How to Make Homemade Char Siu Bao | Chinese Steamed BBQ Pork Bun Recipes.

Welcome to Maggie's Backyard Kitchen! In this video, I am going to show you how to make delicious homemade BBQ pork buns, also known as Char Siu Bao. Follow the step-by-step guide to create these soft, fluffy buns filled with savory-sweet BBQ pork. Perfect for any occasion, these buns are sure to impress your family and friends.

What You’ll Learn:
How to prepare the perfect BBQ pork filling
Tips for making soft and fluffy bao dough
Techniques for pleating and shaping the buns
How to steam the buns

Easy Chinese BBQ Pork(Char Siu) with Natural Beetroot Coloring.
   • Easy Chinese BBQ Pork(Char Siu) with ...  

Homemade Char Siu Bao Recipes
Char Siu Filling:
Pork (belly or shoulder): 200g
Char Siu sauce: 2 tablespoons
Oyster sauce: 1 teaspoon
Hoisin sauce: 1 teaspoon
Cornstarch: 1 tablespoon
Water: 60-70g
Adjust seasoning to taste
Bao Dough:
Cake flour: 300g (or 240g cake flour + 60g wheat starch)
Yeast: 8g
Baking powder: 8g
Sugar: 90g
Water or milk: 150g
Oil: 1 tablespoon
White vinegar: 5g

Instructions:
1. Activate the Yeast:
Mix yeast, sugar, and baking powder with warm water. Let it sit until frothy (bubbles form).
2. Prepare the Dough:
Combine flour, yeast mixture, and oil in a bowl. Gradually add the yeast mixture into the flour. When the flour looks like snowflakes, add oil and knead into a ball. Cover the dough and let it rest for 1 hour.
3. Prepare the Filling:
Dice pork shoulder into small pieces. Prepare the Char Siu sauce by mixing 2 tablespoons of Char Siu sauce, 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce, and 1 teaspoon of hoisin sauce (if you don’t have hoisin sauce, you can use more oyster sauce). Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Heat a pan, add the diced pork, and stir-fry. Add the prepared Char Siu sauce, then add cornstarch mixed with 60-70g of water. Cook over medium-low heat until the sauce is glossy and thick. Let it cool and refrigerate (chilled filling is easier to handle).
4. Shape the Dough:
After resting, knead the dough on a work surface until smooth (to release air). Shape the dough into a long log and divide it into 12-14 equal portions. Flatten each portion into a small ball, then roll each ball into a flat circle with a slightly thicker center and thinner edges (Sprinkle some flour on the surface to prevent sticking, but avoid using too much, as it can make it difficult for the dough to stick together when shaping the bao).
5. Fill the Bao:
Place the filling in the center of each dough circle. Fold the dough over the filling, pinch the edges to seal (ensure the seal is tight to prevent the sauce from leaking). Place each bao on a piece of parchment paper and let them ferment for 40-60 minutes.
6. Steam the Bao:
Place the bao in a steamer lined with parchment paper, leaving space for expansion. If you want the bao to have a cracked top, make a small cut on the surface before steaming. Steam over high heat for 8 minutes (high heat is essential for the cracked effect).
Enjoy your delicious Char Siu Bao!