Chinese Baozi ( Steamed bun with pork filling)
If you have ever been to a Chinese restaurant you may have come across these wonderfully light, pillow-y steamed buns. They are usually filled with a delicious meat filling. These buns are a grab-and-go street food in China. Those buns taste the best if you enjoy them right out of the steamer. The texture of the buns is very soft, moist, and chewy, and the juicy meat mixtures add savory flavor to the plain buns.
INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE DOUGH
1 lb all-purpose flour, more as needed
1.5tsp instant yeast
50ml lukewarm water
230ml milk or water +/- 10ml, at room temperature
1tsp baking powder
50g sugar
3g salt
2tbsp cooking oil
1/10tsp baking soda (optional)
FOR STUFFING
1.5lb ground pork (can use chicken, beef, or lamb)
5 scallions
2inch fresh ginger root
STUFFING MARINADE
2tbsp soy sauce
2tbsp cooking oil
1tbsp sugar
1.5tbsp Chinese rice wine
1tsp five-spice powder
1 egg
1tsp sesame oil
2tsp ground white pepper
Additional salt to taste
Direction:
Step 1: You’ll need about 2 – 3 hours to prepare the dough. Activate the yeast by combining the yeast with lukewarm water for about 5 minutes. The mixture will become milky and bubbly. In a bread machine or stand mixer, add the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Turn on the bread machine / stand mixer, and slowly add the activated yeast and milk/water. When adding the milk/water, do it slowly and in batches. Also slowly add the cooking oil. Continue to knead for about 10 to 15 minutes as a dough ball is formed. Pay close attention to the texture of the dough. If it’s hard, add a little more water/milk. If it’s too wet or the surface is sticky, add a little more flour. At the end you should see a smooth, soft, but non-sticky dough ball. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and side aside to rest. Depending on the room temperature, let the dough rest for 45 – 60 minutes or until the dough doubles the size.
Step 2: In the mean time. While waiting for the dough to rise, start making the stuffing by chopping the scallions and ginger. Add the chopped scallions and ginger to the ground pork . Mix in all the stuffing marinade ingredients to the pork except the cooking oil. Whisk the stuffing using a spoon until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Add additional salt to taste if needed. Drip the cooking oil in the meat mixture and whisk to mix. Seal the stuffing with plastic wrapper and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This can be done in advance
Step 3: Once the dough is ready, transfer the dough to a flour-dusted workstation. Divide into 4 portions. Roll each portion into a log that’s about 1.5 inch in diameter. Cut the log into 6 parts and shape each port into a ball. Make sure you coat the dough balls with a layer of flour. Press down the ball with your palm. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a round thin wrapper with 4 inch diameter. When rolling, make sure the center of the wrapper is thicker than the edge of the wrapper. Repeat this step to make a batch of 6 wrappers at a time
Step 4: To fold the bun. Place 1 to 2 tbsp of the filling in the center of the wrapper. Try to stack up the filling so it’s at least 1 inch from the edge of the wrapper. Wrap the bun by folding the edge counterclockwise until the bun is completely sealed. Repeat these two steps to assemble the rest of the buns
Step 5: Place the buns on a small piece of parchment to prevent sticking. Don’t steam your buns right away but instead let them sit for another 30 – 45 minutes. This is an important step in making the buns soft and fluffy. The buns will increase in size
Step 6: Steam the buns for 15 minutes over high heat. Turn off the heat but do not open the steamer cover. Let them sit in the steamer for another 5 minutes before you take them out. Let them cool a little and serve hot as breakfast, snack, or appetizers
