Vietnamese Steamed Buns - Banh Bao

Just the thought of making steamed buns used to exhaust me. All the recipes I've come across seem to require a yeast dough that takes hours and relies on too many factors being just right in order for the bun to come out as expected.

But my love for the magical combination of fluffy, chewy bread surrounding a savory meat & vegetable mixture keeps me searching for a recipe that can be accomplished successfully at home.

And in this search, I have found the ultimate easy steamed bun recipe that doesn't call for premade, refrigerated bread dough...

The answer to all my problems seems to be: BAKING POWDER. A bun dough made with baking powder can yield the same results of a yeast dough in a fraction of the time. The only thing missing is that yeasty taste, but since I like mine a bit sweet, I actually prefer it this way.
Also, by not using yeast, the color of the buns stays very light, and much closer to the ones i find at restaurants.

So using the recipe below and a bread maker for the kneading, the entire process for 24 buns lasts about an hour or two compared to the all day event that bao-making used to be.

Unfortunately, we ate all the buns before I remembered to take pictures, but I will definitely post some pics when I make them again next week. In the meantime, here is the recipe that has rekindled my bao making aspirations. Obviously, these are not the 'traditional' vietnamese steamed buns that contain boiled eggs and chinese sausage, but rather a happy marriage of that fluffy vietnamese bun and my favorite dumpling filling...


Vietnamese Steamed Buns - Banh Bao
Ingredients:
Dough:
4 cups flour
2 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar

Filling:
1 lb. ground pork
1 cup onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup chives, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp. ginger, finely minced
1 tbsp. garlic, finely minced
1/2 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tbsp. sherry, or rice wine
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tbsp. cornstarch

Directions
This will make about 24 large buns.

In a bowl, add the sugar and dissolve with the milk. Set the bread machine to knead and add the sugar milk mixture.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Start the knead cycle on the bread machine and slowly fold in the flour mixture a cup at a time. Let the bread machine knead the dough for 3-4 minutes. Remove dough to a board dusted with a little baking powder and form into a ball. Place dough in a bowl and cover with a tea towel or similar and let stand for about 30 minutes to an hour while preparing the filling.

In a bowl, mix the ground pork with the garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, soy sauce and sherry until thoroughly incorporated. Heat a large non-stick wok or skillet and add the pork mixture. Brown the pork mixture until just cooked. Drain, leaving about 2-3 tbsp of the grease in the wok, and put the cooked pork into a bowl and set aside.

Return the wok to the heat and add the onions. Saute until softened and add chives, cooking for another minute. Season with a bit of salt and white pepper.

Add in the pork and saute for 2 minutes. Add a splash of water to the cornstarch to make a slurry and add to pork. (Add a bit more sherry if there doesn't seem to be enough liquid to coat all the pork and vegetables.) Remove to bowl, and put in fridge uncovered to cool for a few minutes.

Dust a board with baking powder and put dough on board. Cut in half. Work with one half covering the other half with saran wrap or a tea towel. Roll in to a log approximately 2 inches in diameter. Cut the log into 12 pieces. Dust a rolling pin with baking powder and roll each piece of dough into a 4 inch circle. Try to roll out the outer edges a bit thinner than the middle.

Add a spoonful of the filling in the middle and fold the top and bottom up to meet in the middle and pinch. Take the two remaining sides and pinch to the middle as well. Pinch the opposite all the opposite sides together, creating what looks like a four point star. Steam the buns for about 15 minutes and serve hot.

This recipe may sound complicated but is actually much much easier than most bao recipes I've seen. As I said before, I will post pictures as soon as possible!