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Pillowy soft, slightly sweet, and incredibly fluffy. These homemade steamed bao buns are the perfect canvas for your favorite fillings, from savory pork belly to sweet red bean paste. A dim sum classic you can easily make at home.
Activate the Yeast
Prepare the Dough
First Proofing
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Pillowy soft, slightly sweet, and incredibly fluffy. These homemade steamed bao buns are the perfect canvas for your favorite fillings, from savory pork belly to sweet red bean paste. A dim sum classic you can easily make at home.
This chinese recipe takes 160 minutes to prepare and yields 8 servings. At 227.84 calories per serving with 5.75g of protein, it's a moderately challenging recipe perfect for appetizer or side or snack or lunch.
Shape the Buns
Second Proofing
Steam the Buns
Serve
Fill with classic savory options like Char Siu (BBQ Pork), braised pork belly, teriyaki chicken, or vegetarian fillings like spicy tofu, shiitake mushrooms, or a vegetable stir-fry.
For a dessert bao, fill the dough before steaming with sweet red bean paste (anko), black sesame paste, or a creamy custard filling (Nai Wong Bao).
For a slightly different texture, you can use special low-gluten bao flour, often available at Asian markets. You can also substitute up to 25% of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour for a heartier bun.
The steaming method of cooking requires no added oil, making these buns naturally low in fat compared to fried or baked breads.
The primary ingredient is flour, a carbohydrate that the body converts into glucose, providing a quick and efficient source of energy.
Steamed bao buns are moderately healthy. They are low in fat because they are steamed rather than fried. However, they are made with refined white flour, making them high in carbohydrates. Their overall healthiness largely depends on the fillings used.
A single plain steamed bao bun contains approximately 110-120 calories. This does not include any fillings, which can significantly increase the calorie count.
Bao buns can sometimes turn yellow due to a reaction between the baking powder and acidic elements, or if they are over-steamed. Using a high-quality, aluminum-free baking powder can help prevent this.
Dense buns are usually caused by one of three things: inactive or expired yeast, under-kneading the dough (not developing enough gluten), or not allowing the dough to proof for long enough in a warm environment.
Yes. After the first proof, you can punch the dough down, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours. Let it come to room temperature for about 30-60 minutes before shaping and proceeding with the second proof.
Absolutely. However, metal lids trap more condensation. To prevent water from dripping onto your buns, it's highly recommended to wrap the lid of your metal steamer in a clean kitchen towel.