Chinese Steamed Buns Recipes

Steps:

• Sprinkle the yeast over 1 cup of warm water in a large bowl. The water should be no more than 100 degrees F (40 degrees C). Let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam. Combine the flour, sugar, and baking soda in a small bowl. Stir half of the flour mixture into the yeast mixture until no dry spots remain. Stir in the remaining flour, a 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes.
• Lightly oil a large bowl, then place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a light cloth and let rise in a warm place (80 to 95 degrees F (27 to 35 degrees C)) until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and form into rounds.
• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan, and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Cover, and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the buns, recover, and steam for 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Steps:

• Mix together yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/4 cup flour, and 1/4 cup warm water. Allow to stand for 30 minutes.
• Mix in 1/2 cup warm water, flour, salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, and vegetable oil. Knead until dough surface is smooth and elastic. Roll over in a greased bowl, and let stand until triple in size, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• Punch down dough, and spread out on a floured board. Sprinkle baking powder evenly on surface, and knead for 5 minutes. Divide dough into 2 parts, and place the piece you are not working with in a covered bowl. Divide each half into 12 parts. Shape each part into a ball with smooth surface up. Put each ball on a wax paper square. Let stand covered until double, about 30 minutes.
• Bring water to a boil in wok, and reduce heat to medium; the water should still be boiling. Place steam-plate on a small wire rack in the middle of the wok. Transfer as many buns on wax paper as will comfortably fit onto steam-plate leaving 1 to 2 inches between the buns. At least 2 inches space should be left between steam-plate and the wok. Cover wok with lid. Steam buns over boiling water for 15 minutes.
• REMOVE LID BEFORE you turn off heat, or else water will drip back onto bun surface and produce yellowish "blisters" on bun surfaces. Continue steaming batches of buns until all are cooked.

Steps:

• Cook chopped pork in a wok over medium heat. After 3 minutes of cooking add chopped shrimp if desired. Cook until pork is no longer pink. Drain, season with salt and set aside to cool.
• Mix together green onions, ginger, soy sauce, rice wine, oil, sugar, and pepper. Stir in minced meat. Stir in water and mix thoroughly. Chill in freezer for 2 hours, or in refrigerator overnight to firm up and blend flavors.
• Prepare dough for Chinese Steamed Buns.
• Shape dough into balls. Roll each out into a circle, (like Won-Ton wrappers). Put 1 tablespoonful of prepared meat mixture in the center of each circle, and wrap dough around filling. Place seams down onto wax paper squares. Let stand until doubled, about 30 minutes.
• Bring water to a boil in wok, and reduce heat to medium; the water should still be boiling. Place steam-plate on a small wire rack in the middle of the wok. Transfer as many buns on wax paper as will comfortably fit onto steam-plate leaving 1 to 2 inches between the buns. At least 2 inches space should be left between steam-plate and the wok. Cover wok with lid. Steam buns over boiling water for 15 to 20 minutes.
• REMOVE LID BEFORE you turn off heat, or else water will drip back onto bun surface and produce yellowish "blisters" on bun surfaces. Continue steaming batches of buns until all are cooked.

Steps:

• Place the warm water in a large bowl, and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Stir in 1 cup of the flour, and mix thoroughly. Cover with a cloth, and let stand until bubbles appear, about 20 minutes.
• Dissolve sugar and shortening in boiling water, and allow to cool to lukewarm. Stir into the yeast mixture along with the remaining flour. When the dough becomes too stiff to stir, turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth, about 10 minutes. Coat a large bowl with sesame oil, and place the dough inside. Turn over to coat, and cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add green onions and garlic, and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Add pork, and fry for a minute, then stir in the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar. Dissolve cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water, then stir the mixture into the pork. Cook, stirring constantly until the pork is coated with a thickened glaze. Remove to a bowl, and allow to cool.
• Remove the dough from the bowl, and roll it out into one long log. Slice the log into 1 inch pieces. Flatten each piece into a 3 inch circle using the palm of your hand or a rolling pin. Place 2 tablespoons of the pork filling onto the center of each circle, and gather up the edges around the filling and pinch together to close the bun. Place each bun seam side down onto a square of aluminum foil. Cover with a towel, and let rise for about 1 hour.
• Bring a couple inches of water to boil in a wok. Place a few buns at a time in a steamer, such as a bamboo steamer for a wok, or a fitted steam tray. Cover, and steam buns over briskly boiling water for 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining buns.

Steps:

• Starter or Yeast Prep
• For the yeast version, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water in a small bowl. Allow to bloom for about 5 minutes.
• For the sourdough versions, feed your 100% hydration starter so you have at least 160g. Or mix up the sweet stiff starter described above. Allow the starter at least double in size. This can take just a few hours or be overnight depending on your ambient temp and feeding ratio.
• Dough Mixing and First Rise
• Whisk together the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Hand mixing is fine too.
• Add the wet ingredients (including the starter or yeast mixture) to the bowl and mix thoroughly with the dough hook attachment. When the dough comes together, turn off the mixer and touch it. If it's very sticky add a little more flour and if it's dry add a little more milk or water. The dough should feel somewhere between pizza and bagel dough hydration.
• Continue running the mixer on medium-low speed for about 5 minutes. Or knead by hand for about 5 minutes.
• Cover and let the dough rise until it has doubled. In warm temps, this was 40 minutes for the yeast dough and 4 hours for the sourdough.
• Dividing, Shaping, and Final Proof
• Prep 16 small pieces of parchment paper, about 4x4 inches. Another option is to make parchment circles that fit into your steamer and cut them into pieces around the bao just before loading. The cutting is so steam can come up on all sides. I used dinner plates to hold parchment circles and to cover them as well, but a baking tray and a damp tea towel or plastic wrap cover is fine too. I also made one batch with no parchment paper and the bao didn't stick to my pan, so I may skip the paper altogether next time.
• Divide the dough into 16 pieces and roll the pieces into balls. Line them up in sequence of how you rolled them because you'll begin shaping the first ball immediately after you finish rolling the last. I didn't weigh each ball but if you choose to, they're about 36g each. You're also welcome to make fewer, larger bao and extend the steam time by a few minutes.
• Cover the waiting dough balls with a slightly damp tea towel. With a rolling pin and a little flour, roll out a 3" x 5" oval. See the photo gallery below.
• Brush a thin layer of oil on the top and fold in half, oil-side in.
• Place the folded dough on parchment paper and continue until all the dough balls are shaped.
• Cover and let proof about 20 minutes for the yeast version and 3 hours for the sourdough version.
• Steaming
• With a two-layer steamer, you can do two batches of 8 buns, and each batch takes about 20 minutes. If you're doing the yeast version that proofs quickly and you have a single-layer steamer or workaround, you should refrigerate half your dough at this point so it doesn't overproof.
• Add water to the bottom of your steamer leaving 1.5-to-2 inches of empty space between the water and the next layer.
• Assemble all the pan layers and lid (no towel yet) and bring up to a boil.
• When the water is boiling vigorously and the buns are fully proofed (see photos for dough expansion), remove the lid, dry it off and wrap it with a fresh towel. Use a rubberband if needed to prevent it from dangling onto the stovetop.
• Add the bao to the layers of your steamer and cover with the towel-wrapped lid. Lower the heat until you hear a rattle of a simmer and not a loud rumble-boil.
• Your total cook time will be 8-10 minutes, but set a timer for 5 minutes and when it dings, quickly swap the layers of your steamer so the top is now closer to the water, then reset your timer for another 3-5 minutes.
• When the steaming is complete, don't remove the lid. Shut off the heat and let the buns sit for 8-10 minutes more. Then remove the buns to a very lightly oiled plate to cool.
• Check the water level and the towel. Add more water and get a new, dry towel if needed. Bring the water up to a boil again and repeat until all the bao are steamed.
• Serve immediately. Extra bao can be refrigerated for 2-3 days or frozen for about 1 month. To reheat, steam them again or microwave them wrapped in a damp towel.
• Steamer Workaround (if you don't have one)
• Put a small amount of water in a large saucepan or wok. Place a small bowl into the pan. Make sure the bowl is 1.5-to-2 inches taller than the water level. Top the bowl with the plate. There should be space between the sides of the pan and the plate for steam to pass through. Both the bowl and the plate should be able to tolerate high heat, and you should take care to let them cool before handling.
• The instructions for use are the same as above but without swapping of layers partway through the steaming.
• Bring the water to boil, transfer the proofed buns and parchment paper to the plate. Wrap the lid with a dish towel and place it on the saucepan.
• Set a timer for 8-10 minutes. After the steaming is complete, turn off the heat and leave the bao covered for 8-10 minutes.