Master the art of making fluffy, homemade bao buns from scratch
Forget store-bought bread. With just flour, oil, and a bit of patience, you can create pillowy steamed buns. Learn the technique for stuffing them with a perfectly folded, buttery egg and melted American cheese for the ultimate breakfast sandwich.
Creating authentic-style bao buns begins with a simple dough. Using approximately 360g of all-purpose flour, you combine the ingredients with a teaspoon of neutral oil. The secret to the texture lies in the resting period; after stirring the flour in, let the dough sit for about 20 minutes. This allows the flour to hydrate before you knead in extra flour until the ball is smooth and only slightly sticky. Once kneaded, the dough requires a few hours to rise until it has doubled in size.
The shaping process requires precision to ensure even steaming. Roll the dough to a thickness of 1 cm and use a tool, such as the mouth of a pint glass, to punch out rounds. After placing them on parchment or coffee filters, lightly oil the tops and fold them into semi-circles. A final 30-minute proofing stage is essential before steaming the buns for about 10 minutes, or until they puff up and feel baked when poked.
To transform these buns into a breakfast sandwich, prepare a delicate egg sheet. Beat an egg with salt, pepper, and a splash of milk or water. In a nonstick pan, melt a thin layer of butter until it foams, then pour in the egg. Rather than stirring, allow it to cook into a solid sheet that can be folded. Stuff the buns with scraps of this egg and two slices of American cheese. Return the buns to the pan with the residual butter, browning the bottoms, then add a splash of water and cover immediately. The resulting steam will melt the cheese and warm the bread through perfectly.
Source: Egg and cheese bao buns from scratch
