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Pork & Mushroom Steamed Buns (Bao)

I like my bao with a lot of filling and less dough. If you prefer more dough, don't flatten the dough circle too much prior to filling. You may get less bao out of the dough and have some filling left over. Eat the leftovers off a spoon. It's pretty good.

I made the dough in the Thermomix, which meant I could warm the milk first before adding the remainder of the ingredients and kneading for 2 minutes. The milk should be no warmer than blood temperature (i.e. luke warm) or it will kill the yeast. You can use cold milk but the dough will take longer to rise.

To freeze these, assemble the buns as instructed, then freeze on a lined tray until solid. Once frozen, they can be repackaged into bags or containers without risk of sticking together.
Prep Time1 hr
Cook Time15 mins
Total Time1 hr 15 mins
Calories:
Author: Tania @ The Cook's Pyjamas (adapted from Matters of Taste)

Ingredients

For the dough

  • 450 g white spelt
  • 1 teaspoon dried yeast
  • Pinch of salt
  • 250 ml warm milk
  • 1 Tablespoon brown rice vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon peanut oil

For the filling

  • 1 Tablespoon peanut oil
  • 375 g pork mince
  • 200 g mushrooms finely chopped
  • 4 spring onions finely sliced
  • 250 ml cold water
  • 2 Tablespoons cornflour
  • 2 Tablespoons Chinese rice wine
  • 1 Tablespoon dark soy sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1 Tablespoon brown sugar optional

Instructions

To make the dough

  • Place the flour, yeast and salt in a bowl, and mix to combine.
  • Mix the luke-warm milk, peanut oil and brown rice vinegar together.
  • Stir the liquid into the flour and mix to create a shaggy dough.
  • Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured bench and knead for about 8 - 10 minutes until the dough is smooth.
  • Place the dough in lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place to rise for approximately 45 minutes - 1 hour or until doubled in size.

To make the filling

  • Whisk the cornflour into the cold water, then add the rice wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, five spice and sugar (if using). Stir to combine and set aside.
  • Place a frying pan over a medium high heat, then add the peanut oil and the pork mince.
  • Cook the mince for about 4 minutes, until it starts to colour and is almost cooked through. I find the best way to get colour on the mince is to flatten it over the bottom of the pan and allow it to cook for a few minutes without touching it. Once it starts to brown, flip it over to colour the other side then break the mince up.
  • Add the finely chopped mushrooms, and cook for 3 minutes until the mushrooms have softened.
  • Add the spring onions and cook for a further minute.
  • Pour the liquid ingredients into the pan and cook for 3- 4 minutes until the sauce thickens.
  • Set aside or refrigerate until cooled.

To assemble the buns

  • Divide the dough into 15 equal size pieces and cover them with a damp cloth to prevent them from drying out.
  • Working with one ball at a time, roll the dough into a 8cm circle.
  • Pick the circle up and flatten the edge with your fingers until the dough is roughly a 10cm circle.
  • Place a large tablespoon of filling in the middle of the dough and pinch the dough together over the top of the filling. Twist off any excess dough, place the bao in a steamer or on a lined tray and cover with the a damp towel whilst you assemble the remainder of the buns.
  • Cut non-stick paper into small squares (approximately 8cm), place a bun on each square then place in a steamer basket.
  • Place the steamer basket over a wok or saucepan half- filled with boiling water and steam for approximately 15 minutes, or until the dough is cooked through.
  • Serve immediately or allow to cool before consuming.

Notes

Read the labels of your oyster and hoisin sauce before purchase. I find some brands contain significantly more modified ingredients, additives and preservatives than others. It may be impossible to find an additive free sauce, so just buy the best you can.
I don't add sugar to my sauce as I like the deep savoury notes without the added sweetness. Taste the sauce and add the sugar if you would prefer.
To cook these from frozen, just add an additional 5 minutes to the cooking time.