If you’re a fan of Chinese steamed buns, then you would love my No-fail Bao Buns recipe. I love Bao Buns so much and it’s a recipe that is close to my soft fluffy heart and this is why I’m sharing this with you today.

What are Steamed Bao Buns?

Bao Buns are a type of fluffy steamed buns typically stuffed with meat, veggies, or even fruits. You can have them as it is or serve the bao buns with a side of chili sauce for an extra kick. It is originally from Northern China but it has been gaining a lot of attention all over the country especially throughout South East Asia.

Bao Buns taste like heaven in your mouth and I’m not even exaggerating. It’s one of the reasons why Chinese restaurants are so good, they can really cook up perfect bao buns especially when you’re craving for some.

The best part about steamed bao buns is that they are easy to make and the ingredients are accessible! This recipe only requires a few ingredients and once you master the process, you can have your homemade bao buns in under 45 minutes.

Making Bao Bun Dough

The buns are typically made with mantou dough which is made with Chinese-style bread flour and is white. If you don’t have one at home or the nearest grocery store, you can make your version of Mantou dough using only flour, water, instant yeast, and baking powder.

Mix and knead the dough and the yeast mixture. Leave them for 45 minutes or until it has doubled in size. After that, divide the dough into 10 even pieces and roll each piece into a ball.

Let the buns take another 30 minutes to rise before steaming them for 15 minutes. You can now fill your buns with anything you want and enjoy a delicious meal.

Since we’re making steamed buns, they are supposed to have a fluffy and delicate texture. That being said, you’re going to need a bamboo steamer of sorts. But since I don’t have one, I just used a wok or steamer for well-cooked bao buns.

Making steamed Bao Buns Soft and Fluffy

You can keep the steamed buns soft, fluffy, and delicious by making sure that your steaming water is boiling and hot enogh. You want it to have slight steam so that the heat does not dry out the dough inside.

If you’re using a wok, don’t put too much water in, or else, when you place the bamboo steamer over it, the water will spill over to the buns and eventually turn them into a thick dough.

Ingredients

1/3 cup warm water
1/2 cup warm milk
1 tbsp active dry yeast
4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp canola oil
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

Add in warm milk, oil, warm water, and sugar in a medium-sized bowl and add in the active dry yeast. Mix ingredients until the active dry yeast are dissolved. Let the yeast mixture rest for five minutes or until bubbly.
Place all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder in the mixing bowl and mix using a wire whisk. Attach the mixing bowl in the electric stand mixer and attach the hook attachment. Add in the yeast mixture and mix at low speed until the yeast mixture and the flour mixture starts to combine. Scrape the flour on the sides of the bowl and change speed to medium. Continue mixing until the dough forms, This takes about seven to eight minutes of mixing.
Remove the dough from the bowl and brush the bowl with oil. Form the dough into a ball and put it back in the oil bowl. Turn the Bao Bun dough to coat with the oil, cover the dough with a plastic wrap, and place it in a warm place to rise for one hour.
After an hour, sprinkle your working space with flour and place the raised dough and flatten it into one-inch thickness using a rolling pin. Cut the dough into a circle using a ring mold or glass. Or, you can form the dough into a big ball and form into a log. Divide the dough into sixteen pieces. Flatten the dough and form it into rounds.
Brush one side of the dough with canola oil and fold into a half-moon. Gently press the dough with a rolling pin a place it on parchment paper. Line the prepared dough in the steamer and let it rest for thirty minutes.

How to prepare the steamer?

Place ten to twenty cups of the steamer pot and let it boil on a high heat. Place the bao on top and steam for twelve minutes. When the bao are done cooking, tilt the lid for circulation for two minutes. This will drain the water from the lid. Remove the bao and repeat this process for the remaining bao buns.
Fill bao buns with Gua bao or braised pork belly, or make a sandwich. Enjoy.

How long can you store these Bao Buns?

If you want to eat your bao buns right after preparation, make sure that you serve them immediately or within 3 hours of steaming.

You can also store the steamed buns in an airtight container for up to three days or place them in the freezer for around 2 months if you want to have them in stock. If you want to eat your frozen bao buns, all you need to do is put them in the microwave and they will be as good as new.

If possible, use this recipe for a special meal because it makes a hearty meal and can serve as a replacement for rice.

What can I make for the Steamed Bao Buns Filling?

There are many versions of Bao bun filling but one of the most common recipes is the classic pork and chive filling. To do this, chop the veggies, marinate the pork belly and mix everything in a bowl until well combined. You can add more or less depending on your taste preferences.

You can make sweet buns by adding some sugar and filling it with red bean paste, cheese, some chocolate, peanuts, and banana for a unique take on this classic Chinese dish. You might also want to get creative by adding your favorite type of meat such as chicken, beef, shrimp, or even pork.

More Bao Recipes

As much as I enjoy plain steamed buns, I am still very into varieties of fillings. There are different bao buns recipes you can try and here are some of them:

Char Siu Bao (Chinese Barbecue Pork Buns)

This is a classic Chinese filling and it is also one of the most common bao buns you’d find. The bbq pork was simply marinated in a mix of honey or maple syrup, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce. It’s sweet and delicious.

Gua Bao (Taiwanese Pork belly Buns)

Taiwanese Gua Bao uses extra fatty pork belly because Taiwanese loves their fats! This bao recipe simply requires you to marinate the pork belly in five-spice powder and sauce then steam it. The Taiwanese version uses a soft bun which is similar to Hong Kong milk tea buns.

How can I Best Enjoy my steamed Bao Buns?

The best way to enjoy bao is to have them with a great sauce. You can make it yourself by mixing soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, and chili paste. Other common sauces include hoisin sauce, peanut sauce, and hot chili oil. The bao can also be served with pickles, vegetables, or even kimchi. I have seen people enjoying them with pulled pork as well!

If you like this recipe, please leave a comment and let everyone know how it went for you. Or share this with your friends and family members who love Chinese food too!

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5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 2

Cook Time: 14

Servings: people

Calories: 99kcal

Author: Shobee

Equipment

1 Steamer
1 electric stand mixer
1 glass or

Ingredients

1/3 cups warm water
1/2 cups warm milk
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
4 tablespoons sugar divided half
4 tablespoons canola oil divided, use the remaining half for brushing the bowl
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Add in warm milk, warm water, and two tablespoons of sugar, two tablespoons of canola oil in a medium-sized bowl, and add in the active dry yeast. Mix ingredients until the active dry yeast are dissolved. Let the yeast mixture rest for five minutes or until bubbly.
Place all-purpose flour, salt, remaining sugar, and baking powder in the mixing bowl and mix using a wire whisk. Attach the mixing bowl in the electric stand mixer and attach the hook attachment. Add in the yeast mixture and mix at low speed until the yeast mixture and the flour mixture starts to combine. Scrape the flour on the sides of the bowl and change speed to medium. Continue mixing until the dough forms, This takes about seven to eight minutes of mixing.
Remove the dough from the bowl and brush the bowl with oil. Form the dough into a ball and put it back in the oil bowl. Turn the Bao Bun dough to coat with the oil. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise for one hour.
After an hour, sprinkle your working space with flour and place the raised dough and flatten it into 1/4 inch thickness using a rolling pin. Cut the dough into a circle using a ring mold or glass. This recipe will yield sixteen round bao buns.
Another process is to form the dough into a circle and divide the dough using a dough cutter. You can divide it into sixteen pieces. Form the dough into round circles and flatten using a pin. Brush one side of the dough with oil and fold the dough into a half-moon shape.
Brush one side of the dough with canola oil and fold into a half-moon. Gently press the dough with a rolling pin a place it on a parchment paper. Line the prepared dough in the steamer and let it rest for thirty minutes.

How to prepare the steamer?

Place ten to twenty cups of the steamer pot and let it boil on high heat. Place the bao on top and steam for twelve minutes. When the bao is done cooking, tilt the lid for circulation for two minutes. This will drain the water from the lid. Remove the bao and repeat this process for the remaining bao buns.
Fill bao buns with Gua bao or braised pork belly, or make a sandwich. Enjoy.

Video

Notes

You can knead the dough by hand for fourteen minutes if you are not using an electric mixer.

I have various Steam Buns Recipe Filling on the blog and all of them are tasty and delicious. You can use the list below to fill your steam buns.

Try this recipe too:

Steamed buns: Instant Pot Steamed Buns

Gua Bao -I use pork belly in this recipe. You can change the meat into pork roast or pork shoulder
Chicken/ Pork Filling- this is on the sweeter side, which is my favorite. Use pork instead of chicken.
Meatball Filling- ALthough not your typical filling, I love meatball filling too. The meatballs were steamed ahead of time to ensure that there is no raw meat in the buns.

And if you want to make Steam Buns: Instant Pot Steam Buns recipe

and I used the Pork Filling for this.

Tried this recipe?Mention @theskinnypot or tag #theskinnypot!

Nutrition

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Hi, my name is Shobee. Welcome to The Skinny Pot, where we cook Easy Recipes from the available ingredients from our pantry and fridge! We’re your go-to source for simple and delicious recipes that make the most of what you already have at home. Talk about the pantry challenge. Read more...