Preparation time: 180 minutes
Servings: 8
Char siu bao are Cantonese buns filled with fragrant, barbecued pork meat. They can be either steamed or baked. This recipe uses the baking method, which will make the buns shiny and golden.
INGREDIENTS
- Dough hook
- Dough scraper
- Sesame seeds
Bread dough:
- 500g bread flour
- 85g cake flour
- 8g instant dried yeast
- 1 Tbsp condensed milk
- 250 ml whole milk
- 160 ml whipped cream
- 67g sugar
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1 egg
Filling:
- 300g roasted pork (char siu)
- 5 spring onions
- 2 shallots
Sauce mix:
- 2 Tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
- 4 tsp oyster sauce
- 4 tsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp fine sugar
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 Tbsp water
Thickener:
- 4 Tbsp water
- 4 tsp corn starch
Egg mixture:
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp water or milk
PREPARATION
Cut the char siu into small cubes. Chop the shallots and spring onions finely.
Mix the ingredients for the sauce mix in a bowl and put it aside.
Char siu filling
Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and spring onions, and stir-fry until aromatic. Pour in the sauce mix and let it boil for a minute. Turn the heat to medium-low, then add the char siu cubes. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes.
In the meantime, mix the corn starch with the water in a small bowl. Add the mixture to the char siu and stir until the sauce has thickened a bit. Make sure all is mixed well with the sauce. You can make the filling a day in advance so the char siu absorbs all flavors well.
The bread dough
Sift the cake flour and bread flour in a batter bowl. Add the sugar and salt, and mix well. Then add the yeast, followed by the whipped cream, whole milk, condensed milk and the beaten egg. Use the dough hook to knead the dough at medium speed for 15 minutes. Use a dough scraper to scrape the dough together, then continue kneading.
Kneading dough using your hands
Follow the steps described earlier and knead a cohesive dough. Put the dough on a surface that is sprinkled with a bit of flour, then start kneading. Stretch out the dough and fold it towards you again. Give the dough a quarter-turn and repeat these steps until the dough is elastic, and no longer sticky.
When is the dough done?
Take a piece of the dough and stretch it out a bit. If you can see your finger tips through the dough, it is done. The dough needs to be elastic and flexible, and not sticky.
Roll the dough into the shape of a ball, and place it in a deep bowl. Tear off a piece of plastic wrap and place it on the dough loosely. Cover the batter bowl with a dishcloth. Let the dough rise at a warm place until it has expanded about 1.5 in volume.
Take the dough out of the bowl, and flatten it on a surface sprinkled lightly with flour. Remove the air bubbles. Cut the dough into small pieces and weigh them. The buns need to weigh 50 grams each. Roll the dough into small balls and let it rest for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the oven tray with baking paper.
Filling the dough
Take a piece of dough and roll it into a circle that is about ½ cm thick. Fill the bread with 1 to 1½ teaspoon char siu filling. Take the edges of the dough and fold it inwards until it becomes a ball again. Place the dough ball on the baking paper. Repeat these steps with the remaining dough, and keep the dough balls separate by a 4-cm distance. Cover the dough balls loosely with plastic wrap and put a dishcloth on top. Let the dough balls rise a second time for about 1 hour.
Baking the buns
Preheat the oven at 175°C. Mix the egg and the water in a bowl. Smear the egg mixture on the buns and sprinkle it with the sesame seeds. Bake the buns for about 20 minutes. Take the buns out of the oven and let it cool down on a grid.