Erchen’s Holy Grail Bao Recipe

The bao is a light and airy treat: a soft, fluffy white bun that envelops a filling of your choice. Traditionally stuffed with tender pork, bao buns are now available with an endless variety of fillings.

In short, there’s a bao for everyone!

An open bao bun filled with savory ingredients and topped with white crumbs, served on a white dish.

Ingredients (makes about 20 bao buns)

For the tangzhong :

100 g all-purpose flour
500 ml cold filtered water

For the bao dough:

100 tangzhong
420 g white flour
90 g granulated sugar
40 g powdered milk
2.5kg fast-acting dry yeast
5 g baking powder
pinch of salt
80ml water at room temperature
10ml vegeable oil

1. Tangzhong Method

Put the flour into a small saucepan, pour in the cold water a little at a time, and mix in the flour until smooth. Slowly warm over a low heat until it becomes gluey and you can draw a line on the surface. Remove from the heat, cover tightly with cling film (plastic wrap) so that the film touches the surface of the tangzhong, leave to cool. Can be covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.

2. Bao Dough

Put 100g of the tangzhong and all the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Start mixing on a low setting and then slowly add the milk and water. Finally, add the oil and continue mixinf until the dough is smooth. Cover with a damp cloth or cling film and leave to prove somewhere warm for 2-3 hours depending on the temperature. until doubled in size. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes - it will gradually become more elastic and the surface of the dough will become smooth.

A group of people wearing aprons and hairnets assemble dumplings in a kitchen.

3. Shaping the Bao

Divide the dough into pieces of the specified weight for your chosen Bao. Give each a strong knead, then roll into smooth balls. Cover with baking paper to prevent them drying out while you roll the rest. Once shaped, place each Bao on a square of baking paper, then transfer to a large tray.

4. Streaming the Baos

When the Baos are ready, carefully transfer them, on their squares of paper, to a prepared bamboo steamer. Cover and team over a medium heat for 15 minutes until they look soft and podgy, not firm, and their surface glistens with a satin sheen.

Remove from steamer and enjoy! :)