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One of the best types of bao bun is char siu bao. Char siu is a sweet and savory marinated pork, similar to your typical BBQ. You get the juicy Chinese pork BBQ nestled in a soft fluffy bun.
Making char siu bao at home is easy! Simply make the dough wrapper and stuff it with the char siu filling before steaming.
What Is Char Siu Bao?
Bao buns are white, fluffy, round buns that are loaded with various fillings. It can be made into a beef bao bun, lotus seed bun, or tofu bun, among other things. When it comes to texture, it is similar to light and airy bread.
Char Siu Bao, also known as steamed BBQ pork buns or steamed roast pork buns, is a beloved and flavorful dish commonly found on the dim sum menu.
In my recipe, I use a mixture of warm water, sugar, yeast powder, high-gluten flour, and lard. If you want simpler ingredients, you can follow my recipe for chicken and mushroom bao bun, where I only use flour, yeast, and warm water.
As for the filling, I mix char siu sauce with stir-fried pork and seasonings. You can buy char siu sauce in Asian supermarkets or make your own by mixing Chinese Five Spice Powder (五香粉), agave syrup, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, salt, water, garlic, and cornstarch. With char siu sauce, it adds a depth of flavor that is sweet, salty, and umami.
My Char Siu Bao recipe isn’t traditional, but it’s fantastic! It’s an exciting twist that’s easier to make and definitely worth a try.
Bao Bun Dough Ingredients
You will need warm water, sugar, yeast powder, high-gluten flour, and lard. Each ingredient has a special purpose for the dough’s recipe. Read my guide below on how each ingredient changes the dough and what alternative to use.
High-Gluten Flour
High-gluten flour is ideal for making a chewy bao bun texture. The more gluten it has, the firmer and chewier it is. On the other hand, the less gluten it has, the softer it becomes.
It is also needed for foods that require a longer fermentation process. Use vital wheat gluten flour, bread flour, or 00 flour for high-gluten flour. The types of flour with the lowest gluten content are pastry flour, barley flour, and cake flour.
Yeast Powder + Warm Water + Sugar
In order for the bun to rise and be airy, yeast is required. In this recipe, the yeast is first mixed with warm water and sugar. Some types of yeast, like instant yeast, don’t need to be mixed with water and can be directly added to the flour.
On the other hand, for active dry yeast, it needs to be mixed with warm water first to be activated. Keep in mind using warm water is crucial since hot water that is between 120°F to 140°F or higher will kill the yeast. Since yeast is a single single-celled living microorganism, it can be killed by hot water and won’t activate the rising process.
If the yeast is not activated, you will not get an airy, fluffy texture but a flat bao bun.
You will also need to add sugar to start the fermentation process since yeast feeds on sugar. When sugar is added, the yeast turns the sugar into carbon dioxide and ethanol, making the bun rise. It will also make the fermentation process faster and more effective.
Lard
Lard is widely used in Chinese cooking, from stir-fries to pastries such as Suzhou mooncakes and wife cakes. In this recipe, buns are flavored and enriched with lard, giving them a softer texture and a hint of pork flavor. This can be substituted with vegetable shortening, butter, or vegetable oil. Don’t forget to check my recipe on how to make lard.
Tips To Remember For Char Siu Bao Bun
Making bao buns for the first time can be challenging, so read my tips below to have a smooth experience and achieve your desired results. Take note that several factors can affect the fluffiness and softness of a bun, such as inaccurate measurements, insufficient proofing time, or oversteaming. Below are some suggestions to help you succeed.
- Kitchen weighing scales and thermometers are necessary for accuracy: The dough ingredients should be measured accurately using a kitchen weighing scale. The outcome can be affected by having too much or too little of an ingredient. A kitchen thermometer can also be used alongside a kitchen scale to make sure the water is not too hot for the yeast. Should the yeast be killed, you will have to repeat the entire process, which will waste the flour ingredients that you have already used.
- The dough consistency can be changed by adding water or flour: Different flour brands and types may produce different results, such as being too stiff or too wet. It is because different types of flour may absorb water differently. When the dough is too firm, sticky, or runny, you can adjust it by adding more flour or water. You should add small amounts gradually until the consistency is right.
- Allow the buns to be proofed until it doubles in size: It may take 30 minutes to an hour for the size to double after proofing. Avoid over- or under-proofing! A long proofing time weakens the dough, resulting in crumbling or cracks when the buns are steamed. On the other hand, it won’t rise if it’s proofed too short.
- The buns are proofed at room temperature: In the steamer, the buns should be proofed at room temperature and covered. Avoid opening the cover too often to prevent the proofing process from being affected. Temperatures below room temperature may require longer proofing times. In cold weather, you can proof the dough in an oven or microwave with a cup of boiled water beside it to make a DIY room-temperature environment.
- Don‘t forget the signature char siu sauce: This is an ingredient that can’t be skipped since it is the signature flavor of the bun. If you don’t have char siu sauce, use any type of bbq sauce you have. You can also follow my recipe on Air Fryer Char Siu Pork and use it as a filling after being diced into small pieces.
- Any steaming equipment works to steam the bao buns: Steaming can be done with a regular kitchen steamer or traditional bamboo baskets. If you do not have steamer equipment, you can try steaming it without one by referring to my guide – 5 Easy Ways To Steam Buns Without A Steamer.
Kitchenware And Ingredients For Char Siu Bao Bun
As you gain a better understanding of the recipe, it is time to prepare the kitchenware and ingredients you will need. For this recipe, steaming equipment is essential.
Alternatively, you can steam buns without a steamer using a DIY pan and a steamer rack, a microwave, a rice cooker, or an instant pot if you don’t have one.
Getting the ingredients won’t be a problem since they are all found in your local groceries or are easily available at Asian supermarkets.
The ingredients will need to be stir-fried in a pan and the dough will need to be kneaded with your hands. To get started, you’ll need the following:
Kitchen Items
- Mixing bowl for the dough
- Wok or pan for stir-frying
- Spatula for stir-frying
- Mixing bowl for the dough
- Knife or dough cutter
- Dough rolling pin
- Parchment paper
- Steamer with cover
- Kitchen weighing scale (optional)
- Kitchen thermometer (optional)
Filling
- 1000g pork Boston butt
- 180g char siu sauce
- 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon of dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce
- 10g rock sugar
- Hot water for stir-frying
- Corn starch slurry (1 tbsp of cornstarch with 2 tbsp of water – 1:2 ratio)
Dough
- 520g warm water
- 10g sugar
- 5g yeast
- 1000g high-gluten flour
- 1 teaspoon of lard
Steps To Make Char Siu Bao Bun
Every bao bun recipe has four main parts: cook the filling, knead the dough, ferment, and steam. You can finish the recipe in about an hour, depending on the proofing time and assembling the dough and filling. Once you are done with the tedious parts of the recipe, steaming will only take 12 minutes of your time and you are done. Check out my short recipe tutorials on Instagram and Tiktok.
Cook The Filling
- Pick your desired pork meat and clean it.In my recipe, I use diced pork Boston butt.
- Then, prepare a wok for stir-frying and add the diced pork meat.
- Keep stir-frying until the fat melts and the meat turns brown.
- Next, add char siu sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and rock sugar.
- Continue stir-frying until the sauces are well mixed into the meat. The meat should have a dark brown even color.
- Afterward, pour hot water and cook for 15 minutes. It will start to boil and cook the meat thoroughly.
- After 15 minutes, add the cornstarch slurry to thicken the filling. This makes the filling saucy and not too runny. If you like a juicy filling, avoid overcooking it or drying out the filling.
- Let it cool on a plate and keep it in the fridge for an hour while you make the dough.I highly recommend refrigerating the filling to make the sauce thicker and well-incorporated.
Knead The Dough
- In a bowl, mix warm water, sugar, and yeast powder.
- Then, add high-gluten flour and lard.
- Mix and knead the dough until you get a smooth consistency.Make sure to remove as many air bubbles as you can in the kneaded dough. Otherwise, the steamed bun will crumble because of too many air pockets in the dough.
- Afterward, shape the dough into a long cylindrical dough.
- Then, divide the dough into 60g portions using a knife or dough cutter.
- Take each portion and flatten it with a rolling pin to make flat circular dough wrappers. I recommend making the center of the dough wrapper a bit thicker than the edges. This will make it stronger to hold the filling.
Combine The Dough Wrapper And Filling
- Take your chilled filling and give it a good mix.The sauce should become thicker and less watery, making it easier to place in the dough wrapper.
- Place the filling at the center of a dough wrapper.
- Seal the dough by forming creases on the edges and pinching the top center. You can slightly twist it as you seal it to give you that traditional bao bun look.
- Then, use parchment paper to place the bao buns on top for fermentation. Parchment paper is needed to prevent the buns from sticking to the surface which can break the bottom of the wrapper.
- Let the bao buns ferment and become larger in size. It usually doubles in size after proofing.
- Next, steam for 12 minutes while covered.
- Lastly, enjoy a sweet and savory bun and serve it for snacks or a light lunch.
For more bao bun varieties, check out my other bao bun recipes like Beef Bao Bun, Chinese Steamed Tofu Bun, Steamed Taro Bun, and Egg Custard Buns.
Soft And Juicy Char Siu Bao Bun
Equipment
- Mixing bowl for the dough
- Wok or pan for stir-frying
- Spatula for stir-frying
- Mixing bowl for the dough
- Knife or dough cutter
- Dough rolling pin
- Steamer with cover
- Kitchen weighing scale (optional)
- Kitchen thermometer (optional)
Ingredients
Filling
- 1000 g pork Boston butt
- 180 g char siu sauce
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 10 g rock sugar
- Hot water for stir-frying
- Corn starch slurry 1 tbsp of cornstarch with 2 tbsp of water - 1:2 ratio
Dough
- 520 g warm water
- 10 g sugar
- 5 g yeast
- 1000 g high-gluten flour
- 1 teaspoon lard
Instructions
Cook The Filling
- Pick your desired pork meat and clean it.In my recipe, I use diced pork Boston butt.
- Then, prepare a wok for stir-frying and add the diced pork meat.
- Keep stir-frying until the fat melts and the meat turns brown.
- Next, add char siu sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and rock sugar.
- Continue stir-frying until the sauces are well mixed into the meat. The meat should have a dark brown even color.
- Afterward, pour hot water and cook for 15 minutes. It will start to boil and cook the meat thoroughly.
- After 15 minutes, add the cornstarch slurry to thicken the filling. This makes the filling saucy and not too runny. If you like a juicy filling, avoid overcooking it or drying out the filling.
- Let it cool on a plate and keep it in the fridge for an hour while you make the dough.I highly recommend refrigerating the filling to make the sauce thicker and well-incorporated.
Knead The Dough
- In a bowl, mix warm water, sugar, and yeast powder.
- Then, add high-gluten flour and lard.
- Mix and knead the dough until you get a smooth consistency.Make sure to remove as many air bubbles as you can in the kneaded dough. Otherwise, the steamed bun will crumble because of too many air pockets in the dough.
- Afterward, shape the dough into a long cylindrical dough.
- Then, divide the dough into 60g portions using a knife or dough cutter.
- Take each portion and flatten it with a rolling pin to make flat circular dough wrappers. I recommend making the center of the dough wrapper a bit thicker than the edges. This will make it stronger to hold the filling.
Combine The Dough Wrapper And Filling
- Take your chilled filling and give it a good mix.The sauce should become thicker and less watery, making it easier to place in the dough wrapper.
- Place the filling at the center of a dough wrapper.
- Seal the dough by forming creases on the edges and pinching the top center. You can slightly twist it as you seal it to give you that traditional bao bun look.
- Then, use parchment paper to place the bao buns on top for fermentation. Parchment paper is needed to prevent the buns from sticking to the surface which can break the bottom of the wrapper.
- Let the bao buns ferment and become larger in size. It usually doubles in size after proofing.
- Next, steam for 12 minutes while covered.
- Lastly, enjoy a sweet and savory bun and serve it for snacks or a light lunch.
