Bao Bun Recipe

The BEST Bao Buns

Prep: 2h

Total: 2h8min

Yield: 14

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup warm milk
• 1 tbsp active dry yeast
• 4 tbsp sugar, divided half
• 2 tbsp avocado, vegetable or canola oil
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (use blenched flour if you want complete white buns)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Instruction:

1. Combine warm water, milk, active yeast, sugar, and oil. Whisk to let yeast and sugar dissolve, then let it sit until yeast activates, about 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a stand mixer. You can mix with your hands too if you prefer.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient mixture. Start on low speed to slowly incorporate all the ingredients together then on medium speed until it becomes a dough shape. Keep kneading for 3 to 4 minutes on medium speed. The dough should be elastic and really soft but not stick to your fingers or on the mixing bowl.
4. Take the dough off the hook and form it into a ball. Place back to the mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until it becomes triple in size, about 2 hours. Let it sit longer if needed.
5. Place the raised dough on a working surface. Roll out the dough 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle flour if necessary, but if you do, use as minimal as possible. Cut the dough 3 1/2-inch circle with a ring mold or glass (I used a wine glass). This recipe will make 14 to 16 baos.
6. Lightly brush or spray oil on one surface of the baos and fold them in half as a half moon shape. Gently press each bao with a roller and place on a parchment paper or coffee filter lined steamer. Cover with a lid and let it rest for additional 30 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, bring water to boil in a wok or steamer pot. Carefully place the steamer with the baos on top of boiling water wok/pot. Make sure water is not touching the baos. Cover and steam for 8 to 12 minutes. When they are done cooking, tilt/open the lid slightly for slow air circulation, about 2 to 3 minutes before opening the lid all the way. Spray some water on coffee filter to prevent the dough from sticking. You can serve this bao as a side or make sandwiches! Enjoy!

Steamed bao buns

Fill these steamed Chinese bread rolls with BBQ pork and pickled vegetables for a perfect Chinese New Year party nibble

Prep: 40min

Total: 1h4min

Yield: Makes 18 buns

Nutrition Facts: calories 119 calories, Fat 1 grams fat, Carbohydrate 23 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 2 grams sugar, Fiber 1 grams fiber, Protein 3 grams protein, Sodium 0.2 milligram of sodium

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

Instruction:

1. Mix together the flour, caster sugar and ½ tsp salt in a large bowl (see tip). Dissolve the yeast and a pinch of sugar in 1 tbsp warm water, then add it to the flour with the milk, sunflower oil, rice vinegar and 200ml water. Mix into a dough, adding a little extra water if needed.
2. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10-15 mins, or until smooth. Put in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise for 2 hrs, or until doubled in size.
3. Tip the dough out onto a clean work surface and punch it down. Flatten the dough with your hands, then sprinkle over the baking powder and knead for 5 mins.
4. Roll out the dough into a long sausage shape, about 3cm thick, then cut into pieces that are about 3cm wide – you should have 18. In the palm of your hand, roll each piece of dough into a ball and leave to rest for 2-3 mins.
5. Use a rolling pin to roll out each ball, one by one, into an oval shape about 3-4mm thick. Rub the surface of the dough ovals with oil and brush a little oil over a chopstick. Place the oiled chopstick in the centre of each oval. Fold the dough over the chopstick, then slowly pull out the chopstick.
6. Cut 18 squares of baking parchment and put a bun on each. Transfer to a baking tray, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to prove in a warm place for 1 hr 30 mins, or until doubled in size.
7. Heat a large steamer over a medium-high heat. Steam the buns for 8 mins until puffed up (you’ll need to do this in batches). Prise open each bun and fill with our barbecue pork and pickled carrot & mooli. Eat while they’re still warm.

Bao Buns, A Foolproof Recipe

This recipe is for making steamed, folded bao buns which are the simplest type to make at home. It introduces a single-proof method that consistently produces good results.

Prep: 20min

Total: 60min

Yield: 8

Serving Size: 1 bun

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1 bun, calories 145 kcal, Carbohydrate 30 g, Protein 5 g, Fat 1 g, Saturated Fat 0.1 g, Sodium 55 mg, Fiber 2 g, Sugar 1 g, unSaturated Fat 0.3 g

Ingredients:

• 300 g all-purpose flour (see note 1 for substitutes)
• 1¼ tsp instant yeast (see note 2 for substitutes)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp white sugar
• 165 g lukewarm water, or milk (see note 3)
• Oil (for brushing)

Instruction:

1. Stand-mixer Method: Add flour, instant yeast, baking powder, sugar and water/milk to the mixing bowl (see note 2 if using dry active yeast or fresh yeast). Mix and knead with a dough hook on low speed for 8-10 minutes until a smooth dough forms.
2. Cutter method: Flatten the dough with a rolling pin into a rectangle, about ⅕ inch (½ cm) thick. Use a large round cutter to cut out circles, then roll each piece into an oval shape. Combine the leftover dough and repeat to cut out more (dust with flour when necessary to prevent sticking). Brush oil over half of the oval then fold over lengthways.
3. Leave to proof for about 30 minutes (see note 4) until the buns become a little bigger, plumper and feel lighter in weight.
4. Firstly, cook over high heat. As soon as the water starts to boil (when you see steam coming out through gaps), turn the heat to medium-low. From this moment, steam for 10 minutes.
5. Once completely cool, store leftover buns in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 2 months. Reheat by steaming them for 5 minutes if chilled or 7 minutes if frozen.
6. Defrost them in the fridge overnight then steam for 5 minutes before serving. Or, reheat them without defrosting for 7 minutes.

Perfect Homemade Pork Belly Bao Buns (2 Ways)

FAQ

What is bao bun dough made of?

What goes inside a bao bun?

Why are my bao buns not fluffy?

Can you make bao buns without a steamer?

1. Put a small amount of water in a wok, and put a small bowl onto the wok.
2. Place a plate with some greaseproof paper on top of the bowl (you can also use a large saucepan if you wish)
3. Bring the water to boil.
4. Put the baos onto the greaseproof paper.