The Best Chinese Steamed Buns Pork Baozi · PrimedTable
Chinese🍞 Bread & bakery
The Best Chinese Steamed Buns Pork Baozi
⏱ 135 min🍽 Serves 12
These pork steamed buns use a traditional Chinese technique called raw-and-cooked filling, where a portion of pork is gently simmered with aromatics and seasonings to create a rich sauce, then mixed with fresh raw pork. As the buns steam, the raw meat absorbs all that concentrated flavor while remaining exceptionally tender and juicy, resulting in an incredibly aromatic filling with luscious sauce and layers of savory flavor.
scallionsfinely diced, whites and greens separated5
ground porkpreferably 30% fat content400 g
soy sauce1½ tbsp
oyster sauce1½ tbsp
soybean paste2 tsp
dark soy sauce1 tsp
Thirteen spice powderif unavailable, replace with five spice powder½ tsp
water1 cup
Steps
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1
In a mixing bowl, combine instant yeast, sugar, and lukewarm water, and stir gently until the yeast is evenly distributed.
2
Add the flour in batches and use a rubber spatula to mix until all the water is absorbed. Keep in mind that different flour brands absorb moisture differently, so adjust the water-to-flour ratio as needed.
3
Gradually add room temperature butter and mix until fully incorporated. The fat coats the gluten chains, giving the buns a light, cotton-like texture and slowing down starch retrogradation.
4
Using a stand mixer, mix at medium-low speed for about 8 minutes until the dough is smooth, soft, and elastic. If you don't have a stand mixer, knead by hand for about the same time.
5
Shape the dough into a ball, cover it, and let it prove for about 1 to 1.5 hours until it has doubled in size.
6
In a saucepan, add cooking oil along with minced garlic and ginger, then add the white parts of the scallions. Stir over low heat for a few minutes until the aromatics are slightly golden brown.
7
Divide the ground pork into three equal parts and add one-third to the saucepan, stirring until cooked through.
8
Season the meat with soy sauce, oyster sauce, soybean paste, dark soy sauce, and Thirteen spice powder.
9
Pour in water, cover, and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes. The sauce should retain plenty of liquid since it is key to a juicy filling.
10
Let the simmered meat cool completely, then combine it with the remaining raw pork and the green parts of the scallions. Mix everything in one direction until well combined.
11
Transfer the filling to the refrigerator to chill. Check the dough—it should have doubled in size. Poke a hole in the center; if it stays without shrinking back, the dough is perfectly proofed.
12
Punch down the dough gently to release air bubbles. This redistributes the yeast, flour, and moisture, allowing the yeast to create smaller, more uniform bubbles for a finer texture.
13
Continue kneading the dough until smooth and elastic again. Poke a hole through the center and stretch it into a ring. Cut the ring open to create a long, even log.
14
Continue rolling the log longer, then divide it into 12 equal pieces. Dust lightly with flour to prevent sticking, then cover to prevent drying out.
15
Take one piece of dough, flatten it with your hand, pick it up, and use a rolling pin to roll the edges back and forth while rotating the dough. Repeat until you have a round wrapper with a thicker center and thinner edges.
16
Remove the filling from the refrigerator and divide it into 12 equal portions. Place one portion in the center of the wrapper and shape it into a small mound.
17
Pinch the edge, stretch lightly, and fold to create the first pleat. Use your other hand to repeat stretching and folding to create more pleats around the bun. At the end, there may be a small opening in the center that you can pinch closed or leave open.
18
Gently rotate and shape the bun upward so it stays tall instead of spreading flat.
19
For beginners, place the wrapper on a small bowl and put the filling in to make it easier to gather the edges and create better pleats.
20
Wrap the remaining buns. Fill the steamer with water, place the rack in, and put the buns in the steamer using parchment paper to prevent sticking. Cover and let them prove for the second time, about 30 minutes until they are 1.5 times bigger.
21
Place the steamer on the stove, turn heat to high, and bring the water to a boil. Once steam appears, switch to medium heat and steam for 20 minutes.
22
Once steaming is complete, turn off the heat and let the buns sit in the steamer for 5 minutes before opening the lid to prevent them from collapsing.
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