Cracked Top Steamed Buns with Grilled Pork Filling

Name: Cracked Top Steamed Buns with Grilled Pork Filling
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/4 cup cake flour or bao flour; 1/2 tsp yeast; 3-4 tbsp warm water (start with 3 tbsp, add more if needed); 1 1/4 tsp sugar; 1/2 cup warm water; 1 3/4 cups cake flour or bao flour; First Fermentation Dough; 5-6 tbsp sugar (I used 5 tbsp); 1 cup cake flour or bao flour (90g); 2 tbsp + 2 tsp cornstarch; 1 tbsp baking powder; 3/4 tsp ammonia; 1/3 tsp lye water; 1 tbsp shortening; 1/2 tsp vinegar; 10 skewers grilled pork; 3-4 tbsp water; 1 tbsp sugar; 1 tbsp cornstarch; 1 tsp soy sauce; 1 little cornstarch slurry

pock1morebite @pockymaekl0ng

This recipe is adapted from the YouTube channel EastMeetsKitchen. The recipe has been well-tested to ensure the buns crack due to the acidity and alkalinity in the dough reacting with steam heat. I was eager to try it and use my new bamboo steamer (which is the most important part). The acidity comes from the fermented dough and vinegar, while the alkalinity comes from ammonia and lye water. The experiment was successful, and every bun cracked beautifully. As for the filling, I forgot to prepare it in advance, so I used grilled pork instead, which was delicious.

pock1morebite @pockymaekl0ng

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Ingredients

First Fermentation Dough
1/4 cupcake flour or bao flour
1/2 tspyeast
3-4 tbspwarm water (start with 3 tbsp, add more if needed)
1 1/4 tspsugar
Second Fermentation Dough
1/2 cupwarm water
1 3/4 cupscake flour or bao flour
First Fermentation Dough
Dough
5-6 tbspsugar (I used 5 tbsp)
1 cupcake flour or bao flour (90g)
2 tbsp+ 2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbspbaking powder
3/4 tspammonia
1/3 tsplye water
1 tbspshortening
1/2 tspvinegar
Grilled Pork Filling
10skewers grilled pork
3-4 tbspwater
1 tbspsugar
1 tbspcornstarch
1 tspsoy sauce
1little cornstarch slurry

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Steps

1

Mix the ingredients for the first fermentation dough with a wooden chopstick. Once combined, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 12 hours.
2

Pour warm water into the first fermentation dough and stir until dissolved. Add cake flour and mix until combined. Knead into a ball and let it rest for 8-10 hours until the dough doubles in size.
3

Sift the flour and baking powder together and set aside.
4

Add the fermentation dough to a mixing bowl, followed by sugar. Use a dough hook to mix until the sugar dissolves. Add ammonia and mix well. Add vinegar and lye water, and mix for about 2 minutes.
5

Add the flour mixture to the bowl and mix until it forms a ball. Add shortening. If the dough is dry, add a little water. Once the shortening is added, mix on the lowest speed for 2 minutes, then on speed 2 for 1 minute until the dough is smooth. Shape the dough into a ball and let it rest for 30 minutes.
6

After resting, divide the dough into approximately 37g pieces to make 14 balls. Add the filling and steam in boiling water for 10 minutes. Pleat the dough roughly for a nice crack, but seal the pleats tightly to prevent them from opening too much.
7

To make the filling, mix water, soy sauce, and sugar in a pot over low heat. Adjust the taste as desired, then add the grilled pork. Once it boils, add the cornstarch slurry and stir to combine.