Steamed BBQ Pork Buns (Char Siu Bao)

• Resting Time: 2 hours
• Author: Thanh | Eat, Little Bird
• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 12 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour 12 minutes
• Yield: Makes 10-12 buns
• Category: Appetiser
• Method: Steam
• Cuisine: Chinese

These homemade Steamed BBQ Pork Buns are soft and fluffy with a succulent savoury filling. Make this classic Dim Sum favourite at home! Complete recipe for the bao buns, plus the Chinese Barbecue Pork filling, with step-by-step photos.

Ingredients

For the Steamed Bao Buns

• 300 g (2 cups) plain flour (all-purpose flour) or bleached flour
• 125 g (1 cup) cornflour (cornstarch)
• 5 tablespoons caster sugar (super-fine sugar)
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast (also called instant dried yeast or fast-action dried yeast) (see Kitchen Notes)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 180 ml (3/4 cup) warm water
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil, plus extra

For the Char Siu Pork Filling

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 shallot or small red onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• pinch of sea salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) chicken stock
• 1/2 loin of Chinese BBQ Pork (Char Siu Pork), either shop-bought or homemade, chopped into small dices
• 2 tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch) mixed with some water

Instructions

To prepare the bao bun dough (Please see my recipe for Steamed Bao Buns for step-by-step photos)

1. Measure all of the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric stand-mixer (if using).
2. 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.
3. Using the dough hook on medium speed, mixing the liquid ingredients 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.
4. Once you have a sticky dough, continue kneading the dough on medium speed 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.
5. Once the dough is soft and smooth, I recommend kneading it by hand for a few more minutes on the kitchen benchtop.
6. Place the ball of dough back into the (clean) mixing bowl.
7. Cover the bowl with some cling film or a re-usable bowl cover.
8. Place the bowl somewhere warm for about 60 to 90 minutes for the dough to rise and double in size.

To prepare the Char Siu Pork filling

1. Place the oil, shallots, garlic and sea salt into a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Sauté the shallots and garlic until they have softened and are aromatic.
3. Add the sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, dark soy sauce and pepper.
4. Simmer gently for a few minutes.
5. Add the chopped pork.
6. Simmer for a few more minutes until the pork has warmed through.
7. With the sauce on a medium simmer, pour in the cornflour (cornstarch) slurry.
8. Stir until the mixture thickens. You want a fairly thick mixture so that the filling does not run everywhere when you eat it.
9. Transfer the mixture to a large, shallow bowl and allow it to cool completely. The mixture will thicken more upon cooling.

To roll out the bao bun dough

1. Place the dough onto a clean surface and knead it gently a few times with your hands.
2. Use a large rolling pin to roll it out into a large rectangle shape.
3. Fold the rectangle in half, from left to right.
4. Then fold the rectangle in half again, from top to bottom.
5. Use the rolling pin to flatten and shape the dough into a large rectangle.
6. With the longer side of the rectangle in front of you, roll the dough into a log.
7. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces with a sharp knife.

To shape the buns

1. Take a piece of dough and use a small rolling pin to roll it into a flat, round shape.
2. Then use the rolling pin to thin and stretch out the edges, so that the middle of the dough is slightly thicker than the edges. The dough should measure approx. 15 cm/6 inches in diameter.
3. Place the rolled out dough into your left hand (if you are right-handed).
4. Place a tablespoon of the filling into the centre of the dough.
5. Use the thumb and index finger on your right hand to crimp the edges of the dough together.
6. Pinch the crimped edges together, and twist slightly to seal the buns.
7. Place the prepared bun onto a large baking sheet lined with baking paper.
8. Repeat the above steps for the remaining buns.
9. Once all of the buns have been prepared, cover them with a clean, damp tea towel. Place the tray somewhere warm for about 30 minutes, or until the buns are slightly puffed.

To steam the buns

1. Meanwhile, prepare the steamer on the stove (see Kitchen Notes below).
2. Steam the buns in batches for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are puffy and soft, and cooked all the way through.
3. Serve the buns immediately.

Kitchen Notes

DIFFERENT TYPES OF YEAST
* Please note that there is a difference between instant yeast (also called instant dried yeast or fast-action dried yeast) and dried yeast (also called active dry yeast). If you are not sure what type of yeast you have, please check the packaging for instructions on how to use the yeast.
* With instant yeast, you can add it directly to the flour mixture without having to activate it first.
* If you do not have instant yeast, I would suggest using the same amount of dried yeast. In which case, add the dried yeast to the warm water and set it aside for about 5 minutes until it is frothy. Add this yeast mixture, along with the vegetable oil, to the dry ingredients in the recipe above.

WHAT TYPE OF FLOUR TO USE
* Plain flour (all-purpose flour) works well in this recipe as the cornflour (cornstarch) helps to give the buns a light and fluffy texture. However, the resulting buns will be a pale yellow in colour.
* For snowy white buns like those sold in Chinese restaurants, you can use bleached flour found in Asian grocery stores.

HOW TO STEAM BAO BUNS
* The steamer basket (whether bamboo or otherwise) should sit directly on top of a saucepan of the same dimension.
* Fill the saucepan with boiling water until about one-third full.
* Place the steamer basket on top of the saucepan.
* Place the bao buns in the steamer basket, leaving a bit of room for each to rise and puff up during cooking.
* Place the lid on top of the steamer basket.
* Steam over low-medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes.

HOW TO MAKE BAO BUNS WITH A STEAM OVEN
* First Proof: Cover the bowl with some cling film or a re-usable bowl cover. Proof the dough in the steam oven/combi-steam oven at 40°C/104°F for about 1.5 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
* Second Proof: Once you have shaped the bao buns, place them onto a large tray (lined with baking paper) that will fit inside your steam oven/combi-steam oven. For my steam oven, I can fit a large sheet pan, which will comfortably fit 12 bao buns. There is no need to cover the buns. Proof the shaped bao buns at 40°C/104°F for about 30 minutes, or until the buns have puffed up slightly.
* Steaming the Bao Buns: Remove the tray of bao buns from the steam oven/combi-steam oven. Increase the temperature to 100°C/212°F. Once the steam oven/combi-steam oven has come to temperature, place the tray of bao buns back inside and steam them for 10-12 minutes.

HOW TO FREEZE BAO BUNS
Any leftover steamed buns can be frozen in zip-lock bags for 1-2 months. Reheat the frozen steamed buns in a steamer or steam oven for about 10 minutes, or until they are warmed all the way through.

CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.