Steamed Pork (or what ever filling) dough

[temperance14]

Martin Yan's version (Feast, pg 189), sweeter, as I remember them off the taco truck when I worked at Ford in Benicia (which in truth, was a chow mein truck oh what a lovely break in the morning):

Obviously I mix this in a different order for the bread maker dough cycle.

4 TBS sugar (divided use)
1/2 cup warm milk (110d F)
1/3 cup warm water (etc)
2 tsp active dry yeast
About 2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt

Dissolve 2 TBS of the sugar in milk and water. Sprinkle the yeast in, let it bloom in a warm place until bubbly, about 10min. Gradually mix in the remaining 2TBS sugar, 2 cups of flour and the salt. Add more flour as needed until no longer sticky.

Place on a lightly floured board and need until elastic and smooth, about 6-8 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

punch the dough down, then roll into a cylinder, Cut into 12 equal pieces, roll each into a ball and then cover all to keep moist.

Take each ball and flatten and roll into a circle about 4-6" diam. Place 1 heaping TBS of filling of choice in center. Gather edges of circles over filling, twist and pinch edges to seal.

At this point you can:
Decide when you want to preheat an oven to 350dF

place buns, seamm side down, 2" apart, on an oiled baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place until puffy and light (doesn't say how long, but keep in mind if you've got meat in these things--like BBQ pork oh sigh). Brush tops with egg yolk. When oven is heated, bake until golden brown 18-20min.

OR
Place 3" square of waxed paper under each bun before it rises,and don't brush with egg yolk (or do like Mr. Snuffy and go to World Market and buy silicon reusable muffin cups). When buns have risen, steam over high heat until tops are smooth and glazed, 12-15 minutes.

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Jeff Smith's recipe--less sugar, and more dough. Version I make--also good just steamed on it's own. I make these and freeze them. let them thaw, tuck in the filling, and rise a bit before steaming.


2 pkg fast rising yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 TBS sugar
1 cup milk, heated to lukewarm
4-1/4 cups flour.

Sprinkle yeast over lukewarm water then add sugar. Allow to stand, then stir in the yeast. Add the warm milk. Then stir in the flour and knead until smooth. Place dough, covered, allow to rise until doubled, around an hour. Punch down and allow to rise for another 30 minutes. Prepare filling.

Punch dough down again, and knead for 1 minute. Roll into a snake, and divide into 24 pieces. Roll each ball into 4" circle. Jeff, notes, of course, that you should roll, fill and close each ball--don't work these as an assembly line. He just puts in a a little more than a tsp. Pinch and close as described above.

Place upside down on 2" square of wax paper, place in bamboo steamer, cover and let rise until about double in size, about 30 minutes. Steam for 15 minutes.

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Also have wrap recipes, but those are easy to buy at the store. But fresh is nice, and a good gluten free (rice and cornstarch based) wrapper recipe I KNOW is in Yan's book.

Comments

[serendipity17.livejournal.com]

I went on an Bun kick during undergrad after my roomie's family introduced me to Dim Sum. Harvest Market had lovely buns in their prepared-foods section of the meat case.

I have made that recipe of Yan's; I always baked them and they came out about a 4/10 on the delicious scale. I don't know if I was doing something wrong? Anyway, I LIKE your doing the bread ahead of time for thaw/fill as needed. That is brilliant!

[silkfiddlerette.livejournal.com]

Random comment about the sweetness- the ones I always enjoy getting at restraunts etc are always really sweet, and have often been dissapointed in the ones that Mom makes because they're not. Might have to try this recepie and see how it goes, assuming I actually convince myself to like, cook :)