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Bao bun with Asian beef and garnish.
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Bao Steamed Buns

Fluffy white, light as a feather bao buns.
Course Bread, Sandwich
Cuisine Asian
Keyword bao, bun
Budget Frugal
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Rise time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours
Servings 18 buns
Calories 132kcal

Equipment

  • Food scale
  • Saucepan
  • Mixer with a paddle attachment and dough hook optional, but more work by hand
  • Large glass bowl
  • Plastic wrap
  • Steamer

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ cups whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 3 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 large egg (white only)
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup cake flour or cornstarch if you do not have cake flour.
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • 1-4 tbs warm water

Instructions

  • Combine milk and butter in a saucepan and heat to 100 degrees F. If the milk is hotter than 100 degrees F let it cool before proceeding, so you don't kill the yeast.
  • Pour the warm milk into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add yeast to the mixing bowl and stir briefly, just to dissolve the yeast.
  • Add the sugar, egg white, flours, and salt to the mixing bowl. With the paddle attachment, mix the ingredients on medium-low speed until completely combined, about 2 minutes.
  • At this point you may need to add the warm water if the dough is too dry and all of the flour has not absorbed.
  • Add the warm water, one tablespoon at a time until the flour absorbs. You should not need to add more than 4 tablespoons unless you packed the flour when measuring.
  • Remove the paddle attachment and put the dough hook on.
  • Knead the dough on low to medium speed for about five minutes. It should become smoother and pull away from the sides of the bowl.
  • If you do not have a dough hook you can drop the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it by hand for ten minutes.
  • After kneading by machine or by hand the dough should be tacky, but not overly sticky. You may need to add a little extra flour if the dough is too sticky to handle.
  • Turn out dough and form it into a ball. Place the ball in a large oiled bowl, flip over the oil the opposite side. Cover with plastic wrap. Place in warm spot and let rise until doubled in size, about one to two hours.
  • Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface.
  • Using a kitchen scale, divide the dough into 2 oz pieces and form them into balls.
  • Place the balls of dough back into the oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel. One at a time, remove the balls and roll them out flat with a rolling pin into an oval shape.
  • Brush the tops of the dough lightly with oil and then fold in half. Place each bun on a small square of parchment paper. Arrange the buns on a large tray, loosely covered with plastic wrap.
  • Allow the formed buns rise for another 15-20 minutes.
  • During the second rise, prepare a wooden or metal steamer by filling the bottom portion with water.
  • Arrange buns in the steamer so they are not touching, cover, and steam for 10 minutes. You may need to adjust the time depending on your particular steamer.
  • Open one bun to test it. If the inside is still raw, steam for a little longer.
  • If the top surfaces of the buns are wrinkled, then they have steamed for too long. Reduce the time for the next batch.
  • Serve buns immediately or store in the refrigerator and briefly re-steam to serve. Fresh is best!

Notes

Cook time varies by the amount of room in your steamer.

Nutrition

Calories: 132kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 206mg | Potassium: 74mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 66IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg