MOMOFUKU STEAMED BUNS

MOMOFUKU STEAMED BUNS image

Yield 50 buns

Number Of Ingredients 9

Ingredients

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups water, at room temperature
4 1/4 cups bread flour
6 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Rounded 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup rendered pork fat or vegetable shortening, at room temperature, plus more for shaping the buns, as needed

Steps:

1. Combine yeast & water in the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook. Add flour, sugar, milk powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda, & fat and mix on the lowest speed possible for 8 to 10 minutes. The dough should gather together into a neat, not-too-tacky ball on the hook. When it does, oil a medium mixing bowl, put the dough in it, & cover the bowl with a dry kitchen towel. Put in a turned-off oven with a pilot light or other warmish place and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour and 15 min. 2. Punch dough down and turn out onto a clean surface. Using a bench scraper or a knife, divide 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, or a smidge under an oz. Roll each piece into a ball. Cover dough balls with draped plastic wrap & allow to rest &rise for 30 min. 3. Meanwhile cut out fifty 4" squares of parchment paper. Coat a chopstick with fat. 4. Flatten one ball with palm of your hand, then use a rolling pin to roll it out into a 4-inch-long oval. Lay the greased chopstick across the middle of the oval and fold the oval over onto itself to form the bun shape. Withdraw the chopstick, leaving the bun folded, & put bun onto a square of parchment paper. Stick it back under the plastic wrap & form the rest of the buns. Let the buns rest for 30 to 45 minutes: they will rise a little. 5. Set up a steamer on the stove. Working in batches so you don't crowd the steamer, steam the buns on the parchment squares for 10 minutes. Remove parchment. You can use buns immediately (reheat them for a minute or so in the steamer if necessary) or allow to cool completely, then seal in plastic freezer bags and freeze for up to a few months. Reheat frozen buns in a stovetop steamer for 2 to 3 minutes, until puffy, soft and warmed all the way through.