Baked or Steamed Pork Buns

Ingredients

• Dough:
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup warm milk
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 1/2 cups flour, about
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Filling:
• 8 dried black mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 cup green onions, minced
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 teaspoons hoisin sauce
• 4 teaspoons oystr-flavored sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
• 1 1/2 cusp Chinese barbecued pork
• 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

Method

• Dissolve 2 tablespoons of sugar in milk and water. Sprinkle in yeast and let stand until bubbly about 10 minutes.
• Place 2 cups flour 2 tablespoons sugar and salt in large mixing bowl. Add above liquid and mix with paddle attachment. Add flour if needed until no longer sticky.
• Change to dough hook and knead until smooth and elastic for about 5-7 minutes.
• Place in an oiled bowl and allow to rise covered for about about 1 hour until double.
• Filling: Soak mushrooms in warm water until softened, for about 20 minutes. Drain. Discard stems and coarsely chop.
• In hot wok add oil, green onions, garlic and mushrooms and stirfry for about 1 minute. Stir in water, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Add cornstarch solution and stir until sauce boils and thickens. Stir in pork. Cool.
• Punch down dough and roll into a cylinder. Cut into 12 equal pieces. Roll each into a boll; cover.
• Flatten each ball and roll into a circle 4-6" in diameter. Place 1 heaping tablespoon filling in center. Gather edges of circle over filling; twist and pinch edges together to seal. Place buns, seam side down, 2" apart on parchment covered baking sheet. Cover and let rise until puffy and light. Brush tops with egg yolk.
• Preheat oven to 350F. Bake busn until golden brown, 18-20 minutes.

Notes

• STEAMED PORK BUNS: For steaming, place a 3" square of parchment paper under each bun before it rises and don't brush the tops with egg yolk. When the buns have risen, place in bamboo steamer on papers and steam over high heat until tops are glazed and smooth, for 12-15 minutes. Serve warm. These can be rewarmed by steaming for about 10 minutes.SOURCE: Adapted from Martin Yan