Bao

Bao buns originated in China, and are considered a form of Mantou. I've seen the term bao used in many Asian restaurants to reference bao buns, which are sandwich-like in appearance in that they are essentially a round piece of dough folded in half and filled with meat and sauce (often pork).I've also seen the term used to represent what is arguable the more bun-like version: a meat-filled satchel-shaped piece of dough. They are rounded on the bottom and folded and twisted on top to seal them. They're quite interesting; read more about it here.

They've been on my wish list for a long time. But, to my inner baker's delight, a friend of mine was coming to visit and we chatted about making them. This made creating them an essential part of that week, so I had to stop making excuses and get it done.

I don't often have the luxury of starting a dough and being able to let it rise and become a finished product all in the same day. But I chose my day off, and it was perfect. Earlier in the day, I got started with a fairly simple dough mix.

I started the dough by first whisking together flour, baking powder, and cornstarch, then mixed in the sugar and yeast, followed by water and oil. I let the mixer knead the dough for 6-8 minutes, until it began to form into a ball. I had to add a little extra flour to get mine to form right, but after it was shaped, I coated it lightly in oil and placed the bowl in a slightly warmed spot for 2 hours (I turned the oven on low for 3 minutes or so, just enough to slightly warm up).

I turned the oven on low for just a couple of minutes to lightly warm the oven - I wanted the dough to have a warm place to rise. I cooked the ground chicken and stirred in some minced garlic, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce  I  then added about 3/4 cup of diced cabbage.

The dough rose significantly in that time, but I needed to let it rest a bit longer so dinner would be ready at a more rational time. So, I stuck it in the fridge until I got to bao:thirty. When it was time, I dumped the dough on a floured surfae.

I kneaded the dough for 1-2 minutes, folding the dough over itself and pressing into it with my palm.

To ensure an even split between the bao pieces, I weighed it out so I'd be able to determine how much each should weigh.

Then, I rolled the dough into a log and cut it into equal parts. And after my dividing and weighing I wound up with 16 little mounds of dough. Party time!

I rolled each one into a circle about 3 inches in diameter. I continued rolling only the edges to be slightly thinner than the center, which should result in a circle 3-4 inches in diameter.

I cooked the ground chicken and stirred in some minced garlic, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce  I  then added about 3/4 cup of diced cabbage.

Now for the tricky part: making the bao! 

I won't pretend I've got the folding skills because the tops are not the traditional pretty bao top. But, it's my first time, and I don't think the first spanakopita I folder looked so great either. But, they stayed closed! Go me!

I started out putting the bao in a regular, metal double boiler sprayed with cooking oil. I covered the pot with a lid for 10 minutes to let them cook.

Problem: The slope in the bowl was so drastic that I could only do one, maybe two at a time. At 10 minutes per cook session, this meant standing around the stove roughly forever. It also meant a whole lot of sticking, even with cooking oil. 

Then, I tried a mesh strainer over the water. It still stuck, but I fit more than two! Long story short: I would buy the bamboo steamer next time.

Finally, I layered wax paper in there. It even stuck to the wax paper, but this method worked best.

Don't mind my paper plate while I go through my kitchen renovation. But look at the breadiness.

Though not restaurant-pretty, they tasted damn good.

With a light dough and a flavorful filling, I was really pleased with how filling they were. These along with some steamed veggies made for a gnarly dinner.

The cooking process worked out to be a lot of work for me, but I think that was really because of a lack of tools. Appropriate steaming tools are a must. But the actual making of the dough was similar to Yeast Rolls. Reasonable rise time, letting the mixer do the work...I like a low maintenance recipe. And the flavor! 

I know a recipe like this is intimidating. And I totally understand why. It takes years to build dough working skills, and will probably take me a long time to get decent at folding these. But, every experience is a learning experience and at least for me, there was a sense of accomplishment that I tried these out. Give 'em a go.

Bao Recipe

Ingredients:

For the dough:

3 1/2 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup cornstarch

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 packet active dry yeast

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/8 cup water

2-3 tablespoons cooking oil (vegetable or canola)

For the filling:

1 pound ground chicken

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey or sugar

1/4 teaspoon five spice

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/4 cup water

Instructions:

Whisk or sift cornstarch, baking powder, and flour together. Add to a stand mixing bowl and use the dough hook attachment. Add sugar and instant active yeast and put the mixer on low speed. Slowly add water and 2 tablespoons of the oil. Continue mixing for 6-8 minutes until the dough begins to form, adding a few tablespoons more water if the dough is too dry or adding more flour if the dough is too sticky. Once the dough begins to get smooth, turn off the mixer, remove the bowl, and form the dough into a ball. Lightly grease the dough ball and place back into the mixing bowl. Cover with a damp towel and place in a warm area to rise for 2 hours. To prepare the dough for filling, roll the dough into an evenly-shaped log and cut into half, then each piece into half, and repeat until there are 16 pieces. The dough can be weighed, with the weight divided by 16 to ensure the pieces are even.

To make the individual pieces of bao, sprinkle flour on a surface and roll one piece out into a circle about 3 inches in diameter. Continue rolling only the edges to be slightly thinner than the center, which should result in a circle 3-4 inches in diameter.

To make the filling, cook the ground chicken in a large skillet over medium-high heat, chopping the meat finely as it cooks. Add ginger and garlic and stir. Add oyster sauce, soy sauce, honey, five spice, garlic, sesame oil, and water. Simmer on medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Mix the corn starch an water together and then stir it into the filling mixture. Heat for 2-3 more minutes until the sauce thickens.

To fold, hold your round bao wrapper in your non-dominant hand. Place about two tablespoons of filling into the center of the circle. Use your other hand to begin to fold the edges around the filling, making repeated small z's in a circular motion. Continue until you can punch the top together. The bao should have a swirl appearance on the top. Repeat with the remaining dough. Cover the wrapped bao with the same damp towel from the rising process and let proof for about 10 minutes.

Prepare the steamer by placing it over boiling water. Add parchment paper to prevent sticking. Add the bao, leaving space between each. Cover and steam for 10 minutes, leaving the lid on for the cooking process. Remove and serve.

adapted from char siu bao