BBQ Pork Bun

Course: Breads & Buns

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: bbq, buns, pork

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 20

Proof Time: 1 30

Total Time: 2 20

Servings: buns

Calories: 237kcal

These delicious savoury bbq pork buns are a staple at dim sum and chinese restaurants. Once you've had a taste of the home made version, you'll likely not want to eat them at restaurants again!

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Equipment

Ingredients

Dough

4 cups bread flour sifted
1 cup cake flour sifted
⅓ cup sugar
2¼ teaspoon quick rise or instant yeast (1 pack)
2 tablespoons instant skim milk powder
1½ teaspoon sea salt
1⅔ cup whole Milk (3.25% homogenized) room temperature
1 large egg room temperature

Egg wash

1 large egg beaten
1 tablespoon water

Filling

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large white or yellow onion diced
2 tablespoons white sugar
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1¼ cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoon water to create slurry
2 cups BBQ Pork diced

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Instructions

Dough

If your oven has a "Bread Proof" feature, pre-heat it before you begin. If not, set your oven to the lowest temperature possible (usually 170°F or 76.7°C).
In a large mixing bowl add cake flour, bread flour, sugar, instant yeast, instant skim milk powder and sea salt. Whisk together to combine.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, add half of the flour mixture. On low speed, slowly pour in milk until flour and milk are combined. Add 1 egg and continue to mix on low until egg is incorporated. Switch to dough hook and add remaining flour mixture. Knead dough on low and slowly increase speed to medium. Knead dough for 15 minutes. If mixing by hand, knead for 25 minutes (precise knead time is crucial for dough to develop gluten). Add 1 tablespoon cake flour if dough appears too sticky or add 1 tablespoon milk if dough appears too dry. Dough should be pliable and not stick to bowl.
Add dough to a greased bowl or add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to mixer bowl and roll dough ball around to coat oil evenly. Cover bowl with plastic wrap loosely and place a clean tea towel on top. Place bowl in the oven with the "bread proof" heat still on. If oven is set to 170°F manually, turn the oven off, place the covered bowl in oven and leave oven door closed until proof time is done (no peaking!). Set timer for 1h.

Filling

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium high heat. Add onion, fry until soft and translucent. Add diced BBQ Pork, soy sauce, sugar, oyster sauce, sesame oil and water. Keep stirring for 5 minutes until sauce is cooked into the meat.
Pour cornstarch slurry into meat. Keep stirring meat for 2 minutes or until cornstarch has thickened. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.

Buns

After 1 hour of proofing (also known as first rise) gently punch down dough with fingers to release gas bubbles formed by yeast.
Dust flour on a clean work surface, roll dough out of bowl onto the floured surface and knead dough for 1 minute. Then roll into an even long log. Use a sharp knife or pastry scraper to divide the log into 20 equal pieces. Knead each piece and shape into a ball. Cover with a clean, dry cloth (to prevent dough from drying).
Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper. Dust rolling pin with flour and roll out dough ball into a medium disc about 4 inch in diameter and 1 centimeter in thickness. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of meat filling to center of dough, lift dough around the edges and seal bun by pinching edges togethe (slightly twisting the sealed edges to secure the bun). Place bun with sealed side down on tray. Repeat this step until all dough balls have been shaped / filled into buns. Place each bun 2 inches apart. Cover buns with clean dish towel while you work to prevent dough from drying. Allow a second rise time of 30 minutes on the counter or back in oven with bread proof feature or 170°F warmed oven.
Preheat oven to 350°F or 176°C. Create egg wash by combining 1 large beaten egg and water together. Gently, brush egg wash with a pastry brush over each bun. Bake buns for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Notes

1. My personal favourite is to enjoy the bun with a dipping sauce. Try mixing 1 tablespoon Soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce and 1 teaspoon chinese red vinegar together.

2. Substitute the bbq pork for any filling of your choice. Ground meats such as chicken, turkey or beef would work well too (season as curry, teriyaki or just salt and pepper). The choice is yours!

3. Store leftover buns in an airtight container or resealable bag in the refrigerator up to 4 days or 6 weeks in the freezer. To reheat refrigerated buns, heat in microwave for 1-2 minutes (microwave cook times vary based on oven temperature). If reheating from frozen, place frozen buns into a steamer and steam for approx. 5 to 7 minutes until soft and hot.

Room temperature Dairy ingredients. Is this necessary?
This seems like an unnecessary step but makes a big difference when utilizing dairy at room temperature vs. cold from the fridge. The reason for this is when mixing ingredients at room temperature the dough will mix/blend better together more easily for a smoother batter or dough without clumping. Plan ahead and leave ingredients on your counter overnight or at least 30 minutes to 1 hour ahead.

Why do I need to sift my flour?
Honest answer, it's not necessary. Commercial flour is refined enough that you don't need to do this. I don't always sift my flour depending on the recipe I'm working on. However, it does help break up any lumps, filter 'dirt' (like leftover husks or seeds that may not have been refined) and aerates the flour, helping along the mixing process of the rest of the ingredients.

Instant yeast vs. Active dry yeast. What's the difference?
Instant yeast (aka. rapid rise or quick rise) does not need to be dissolved in water and can be mixed right into your dry ingredients (usually smaller in granules too). Active dry yeast does need to be dissolved in water first (with added sugar to help ‘feed’ the living organism to activate the yeast).

BBQ Pork
You can buy BBQ Pork from any Asian grocery store. (Usually found near the hot food items). Note, BBQ Pork is the sweet sticky pork tenderloin that is usually red in colour (also known as Char Siu Pork). Not to be confused with Roasted Pork, which is the pork belly cut that has the crispy pork skin on top. BBQ Pork You can buy BBQ Pork from any Asian grocery store. (Usually found near the hot food items). Note, BBQ Pork is the sweet sticky pork tenderloin that is usually red in colour (also known as Char Siu Pork). Not to be confused with roasted pork, which is the pork belly cut that has the crispy pork skin on top. If you want to make char siu bbq pork from scratch to use for this bbq pork bun recipe, you can find the recipe here.

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