Bao Dough

• servings: 24 servings
• active time: ~1.5 hours
• total time: ~1.5-3 hours

Ingredients

6 cups of all-purpose flour (if you can find bleached flour, which we can't here in Switzerland, the buns will be whiter than white like they are at that store on Pacific Avenue)

2 packages dry yeast (1 packet contains 7g of dry yeast)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup lukewarm water

1 cup boiling water

1 cup warm whole milk

2 Tbs vegetable shortening or lard

1 tsp. baking powder

Parchment paper

Directions

Cut up the parchment paper into 24 squares about 10 cm / 3 inches square.

Proof the yeast in a bowl or cup in the 1/4 cup of warm water with a pinch of sugar added, until foamy.

In a large bowl, put in 5 cups of the flour. Make a well in the center, and add the hot water and mix rapidly. (Hot water seems to bring out the sweetness in flour.) Add the sugar and yeast/water mixture, baking powder, warm milk, and the shortening or lard. Mix well. Add the rest of the flour little by little until you have a workable dough. Knead for a few minutes on a floured board until it's soft and pliable. (This dough is one of the easiest you'll ever encounter.)

Put into a large plastic zip bag and seal. Leave in a warm place until the dough has doubled in bulk, or has filled up the bag until it looks ready to burst. (About 45 minutes).

Take out the dough and roll into one long sausage. Cut the dough into 24 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, and let rest for a bit.

To fill the buns, flatten each ball so that the middle is slightly thicker than the edges. Put about a tablespoon or so of filling in the middle. Gather up the edges and pinch them firmly together to seal, then turn the bun over and place on a square of parchment paper. Let the buns rise for 15-20 minutes before steaming.

Steam in a steamer for 20 minutes.

Notes

~64g per dough ball

Original full recipe from: https://www.justhungry.com/2004/04/steamed_buns_wi.html

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 steamed bun dough
• Calories: 132
• Total Fat: 1.4g
• Saturated Fat: .5g
• Cholesterol: 1.4mg
• Sodium: 5mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 26.7g
• Total Sugars: 4.2g
• Protein: 3.3g