Sorry for the delay, guys; made that post at the airport earlier this morning.
Now, I’m very particular when it comes to the bao dough. Basically, it boils down to the amount of protein in the flour. I’ve found that when you use high protein flour, it makes kind of a tough, shiny outer skin that doesn’t replicate the baos I grew up eating. As well, I like my char siu baos to “smile” once steamed. That is, they kind of crack open a bit so that you can see the interior and the dough itself is very fluffy and almost cotton-like in appearance. Of course, this is just me and you may find that you don’t really care about all of that. So, with that said, here is my recipe for the bao pictured above:
8g instant dry yeast
160ml warm water
280g low-protein flour
100g wheat starch
90g caster sugar (not powdered, which, in America, has corn starch added)
30g shortening
10g baking powder
10ml cold water
Since we’re using instant yeast you can skip the blooming process.
Sift together the flour, wheat starch and sugar. Place the mix into a large bowl and make a well in the middle.
Fill the well with the warm water and yeast and stir until the yeast is dissolved. Bring the flour in until it comes together.
Add in the shortening and knead for 10 or so minutes until it’s smooth and elastic.
Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rise for 30 minutes to an hour or double in size.
Dissolve the baking powder in cold water, sprinkle it over dough and knead until well combined.
Rest for another 10 minutes and then portion the dough.
Construct the baos and steam on high heat for 10 to 12 minutes.
I like using a double acting baking powder (Clabber Girl, for example) as this really helps the baos kind of puff up and “smile” during the steaming process.
When portioning, roll out the dough into a cylinder about an inch and a half in diameter and then cut into pieces and roll each piece into about the size of a golf ball.
You’ll want to flatten these a bit on a floured surface and then roll out the dough such that there’s a slight hump in the middle. This makes it so that the filling has a thicker layer of dough to rest on and doesn’t end up coming out of the bottom of the bao. It’s kind of hard to describe but you’ll want to roll the dough with one hand whilst rotating it. I don’t recommend using a traditional rolling pin (the one with handles). Instead, use one that you can control with one hand. Roll the edges of the flattened dough not quite to the middle while rotating. Does that make sense?
Use whatever kind of fillings you like. Char siu pork isn’t the most difficult thing to make but it is kind of an involved process and you may find it easier just to go to a local Asian grocer and picking up some pre-made. Cube it up and add in some sliced spring onions. I also make a vegetarian version that’s filled with a variety of mushrooms and bamboo shoots in a ginger-sesame-hoisin sauce. But, really, it’s whatever want to put in there.
Put a small dollop of the filling in the middle of the rolled out dough in the cup of your hand. With your other hand, pick up the edge of the dough as if you’re lightly pinching it and carefully crimp together the dough while rotating. You should get something like this:
http://imgur.com/VqZWWvf
When steaming, make sure that your water is boiling first. Also, if you don’t have a bamboo steamer, be careful when lifting the top off. You don’t want any water to drip onto the baos as this will discolor them a bit.
As far as the type of flour to use, like I said, I prefer a low protein flour. Working in the industry for most of my life, I’ve formed some friendships with various purveyors. What I’m saying is that I know a guy who can get me 25kg bags of Hong Kong flour. You may not have the same hook up. I’ve played around a bit with this recipe and found that a good soft Southern wheat flour works pretty well as a substitute. Something like Gold Medal or White Lily brand. Wheat starch can be found in any Asian grocer (I use Red Lantern brand).
This post is getting a bit long (and I’m about to head out for dinner) so I’ll start another for the flower rolls later. Enjoy, guys!
