How To Make Steamed Bao Buns? Fluffy And Tender

• Food: Steamed Bao Buns

• Writer: Alice

• Content-Type: Food Blog

One of our favorite foods to prepare on a date night is these steamed bao buns.

The ideal Valentine’s Day date would involve making these steamed bao buns. One can create the dough, and the other can come up with a tasty, original filling. After that, mix the two to create an amazing date-night supper!

Don’t panic, though, if you already have Valentine’s Day plans. Any evening, whether it is with the company, a companion, or even by yourself, making these bao buns would be enjoyable. The buns are themselves fluffy and tender. They transform into little explosions of texture and taste when stuffed with avocado, zesty marinated tempeh, and a ton of fresh ingredients. I promise you won’t want to miss this dish!

MAKING STEAMED BAO BUNS

Get cooking! What you must do is as follows:

Make the dough first. Combine warm water, sugar, and dried yeast and left to sit for five minutes to allow the yeast to foam.

Then add the yeast mixture and avocado oil to the big mixing bowl with the dry ingredients. Form a rough ball by combining. It should take around 5 minutes to knead the dough vigorously until it is smooth and elastic after being turned out onto a lightly dusted surface. Set aside 45 minutes for it to rise.

Cut out the bao buns once the dough has risen. The dough should be rolled out with a rolling pin to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Then, cut out three 3-inch circles of dough using a drinking glass, and set each one on a piece of parchment paper. After lightly oiling the tops, fold each piece of dough in half, pressing down only slightly.

The buns should rise for an additional hour while being covered with plastic wrap. Before you go to the next phase, they won’t have quite doubled in size but will have significantly inflated.

And now, cook! Place each bun in a bamboo steamer that is put over an inch of water, still on its paper square. For 9 to 11 minutes, steam under cover until puffed.

FILLING FOR BAO BUNS

Although I naturally choose a plant-based substitute, traditional bao buns are loaded with spiced pig meat. My go-to method for preparing tempeh is to steam, marinade, then bake it. I use this approach to make sweet and savory hoisin tempeh. A fantastic alternative in this situation would be to use marinated, baked tofu.

I wash and slice the raw vegetables for the toppings as the tempeh bakes. We always accompany these buns with thinly sliced cucumber, carrot, avocado, chilies, fresh cilantro, or mint. The banh mi pickles from this recipe or a couple of pickled jalapenos would also be great additions.

The filling tastes best when the buns are warm and soft, so stuff them as soon as they come out of the steamer. Enjoy them with a generous squeeze of lime juice and additional tempeh marinade, soy sauce, or tamari on top.

RECIPE FOR BAD BUNS

• Employ a neutral oil. In almost all of my recipes, extra-virgin olive oil is called for, but I like avocado oil more here. Its bland flavor lets the delicious contents of this dish stand out. Use grapeseed oil or another neutral oil in its stead if you can’t obtain avocado oil.
• If the dough is too dry, add water, one tablespoon at a time. Don’t worry if it takes some mixing to form a ball out of the tough dough created by this recipe for bao buns. The dough should come together, but if it’s too dry, add water, a tablespoon at a time.
• Put the dough somewhere warm to rise. Because yeast grows best in a warm environment, it is ideal to let your dough rise there. We prefer to place ours on a bright windowsill!
• Hot from the steamer, serve the bao buns. The steam buns are at their best right away after being removed from the heat, while they are still supple and malleable. They freeze well if you have extra buns.

STEAMED BAO BUNS

These steamed bao buns are incredibly tasty and enjoyable to make! I stuff the tender, fluffy buns with plenty of fresh toppings and tasty marinated tempeh.

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make the bao buns. Mix the yeast, sugar, and water in a small basin. Wait 5 minutes, or until the yeast starts to foam.
2. Combine all salt, baking soda, baking powder, and flour in a big bowl. If the dough is too dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons additional water. Next, add the avocado oil and the yeast mixture and stir to make a rough ball. Transfer to a surface that has been lightly dusted with flour, form the dough into a ball, and vigorously knead it for 5 minutes or until it is smooth and elastic.
3. Place the dough in a bowl after lightly oiling the interior. It should be covered and left in a warm location for 45 minutes. (Note: It won’t rise as much as other conventional yeasted doughs.)
4. Ake the tempeh filling. A baking sheet should be lined with parchment paper and the oven should be preheated to 425°F. Stir together the hoisin sauce, sriracha, ginger, and lime zest in a small bowl. Toss the remaining sauce with the tempeh pieces and put aside for 20 minutes to marinate before serving. Place the tempeh on the baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are browned.
5. Complete the buns. On a sizable baking sheet, arrange 12 parchment paper squares that are 4 inches by 4 inches. Roll out the dough evenly to a thickness of 1/4 inch on a clean work surface. Cut out dough circles with a 3-inch glass, and then arrange them on the paper squares. After lightly oiling the tops, fold each circle in half and gently push down, flattening just a little so that the halves cling together but you still have a puffy bun shape. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for an hour or until puffed. Transfer to a bamboo steamer placed over a pan of 1-inch water. Simmer the water for 9 to 11 minutes with the lid on, or until the water puffs up. Work in bunches.
6. Assemble. Sprinkle some lime juice over the avocado, cucumber, and carrot. Top each bun with some sauce, some tempeh, avocado, vegetables, herbs, and chilies. Serve with lime slices for squeezing and any extra sauce on the side.