Because ovens were rare, Chinese cooks have been steaming their bread dough for thousands of years, most likely since wheat-milling technology arrived in northern China by way of the Silk Road. There are many ways to present the steamed bread, and the Chinese knack for stuffing it with a savory or sweet filling is perhaps the most well known and well loved. The filled buns, or bāo, are a delicious, convenient fast food in many parts of Asia, where you can buy them from street vendors and snack shops. Here in the States where stopping at a neighborhood bāo stand isn’t the norm, I make the buns myself in small batches and enjoy them for lunch or as road food, whether I’m driving or flying. They can be reheated until soft , allowed to cool, and then kept in a plastic bag until you’re ready to eat. Medium-size buns are the easiest to make, so you may want to start with those. After you’ve made buns with the various fillings presented here, create your own fillings. To make steamed rolls that can be used for mini sandwiches.
The best way to reheat left over buns is to steam them for 5 to 8 minutes. Left over buns can be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to a month.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 32 small or 16 medium buns
Ingredients
Filling
Preparation
Step 1
Transfer the dough to a very lightly floured work surface, gather it into a ball if needed, and then pat it to flatten it into a thick disk. Cut the disk in half and cover half with plastic wrap or an inverted bowl to prevent drying while you work on the other half.
Step 2
Roll the dough into a 12-inch log, then cut it into 8 or 16 pieces for medium or small buns, respectively. (Halve the log first to make it easier to cut into even-size pieces. The tapered end pieces should be cut a little longer than the rest.) Lightly roll each piece between your hands into a ball and then use the palm of one hand to flatten it into a 1/4-inch-thick disk. Use a wooden dowel–style rolling pin to roll the pieces into circles, about 2 1/2 inches in diameter for small or 3 1/4 inches in diameter for medium buns. The rim should be thinner than the center; keeping a 1-inch-wide belly in the center to ensure consistent thickness between the bottom and top of the bun. The finished circle will be thick, and it will rise as it sits. (For guidance on rolling, see “Forming Wrappers from Basic Dumpling Dough,” step 5, page 24.) Lay the finished circles out on your work surface, lightly dusting their bottoms with flour if you fear they will stick.
Step 3
Cut parchment paper into 2 1/2 or 3-inch squares (for small or medium buns, respectively) before beginning to assemble the buns.
Step 4
To assemble the buns, hold a dough circle in a slightly cupped hand. Use a spoon or fork to center about 2 teaspoons of filling for small buns, or about 4 teaspoons of filling for medium buns, on the dough circle, pressing down very gently and keeping about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of the dough clear on all sides; your hand will automatically close slightly. Use the thumb of the hand cradling the bun to push down the filling while the other hand pulls up the dough edge and pleats and pinches the rim together to form a closed satchel (see page 52). Completely enclose the filling by pinching and twisting the dough closed. Place the finished bun on a parchment paper square, pleated side up or down; in general, Chinese steamed savory buns are placed pleated side up, while sweet ones are cooked pleated side down to distinguish one from the other. You can put the buns with the parchment paper squares directly into a steamer tray, spacing them 1 inch apart and 1 inch away from the edge to accommodate the rising dough, or on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough circles and then cover with the steamer tray lid or loosely cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Set in a warm, draft-free place (for example, the oven with the light on) for 30 minutes to rise until nearly doubled in size. Meanwhile, work on the other dough half to form the remaining buns.
Step 5
About 10 minutes before the rising time is over, get the equipment ready for steaming (see page 17 for guidance on steaming). When the buns have sufficiently risen, steam up to 2 trays of them at a time, 12 minutes for small buns or 15 minutes for medium buns. Cooked buns will have puffed up and will look dry. Remove each tray and use a metal spatula to transfer the buns, still on their parchment paper squares, to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Put more buns on the trays and repeat the steaming, replenishing the water as needed, until all the buns are cooked.
Step 6
Arrange the buns, still on the parchment, on a platter and serve hot or warm. Remove the parchment before eating the buns out of hand.
VARIATION: UNFILLED STEAMED BUNS
Step 7
To make rolls that can be used to hold slices of Char Siu Pork (page 224), roasted duck, or braised pork belly, cut the dough into 16, 24, or 32 pieces for large, medium, or small rolls, respectively. Then roll out the dough pieces to form circles that are a scant 1/4 inch thick. There’s no need to make a belly here. Brush a little canola oil on one-half of the dough circle to prevent it from sticking and make it easier to pry open later. Fold the circle over into a semicircle and then place on a parchment paper square. Place in a bamboo steamer or on a baking sheet, let it rise for 20 to 30 minutes, and then steam for 6 to 8 minutes, until puffy and dry looking. The buns will resemble pairs of thick lips when done. Serve the rolls with the sliced meat or preassemble the little sandwiches for your guests. Moisten the roll with some of the cooking juices, if available.
