What Little I Know About Steamed Buns

A number of years ago my friend Houa introduced us to steamed buns. She is Hmong and in her culture her mother put spicy sausage and a half of hard boiled egg inside.  The ones we ate in China had a barbequed pork filling. Joe says he ate his with his foster family and they had "green things" inside. He thinks it might have been lemon grass. Shekinah came to me clutching a steamed bun, but I soon figured out that she just peeled the bun off and dug out the meat and ate that.

                     The above was made by a professional chef, in China, that little thing that                            looks like a pumpkin?  Yummy!

                                                     Only a little over a year ago?

                                                                      Supper in China
So how do you steam them?  You can use a steamer basket that comes with your kettles, but that nets about 5 or 6 buns....that just doesn't go very far. I splurged the other week when we went for a re-stocking run at our local Chinese food store. I got a bamboo steamer, it is a double-decker. I only need to fill it twice.  Ideally I should have a kettle that is 1/2 inch smaller in diameter than the steamers. I have been "making-do" with a kettle that is at least an inch smaller.  The water needs to be heated to a rolling boil, you know,  the way you heat it for pasta. Then  place your filled baskets on top of the kettle with the lid.(be careful when handling the baskets around the boiling water, the steam hits you and crazy times)  Set the timer for 20 minutes, and don't peek!   We haven't  always managed to make perfect creations, sometimes they sink like the ones on the picture....doesn't seem to affect their taste.

OK, the recipe

dough:
1-1/4 cup warm water
2 tablespoons oil, butter, or shortening
1-1/2 tsp salt
4 cups high gluten flour
1 tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon  sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder (read instructions)

You can follow the bread dough instructions and allow the yeast to "proof" in the warm water, or you can mix all the ingredients in your stand mixer/ bread machine. Let rise, again this depends on the amount of time you have....did you get a sudden urge for steamed buns or did you plan your day?
Tonite I had about 1-1/2 hours, I left the dough rise while I collected the filling ingredients.

Just before you are ready to start forming the buns, mix the baking powder with a very small amount of water...just enough to dissolve the baking powder. Knead the baking powder liquid into the dough.

According to the Chinese cookbook I was reading, this is the way the Chinese cooks make the dough...

Prepare your "papers"
Bao-zi have paper on the bottom, to keep them from sticking to the steamer basket. You can use foil, or parchment paper,  waxed paper has mixed results. (If you don't mind eating paper....go for it).  I have been giving my papers a quick spritz of cooking spray. Spray your steamer basket while you're at it.
Divide your dough into 8 -12 pieces.
Flatten each dough ball into a 4 inch disk place your cooled (read filling instructions) in the center of the disk. Bring the edges of the dough up and pinch or pleat the bun closed.  Place the bun on little squares of greased parchment or foil. Place the bun "pinched" side up....I think they don't "collapse" as much that way. Then into the basket. I usually start my water heating at this time, but the buns can sit while you are waiting for the pot to boil.


Filling:
sausage and egg,  or
leftover turkey and gravy, or
pork barbeque, or
cherry pie filling (sort of messy to fill)
brown-butter pumpkin (yummy)---recipe to follow
vegetarian mixes abound on line


Brown butter, pumpkin filling:   from  here

¼ cup butter

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 ¼ cups pumpkin – mashed or solid packed canned

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup sugar

Place butter into a saucepan and melt over medium heat.  You do not want to step away from the butter because it can quickly go from browned to burned if you are not watching it.  Simmer until the milk solids in the butter start to brown (the butter will start to smell nutty).  At this point take the butter off the heat. My additional instructions: Cook the above in the microwave and cool in the fridge. That makes the bao-zi much easier to fill.

My family has mixed reviews on this recipe....DIL, Joe and I love it...some of the others say it is too sweet...so make adjustments. 

Google steamed buns or  bao-zi  and you will get much more professional instructions....but we do love our bao-zi....we're even introducing some very PA Dutch palates to Chinese food and they love it.