Best Steamed Bao Buns Recipes

VIETNAMESE STEAMED BUNS (BANH BAO)

Steps:

• Submerge mushroom in hot water until softened. Take them out, dry and finely juliene. Reserve water.
• Heat some oil in a skillet, put in onions and let it sweat for a while. Stir in the rest of filling except boiled eggs and BBQ pork. Season with fish sauce and pepper to taste.
• Add sugar to milk to dissolve. Add flour one cup at a time, after each time kneed the dough before adding the next cup. Put dough into a large mixing bowl, put a damp cheese cloth over to prevent drying out.
• Cut a handful of dough (size to your choice), roll out thin (use bread roller or the smaller dumpling roller). Add a spoonful of filling, 1 piece of egg, BBQ pork. Seal dough tight around filling and put on a cut-out piece of parchment paper. Steam buns for about 15 minutes. These buns freeze pretty well as well, if you want to make a big batch at a time.

STEAMED PORK BAO BUNS

Steps:

• In a skillet, heat the oil and saute the scallions, garlic, and ginger over medium heat. Stir in the hoisin sauce and oyster sauce, adding barbecue pork while stirring. Reduce heat to low. Thoroughly combine cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water. Pour over pork mixture and stir until sauce thickens. Set aside. On a floured surface, partially separate breadsticks, leaving 2 thick layers of dough. Roll each into a ball. Working with 1 ball at a time, roll out to make a 3-inch circle. Place about 1 tablespoon of filling in center of each round. Gather dough up and twist to secure tightly. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover with kitchen towel. Arrange cabbage leaves on the bottom of 2 large bamboo steamers. Place 6 pork buns on each steamer. Steam buns for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

VIETNAMESE STEAMED BUNS (BANH BAO)

Steps:

• Mix flour, milk, and sugar together in a bowl. Cover and allow to rise, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Punch dough down and separate into 20 equal-sized bun shapes.
• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add buns, cover, and steam until tender, about 15 minutes.

STEAMED BAO BUNS

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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-ZI (TSAI RU BAO), VEGETABLE PORK STEAMED BUNS

Steps:

• Dough:.
• Dissolve the yeast in the water, then mix with the other dough ingredients until smooth. Allow to rise 40 minutes. Knead the dough until smooth and divide into 30 equally sized portions.
• Filling:.
• Blanch the leaves of the cabbage (or bok choy) briefly in boiling water. Remove and cool in water. Mince finely, strain and squeeze out all the water, as dry as possible. Mix the greens with the other meat filling ingredients until well combined.
• Roll out the dough into little circles roughly the size of your palm. Wrap one tablespoon of filling inside each piece of dough. (The tricky part is to get it to look pretty : Pinch the tops together tightly on top, over lapping to close the tops together.).
• Allow the filled rolls to rise the second time, for 40 minutes.
• Bring water to a boil in a steamer, arrange the buns on the steamer. It helps if you use pieces of parchment paper on the bottoms of the buns (like store bought buns) or the old method is to use some cabbage or leafy vegetables and line the entire steamer, so the steam still goes right through yet the buns won't stick to the steamer). Steam for 6 -8 minutes over high heat.

THE BEST STEAMED BAO BUNS

Steps:

• First, add flour, sugar, yeast, baking powder, oil, and water to a large stand mixer bowl.
• Next, use a dough hook to mix everything on medium speed. You will need to add a little more warm water to add a bit more moisture to the dough once it comes together.
• Next, let it knead on medium speed until the dough turns glossy and soft. It should also feel smooth to the touch. The kneading will take around 5 to 7 minutes
• Empty out onto a work surface and knead for 1 minute or until smooth. Add extra flour a tablespoon at a time if the dough sticks to the palm of your hand.
• When the dough is ready, lightly grease the inner pot with some oil and place the dough in the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Next, cover with the lid and press the yogurt button and proof the dough for 60 minutes
• Once it has risen, punch down the dough in the center. Next, transfer the dough to a work surface and dust with flour and knead it for 5 to 10 minutes. The goal is to remove as many air bubbles as possible from the dough.
• Next, divide the dough in 12 equal parts and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to about a 1 cm thick circle.
• Once the dough circles are made, lightly spread the oil over the surface of the dough. Next, use an 8 cm diameter pastry cutter or a plastic cup of the same diameter to cut out rounds from each piece of dough
• Remove the excess dough.
• Next, fold the rounds in half and flatten slightly with the rolling pin and then place the round on a square of baking paper and place directly into a large bamboo steamer or onto a tray.
• Repeat with remaining dough (excess dough can be re-rolled and used).
• Next, prepare the Instant Pot to steam the buns by pouring in 1 cup of water into the inner pot and placing a trivet inside. Once the water is added, arrange the buns in a bamboo steamer and place it in the pot. You will need to steam the buns in batches.
• Finally, close the lid and steam it for 10 minutes. Once done, open the lid carefully and remove the bamboo steamer. Once they are steamed, you can fill them up
• In a pot or deep pan over high heat, combine the water, sugar, rice vinegar, and salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then bring the mixture to a boil.
• Add the vegetables the brine. Stir to submerge, then remove the pot from the heat. Let it sit for 20 mins, while you sear the tofu and steam the buns, then drain.
• Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the tofu and sear on one side until deep brown in color.
• Flip and cook on the other side until deep brown, 5 minutes more.
• Remove the tofu from the pan. Add all the sauce in the same pan and reduce until it thickens (5 minutes ) add in the tofu to the pan and stir to coat with the glaze.
• Remove the pan from the heat.
• To serve, slather the inside of the bao buns with hoisin sauce, then, glazed tofu, the pickled vegetables, cilantro, peanuts and sesame seeds.