Bun
8g instant dry yeast
160ml lukewarm water
½ tsp white vinegar or lemon juice (optional)
280g low-protein flour aka hong kong flour
100g wheat starch
90g icing sugar
30g shortening or vegetable oil
10g baking powder
10ml cold water
Fillings
A
250g char siew, diced
½ tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp sugar*
1 small onion, diced
1 tbsp oyster sauce*
1 tbsp soy sauce*
1 tsp. sesame oil
1-2 drops red food colouring (optional)
B
150 ml water
1½ tbsp corn flour
Salt to taste
*Some store-bought char siew comes with sauce, use it for preparing filling. Omit sugar, oyster sauce and soy sauce.
Methods:
Fillings
- Heat oil in pan, sauté onion for 1 to 2 minutes. Add in all other ingredients A, stir fry for 1 minutes.
- Mix together water with corn flour, add mixture into the pan and stir well. Simmer until gravy is thickened.
- Transfer to plate and allow to cool.
- Divide filling into 16 portions if desired, set aside for later use.
Buns
- Sift together flours and icing sugar. Place sifted flour mixture in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the middle.
- Fill well with lukewarm water, vinegar and yeast. Use a spatula, gently stir the water to dissolve the yeast then slowly bring together flour mixture.
- Add in shortening or oil and knead for 10-15 minutes until soft dough is formed. It should be smooth on the surface.
- Cover dough with damp cloth and let it rise for 30 minutes or until it is doubled in size. I used bread maker’s dough mode to prepare my dough up to this step.
- Dissolve baking powder in cold water, sprinkle over dough and knead until well combined. Divide dough into 16 equal portions and flatten with a rolling pin to make a 3” circle. Then place a heap teaspoon of filling in the middle, wrap and pleat the dough to seal. Place it on a 1.5” square parchment paper, seal side up.
- Arrange buns into a steamer, leave about 1” gab in between buns. Spray water mist over buns, and steam in a preheated steamer on high heat for 12 minutes. Remove buns from steamer and cool on rack to prevent soggy bottom.
Cook's notes:
- If bigger bun is desired, divide dough into 12 equal portions in step 5.
- There is no need to rest the dough after adding in baking powder, but if time allowed, rest it for 10 minutes or so to get fluffier buns.
- Adding a few drops of vinegar into steaming water will produce whiter buns, but this is optional.
- Steamer must be preheated otherwise bun would not rise to the volume as it should be.
- Spray the surface of bun with water mist helps to produce buns with smooth surface after steamed.
- DO NOT open the lid during the steaming process.
- If there are yellowish spots on the steamed buns, it means the baking powder is not fully dissolved.
