Baked Char Siu Bao (BBQ Pork Bun) [Recipe]
I’m still trying to perfect this bao (bun) recipe as every time I make it, it turns too brown at the bottom. I’ve tried lowering the heat, reduce the time and both but I still end up with a slightly darker, more crispy bottom than I’d like it to be. Anyways, if you try it, let me know how it turned out.
Recipe from Jessica’s Su Good Sweets. I used live yeast which I bought from an Italian grocery store and added 1 whole egg instead of only using half.
Baked Char Siu Bao Dough
~3/4 tbsp of live yeast (or One 1/4-ounce envelope active dry yeast)
1/3 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of warm/hot water
2 cups bread flour
1 large egg, beaten
3 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp salt
1) In a large bowl, mix together yeast, sugar and water. Let sit for ~30 to 60 mins to activate the yeast. To speed things up, you can put the bowl under another container filled with hot water (to achieve a double boiler effect). Make sure you don’t let the yeast mixture touch the water if it’s really hot or you might killed with the heat. The yeast mixture is ready when you see bubbles and/or brown foams on the surface.
2) Add the egg and oil, stir it a little bit with a fork. Mix the salt and flour together in another bowl. Add the dry mixture into the yeast mixture 1/3 at a time while using your fingers to do the stirring.
3) Start kneading the dough. When it comes together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and continue kneading. Use a spatula or a dough scrapper to scrap up the dough from the board and keep sprinkling flour on the work surface. Knead for about 15 minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic. Try to stretch the dough while you knead. Cover and let rise for 3-4 hours until it triples in size. I usually leave it over night and bake the next morning. If you want to speed it up, heat the oven at 150F, then turn it off and put the covered dough in the oven (make sure the contain is oven proof).
4) When it’s ready punch dough down and turn it out on a floured surface if it is still a bit sticky. Knead it for a couple of minutes and then roll the dough into 12 inches long. Divide the dough into 12 one-inch pieces. If it is hard to roll it into a log, you can try what I do. I divide the dough in half, then divide each half into half again. Now you got 4 pieces. Cut each piece into three equal pieces to get 12 pieces. Keep any dough that is not being used covered to avoid it from drying. Flatten one piece of dough into a circle (use a rolling pin or just flatten it between your palms) and fill it with 1.5 tbsp of char siu bao filling. Gather the side and pinch together to close. Place seam side faced down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat for the rest of the dough, placing them about 1.5 – 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
5) Once all the dough is filled, cover and let rise for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare egg wash by mixing a beaten egg with 1 – 2tbsp of milk (or water, I used milk since I can make scrambled eggs with the left over egg wash). Spritz each bao with water and brush with the egg wash. Bake the bao for 15-20 mins, turning the baking sheet once half way through the baking. They are ready when they are golden on top.
Tip: I find that the bao turns golden really fast in my oven, about 10-12 minutes. You might want to keep an eye on them when you bake them for the first time.
Here’s a picture of the char siu bao fresh out of the oven!
