The bao buns steamed Chinese-style were truly a great discovery for me. I had heard about them, and after seeing so many versions online I wanted to try them.
I had never tried them before and I must say that, besides turning out very well, they were also a great success at the table.
Chinese steamed bao buns are popular throughout Asia and are famous for their very white color, which comes from this type of cooking.
They are really simple to prepare and if you follow the step-by-step photos you won’t have any problems.
You can fill them with cold cuts and savory ingredients, but I assure you they are also delicious with sweet fillings.
If you don’t have a Chinese steamer for cooking, don’t worry: you can also use a pot with a steaming rack — that’s what I did, since not everyone has that tool after all!
Once cooked and cooled you can store them in a paper or food-safe plastic bag.
So all that’s left is for you to try them, and remember that if you make one of my recipes, send me the photos and I will publish them on my page with your name.
Approx. 120 kcal per bao
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Budget
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 16-17 pieces
- Cooking methods: Steaming
- Cuisine: Asian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients to make Chinese steamed Bao Buns
- 4 cups All-purpose flour (500 g)
- 1 1/4 cups Whole milk (300 ml)
- 1 1/2 sachet Active dry yeast (1 sachet, or 1/2 sachet)
- 1 2/3 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil (25 ml)
- 2 3/4 tbsp Sugar (35 g)
- 1 tsp Salt
- Water
- 1 1/2 glass Apple cider vinegar
Preparation of Chinese steamed Bao Buns
In the stand mixer add the dry ingredients: the flour, the sugar and the dry yeast, and mix.
Next add the milk, the oil and the salt and knead well until you obtain a smooth, well-combined dough ball.
Place it in a large bowl to rise in a warm place, covered with plastic wrap, for about 3 hours or until doubled in size.
Once risen, transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and work it just long enough to form a loaf; then shape it into a log.
Cut it so as to obtain pieces of dough weighing about 50 g each (about 1.8 oz).
You should get about 16-17 pieces; from these form dough balls and let them rise, covered, for 40–50 minutes.
Once risen, roll them out with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 3 millimeters (about 1/8 inch).
Cut pieces of parchment paper; place a small piece of paper on half of the dough disc and fold it in half — this will prevent the dough from sticking during cooking.
Transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them apart.
Let them rise for about an hour in the oven with the light turned on.
In the meantime, heat a pot with water and half a glass of apple cider vinegar, place the steaming rack, and once the water comes to a boil turn the heat down to low, put the bao on the rack and cover with a lid.
They should cook for about 10 minutes; once cooked, place them back on the baking sheet to cool.
Once cooled, remove the paper and enjoy them like regular bread, with sweet or savory fillings.
