I saw this video by Kat Kwa and got really excited. I have been attempted bao-making since 2015 (my very first attempt) and it's never been really successful. With the earlier recipes, I focused on getting the technique and ingredients (e.g., adding milk or wheat flour) correct. However, as long as I continued to use flour (or even cake flour), it always failed. The skin was tough and chewy, or very dense.
The first breakthrough came when I changed to pao flour where the texture was fluffy, and I had even more success when I changed to KA to beat and also used the bao packet's own recipe. However while I got a satisfactory bao (not char siu bao) texture, the issue was that shape was wrong as the buns were always too flat. Some recipes have suggested that this spread may happen because the dough has been over-proved or because the filling was too wet.
For char siu bao, the main issues were getting the right pillowly texture and to get it to split open on top and 'smile'. Desperate, I even tried to compare the different recipes and methods. For char siu baos, the main 'trick' seemed to be using shortening (or lard) as opposed to oil and a little bit of baking powder. I even saw one blogger cut across the top of the bao to get it to 'smile' but that's definitely the wrong approach.
The main difference from Kat Kwa's recipe is that she not only uses shortening and baking powder, her proofing is all upfront rather than along the way. She only allows short resting periods to let the dough relax once she starts working with it. In terms of looks, she still closes it tight using the traditional bao wrapping technique rather than tries to get it to split open and 'smile' like what dim sum restaurants do. In fact, she even crimps the bao skin very tightly closed to ensure no leakage.
I decided to try her recipe but augmented to pork because I don't have char siu on hand (400g mince pork, 1 egg, salt and pepper, 1 tbsp corn starch, 1 tbsp potato starch, 1 chopped spring onion). More importantly, I wanted to focus on the getting the correct texture and shape first.
Ingredients (makes 12) and methods
Yeast dough
150g bao flour
1 tsp yeast
½ tsp sugar
125 ml warm water
1. Mix sugar with water until dissolved.
2. Add the bao flour and mix. Batter will be very sticky. Cover and allow to proof for 2 hours in a warm place.
Filling and sauce
350g char siu, diced
3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 spring onion, chopped
3 shallots, flattened
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp dark soya sauce
1 tbsp light soya sauce
3 tbsp sugar
¼ tsp pepper
1 tbsp tapioca starch
1 tbsp corn starch
125 ml water
1. Prepare everything by chopping, toasting, etc. Fry aromatics in a little oil.
2. Pour in the ingredients for the sauce.
3. Once the sauce gets sticky, add the cubed char siu. Fold in. The whole mixture will be very gloupy and sticky.
Bao dough
40g (2 ½ tbsp) sugar
150g bao flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp lard or veg shortening or cooking oil
1. Once the yeast dough has finished proofing, add the sugar and mix well until dissolved.
2. Add the lard and 3 tbsp of water. Combine well. It will be difficult to do at first but persist. It will be very sticky and wet at this stage.
3. Finally, add the flour and baking powder. The dough will start off claggy but continue to beat. The dough will start to stretch and 'clean' the side of the bowl. At the end you will have a clean bowl.
4. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and no longer sticky. Cover and rest for 10 minutes.
5. Roll out into a rectangle, then fold. Roll out again and then roll up into a log (see video). Cut into 12 equal pieces and cover under a damp cloth.
6. With each piece, gently tug and tuck until a smooth ball forms. (see video) Cover with damp cloth.
7. Take out one at a time to work on. Using a round rolling pin, rotate the dough as you flatten the edges, leaving the centre unrolled (and thicker than the edges). Roll out all the dough in a similar manner and cover with cloth.
8. Taking one out to work on, flatten the edges between the thumb and index. Cup one hand and drape the dough on top. Fill the centre with approx 1 chinese soup tbsp of balled up filling, and then gently press the filling down into the cupped hand (watch video).
9. Pleat to close the bun and ensure tightly sealed. (watch video). After each bao has been filled, place into a bamboo steamer. Once all the steamer has been filled, cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
10. Meanwhile, bring a wok of water to a rolling boil. After resting the buns, steam on high heat for 12 to 15 minutes.
11. At the end of the cooking time, switch off the flame and open the lid to leave it slightly ajar for the steam to escape.
12. Remove from steamer and serve. For the uneaten ones, allow to air dry (so bottoms don't get soggy).
Feedback: This recipe is a success!
- I used lard but the porky smell was very obvious when working the dough. After steaming, there was also a strong porky smell but it was hard to say if it came from the bun or the meat.
- The texture is soft and fluffy! However, the pleats didn't stay because the dough is very stretchy. I decided to change my usual wrapping style to momo style and that seemed to produce more pronounced pleats.
- I took the time to roll the dough ball to make the skin smooth before flattening and filling, and it shows. The skin looks less dimpled and rippled than normal.
- I kept the filling very dry and balled it up and the bao didn't spread and flatten! It helped that all the proofing was done at the beginning so it becomes harder to over-proof.
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