Preparation time: 3 hours max, 45 minutes with shortcut: see afterword.
Equipment: A large mixing bowl, floured work surface, bread machine, bench cutter, rolling pin.
Ingredients: Milk, active dry yeast, flour, butter, egg, sugar, salt
Soy sauce, Shaoxing cooking wine, chicken MSG, sesame oil,
Flavorless oil, sweet bean paste, oyster sauce, white pepper
Eggs, Chinese chives, shrimp (optional)
Makes 24 – 32 buns.
1. DOUGH
bloom
Combine 8 oz. warm milk*, 2 tbsp active dry yeast, and a tbsp of flour. Stir and allow to bubble vigorously, about 10 minutes.
* you may substitute 1 tbsp condensed milk diluted with water for sweeter profile.
THE OTHER SHIT
Knead OR Stand mixer w/ dough hook OR Bread machine
Add the remaining ingredients to the yeast mixture: 3 cups AP flour, 3 tbsp softened butter, 1 egg, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 pinch salt.
Once a uniform ball has been reached, 10 – 15 minutes, allow dough to rest and rise in a warm place covered with a wet towel for 2 – 3 hours. I like to use the oven light for mild, radiant, and consistent heat output.
2. FILLING
BEAT YOUR MEAT
Incorporate 1 cup of chicken stock into 1 lb. 80/20 ground pork.
For seasoning, Mama recommends 1 tbsp each light and dark soy sauce, 2 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp chicken bouillon, 2 tbsp sesame oil, 2 tbsp flavorless veggie oil, 1 tbsp sweet bean paste*, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, and a heavy dash of white pepper.
* Doubanjiang or spicy bean sauce is a great replacement here.
Your BREAD AND BUTTER: CHINESE ESSENTIALS
Scramble 3 eggs into small curds and let cool. Finely chop your chives into 1cm width, then add both components to the raw meat.
Lastly, sprinkle 3 tbsp of cornstarch as well as 1/2 lb. thawed shrimp in large chunks. Your filling by this point should appear glossy and smell sufficiently salty.
3. ASSEMBLY
Divide dough into quarters, working one piece at a time so the later parts won’t dry out. Keep the rest covered.
For each quarter, use the bench scraper to cut 8 even 25g balls of dough.
Press the small balls flat and roll the edges thin, rotating the circle with your non-dominant hand as you work the dough outward.
Spoon as much filling as you can handle on the top half of the dough. Fold the bottom half over and pinch the edges to make a half-crescent shape.
4. COOK!
On medium-low flame (3 / 10 heat setting) add 1 tbsp oil for each batch to a nonstick pan.
Heat on one side until golden, and repeat for the other face, 12 – 15 min. total.
Enjoy.