Hello hi everyone! This is a recipe for a Chinese steamed bun (AKA Baozi or Bao) that I tweaked mainly in an effort to reproduce the steamed buns at the restaurant Shan Dong here in Oakland (do they even make them anymore? I haven't had them in years). I DEFINITELY don't consider myself an expert baker, but It's also one that a lot of folks have been requesting, so thought I'd take my best shot at it. Hopefully it comes close!

 

yields 12

INGREDIENTS (filling)

  • 4 cloves garlic

  • 1 tbsp ginger (about 1 inch)

  • 1/2 medium onion

  • 2 small carrots

  • 1/2 lb ground meat (beef or pork, ideally)

  • 4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (or 2 tbsp full sodium soy sauce)

  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce

  • 2 tbsp corn starch

  • 2 tbsp water

  • 1/4 cup chicken stock

  • Sichuan pepper

  • kosher salt

  • vegetable oil

INGREDIENTS (dough)

  • 300g AP flour

  • 1 tsp yeast (instant or dry active)

  • 1 tbsp brown sugar

  • 1tbsp sesame oil

  • 150g water

PREP (filling)

  • crush and mince the garlic, set aside

  • peel and mince the ginger, set aside

  • dice onions, set aside

  • peel and dice carrots, set aside

  • combine corn starch and water to a slurry, set aside

  • season ground meat with soy sauce, oyster sauce, kosher salt, and Sichuan pepper, and mix to combine

  • add corn starch slurry and chicken stock to ground meat, and mix to combine

PREP (dough)

  • COMBINE flour, yeast, sugar, and sesame oil

  • STREAM water into dough slowly, while constantly agitating until a shaggy dough forms

  • REST the dough under a damp cloth for 1-2 hours until roughly doubled in size

ON THE STOVE (filling)

  • HEAT 2 tbsp vegetable oil on a wok as hot as possible

  • ADD carrots, garlic, and ginger, and saute until fragrant

  • ADD onions and season with a pinch of kosher salt, saute 1-2 minutes until translucent

ASSEMBLY

  • ADD cooked vegetables to the ground meat, mix to combine, and set aside

  • ROLL out the dough into a log, and divide into twelve even pieces (cut in half, then in half again, then into three even pieces)

  • ROLL out each piece of dough into a coin shape, rotating 1/4 turn after each roll

  • FILL each bao with 2-3 tbsp of of filling, then pinch closed with folds

  • REST the finished bao an additional 30 minutes

ON THE STOVE (bao)

  • HEAT water in a large pot with a steamer basket lined with parchment paper until boiling

  • ADD baos to the basket, being careful not to overfill the basket (the baos should ideally not touch each other)

  • STEAM for 15 minutes, and serve immediately

 

tagged with woo can cook, bao, baozi, steamed buns, chinese steamed buns