Fold Over Steamed Bao

• Produce

  • 1 Cucumber, slices
  • 1 Green onions

• Condiments

  • 1 Hoisin sauce
  • 1 Sriracha

• Baking & Spices

  • 1 tsp Active dry yeast
  • 300 g Bread flour, Asian
  • 2 tbsp Sugar

• Dairy

  • 10 g Heavy cream

• Liquids

  • 140 g Water

• Other

  • bao, as many as desired
  • slow braised chashu slices

Found on iamafoodblog.com

Directions

• In the bowl of your stand mixer, stir together the warm water with the sugar. Sprinkle on the yeast and let proof for 10 minutes. There should be tiny bubbles on the surface.
• Add the heavy cream and flour and knead on medium speed until smooth and elastic, about 5-6 minutes. The dough will start out quite dry, but continue to knead until all the ingredients are incorporated. The dough should be stiff but not sticky. If sticking to the sides of the bowl, add an extra tablespoon of flour. If it doesn’t come together as a dough, add an extra teaspoon of cream.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and cover with a kitchen towel. Let proof until doubled in size, about 1 and half to 2 hours.
• Once doubled, place the dough on your work surface. You shouldn’t need flour it; the dough shouldn’t be sticky. Punch the dough down and use a rolling pin to shape into a rough rectangle. Roll it up into a jelly roll. Rotate it 90°, roll out again into a rough rectangle and then again into a jelly roll shape. Cut into 6 equal pieces, cover and let rest for 20 minutes. While the dough is resting, prep 12 3.5 inch squares of parchment paper.
• Once rested, shape the dough into a rough oval with your hands. Roll out into a long rectangle. Fold in half with a piece of parchment paper sandwiched in the center. Place bun on another square of parchment paper.
• Arrange buns in a steamer with 1 1/2 inches of space in between. Cover the steamer with plastic wrap and let proof for 1 hour. The buns will be puffy but not quite doubled.
• Add water to a pot or wok and bring to a boil. Turn down to medium and place the steamer (with the lid on) on top. Steam on medium for 10 minutes. Open the lid at 3 minutes to let some steam out – you don’t want the temperature to get too high as this leads to inflating and deflating buns. Once steamed, the buns should be puffy. Remove from the steamer.
• Assemble the buns: spread on a touch of hoisin on the bottom bun and layer on a couple slices of pork, cucumber, and green onions. Enjoy with sriracha, if desired.