Following my previous post, I thought this is the perfect time to post a bao (chinese steamed bun) recipe.
My 7 year-old niece loves bread and bao (especially mantou which is a plain bao) as much as I do. Thinking how much she might enjoy it, I decided to try my hand at making bao for a family dinner early this year. At that time, I was basking in the success of my first bread-making attempt and thought "why not expand my portfolio?"
Using my mom's very old leftover flour and new store-bought yeast, I kicked-off my bao experiment. Not knowing how to 'feel' the dough (and adjust flour/water portions, rising times), I followed an online recipe to a T. The bao turned out 'solid as a rock', and lacking in flavor. Everyone took a courtesy bite then behaved as if the bao did not exist. My older thus wiser 12 year-old nephew said diplomatically "looks a bit dry uh?".
But something strange was happening.....my niece sat quietly by herself munching on one mantou after another, till her mom had to stop her. At the end of the evening, she came over and whispered to me, as if she knew my good intentions and hard work: "Aunt, thank you for making the bao, it was very nice and I really like it". I wanted to give her a "Thank-you-for-believing-in-me-before-anyone-else-did" hug. That was enough motivation for me, and I resolved to improve my bao for the sake of my sweet niece.
Fast forward a few months.....in my search for soft, fluffy and flavorful bao skin, I tried many different recipes and ways to tweak them. From using all-purpose flour, to bread flour, to self-rising flour, to cake flour, adding wheat starch, increasing baking powder, yeast, rising times, etc. I exhausted all the possible options I could think of, and though some turned out better than others, they were not exactly what I was looking for.
As the saying goes - "seek and you will find".....my search was not in vain and I finally found the answer on Maomaomom.com. The "born-after-many-trials" recipe involves making an easy starter (made of flour, water and yeast) the day before, which is then added to the bao dough the next day. The yeast is allowed to work overnight, i.e. a longer fermentation resulting in more complex flavors and lighter texture. This is similar to how certain (e.g. artisan) types of bread is made.
Some of you may think it's too much work to create a starter (like I used to think), but I assure you it is a truly simple task. It takes 5 minutes to measure and mix the ingredients, then leave it overnight and allow time to do the work. On the second day the waiting and kneading time is significantly reduced, and you will be rewarded with much nicer bao flavor and aroma.
So make a plan to plan one day ahead for this rewarding bao-making venture.
Notes:
a) The recipe featured here is the soft and fluffy kind typically served in HK style dimsum places/bakeries, made of cake (low protein) flour, yeast with a generous dose of baking powder.
b) Like bread, there are different types of baos. Another version commonly found in Northern China is made of all purpose flour (higher protein level than cake flour) which results in a more chewy bite. Those taste good too.
c) I have tried a Vietnamese brand (Pyramide) of pre-mixed bao flour from Asian supermarket - it tasted better than any of my earlier attempts, and is a good option if you do not want to make dough from scratch.
Makes 10 baos (Dough recipe adapted from Maomaomom)
I use US measuring cups (slightly smaller by 5% than measuring cups in Canada, Australia, and other Commonwealth countries)
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Day 1
(A) Starter
1/2 cup (65g) cake flour (I use Pillsbury's Softasilk)
--- low protein flour, like pastry, pau or HK flour commonly available in Asia will work too.
1/4 cup (60g) water
1/2 tsp instant yeast (or active dry yeast)
Day 2
(B) Dough
1/4 cup + 3 Tbsp (105g) water
1/3 cup (66g) sugar
1½ Tbsp (20g) butter, softened
2 cups (260g) cake flour (or pastry/pau/HK flour)
2 tsp baking powder
(C) Filling
180g ground pork (or chicken cut into very small pieces)
80g cabbage, chopped finely
1/2 tsp ginger, grated
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
few dashes of pepper
2 Tbsp water (add water only if using ground pork)
Day 1 - (A) Starter
1) The evening/night before making bao, mix the starter ingredients (A) in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave for 10-12 hours at room temperature till the mixture becomes bubbly.
(if using active dry yeast, dissolve yeast in water before adding to flour)
Note: If you live in hot climate, the time required may be shorter. The starter should be bubbly and smell mildly yeasty/sour when ready.
Day 2
(C) Filling
2) Mix all the filling ingredients (C) together in a large bowl and set aside.
(B) Dough
3) In a large mixing bowl, add the overnight starter, sugar, water, butter and mix well. Then add flour and baking powder. Mix well and knead by hand for 5-10 minutes till smooth and soft.
(This is where you need to 'feel' your dough - The climate (dry/cold versus humid/hot), different measurement methods and flour brands will affect the flour to water ratio. The dough should feel very soft and supple, like a baby's bottom. If too moist the shape does not hold or dough will break when wrapping; if too dry the bao will not taste as good. Add a little flour if too wet and a little water if too dry - 1 tsp at a time.)
4) Leave to rest for 5 minutes.
5) Knead the dough slightly before dividing into 10 portions. Roll each portion into a ball before flattening into a 4 inch (10 cm) circle with a rolling pin (roll edges thinner than center). Place a heap of filling on each circle. Pleat the buns (see this video on how to pleat them) and place each bun on a small piece of parchment paper.
6) Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
7) Over high heat, bring water to a boil in a steamer. Once water boils, add the buns and steam for 12 minutes. Turn off heat and let rest for 2 minutes before removing from steamer. Serve hot. Buns can be kept in fridge up to a few days, or freezer for 2 months and re-steamed/microwaved before eating.
(Tip: I turn the heat down to low when I am placing the buns in steamer, so it is not too hot for my hands, and turn heat back to high when ready to steam them.)
What if I use whole wheat flour?
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