traditional recipes for bao buns follow a traditional yeast-only approach, however, this can be difficult, especially if you’re not used to proofing dough. If you’re not comfortable with proofing dough, you might find a yeast and baking powder recipe easier for you to follow, this will also reduce the time it takes to proof your dough.
Ingredients:
- 525g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1½ tbsp caster sugar, plus a pinch
- 1 tsp fast-action dried yeast
- 50ml milk
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra for brushing and for the bowl
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp baking powder
Method:
1
Mix the flour, caster sugar and ½ tsp salt together in a large bowl. Dissolve the yeast, along with a pinch of sugar, in 1 tbsp warm water and add this to the flour. Combine the milk, sunflower oil, rice vinegar and 200ml water into the bowl. Mix the ingredients into a dough, you can add some extra water if you need to, but make sure you don’t add too much or the dough will be too wet.
2
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for 10-15 minutes, or until the dough is smooth. Lightly oil a bowl, put the kneaded dough into the oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave it to rise for 2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
3
Once the dough has doubled, tip it back onto a surface and punch it down. Flatten the dough, sprinkle the baking powder over the top and knead the mix for 5 minutes.
4
Roll the dough into a long sausage shape, about 3cm in thickness. Cut the sausage shaped mix into pieces, approximately 3cm in width, you should have approximately 18 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball using the palm of your hands and leave them to rest for three minutes.
5
Use a rolling pin to roll each ball out into an oval shape approximately 3-4mm in thickness. Rub some oil into the surface of each oval and use a brush to cover a chopstick in oil. Put the oiled chopstick into the centre of the oval, fold the dough over the chopstick (to create the shape) and then slide the chopstick out.
6
Cut some baking paper up (one piece of baking paper for each piece of dough you have), place each of the pieces of dough onto its own piece of baking paper. Transfer each of these onto a baking tray and cover with a clean tea towel. Place the baking tray in a warm place and leave it to prove in a warm place for 90 minutes (or until it has doubled in size).
7
Heat up a large steamer over a high-medium heat and steam each bun for 8 minutes, or until they have puffed up, you’ll need to steam them in batches. Once steamed, prise open each of the buns and fill with your chosen filling.
Once the buns have been steamed, you can then freeze them and save them for a later date. All you need to do is defrost them and then re-steam them.
Bao bun filling ideas:
Savoury fillings:
- Crispy chicken: succulent chicken thighs coated in panko breadcrumbs, drizzled with Sriracha Mayo sauce.
- Crispy aromatic duck: coupled with thinly sliced cucumber, spring onions and a helping of hoisin sauce.
- Braised pork belly: sweet, sticky and spicy, make this dish even more amazing with a caramelised sauce made from sugar, dark soy, sesame oil, garlic and black vinegar.
- BBQ tofu: sweet and sticky fried tofu, coated in a spiced dry rub.
- Pan fried mushroom and chive: combine shitake mushroom and Chinese chive, for extra taste add stir fry sauce, pak choi and/or spring onion.
Sweet fillings:
- Custard: make the custard while your dough is proving. Leave it to cool by putting it in a bowl, covering it with cling film and placing it in the fridge. Tip: make sure the cling film touches the top of the custard to prevent a skin forming.
- Chocolate: mix warmed heavy cream and pour it over chocolate chips, mix until creamy, cool it for 30 minutes in the fridge, add cling film to the bowl (so the cling film touches the chocolate) and cool for another hour. Add a tablespoon of chocolate filling into each bao bun, seal the bun closed and steam as normal.
- Crunchy peanut butter: mix peanut butter with an equal amount of chopped nuts.
- Coffee bean paste: mix sweetened white bean paste with coffee extract.
- Red bean and mochi: buy pre-made mochi, or make your own with sweet rice flour and sugar. Add a layer of mochi on top of a layer of red bean paste, made from cooked and pureed adzuki red beans and reduced down with sugar.