Baked Char Siu Baos (Baked BBQ Pork Buns) Recipe, Nut-, Egg-, and Sesame Free

Baked Char Siu Baos (Baked BBQ Pork Buns) Recipe, Nut-, Egg-, and Sesame Free

Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, lunch, Snack

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: baked BBQ pork bun, baked char siu bao, gok char siu bao

Prep Time: 1 30

Cook Time: 25

Waiting for the dough to rise and proof: 2

Total Time: 3 55

Servings: baos

Calories: 190kcal

Author: Sharon (NutFreeWok.com)

Cost: $8

Learn how to make baked char siu baos, soft, fluffy buns filled with a sweet and savory Chinese BBQ pork filling that are nut-, egg-, and sesame-free. Please read the entire post and recipe before starting. If you buy pre-made char siu from a restaurant if available or appropriate for your allergies, I recommend buying at least a pound so that you can taste test, trim off burnt edges or discard fatty pieces. Allow more time if you need to make homemade char siu, see the link below in the notes.

Print Recipe

Equipment

stand mixer
half sheet rimmed baking sheet
pastry brush
parchment paper

Ingredients

For the Tangzhong

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup all purpose flour

For the Dough

1 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast, active dry 1 envelope
3 1/2 cups flour, all purpose more as needed to form the dough and to shape the baos
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter softened
oil for oiling the bowl

Make the Char Siu Filling

1 teaspoon olive oil or other neutral oil
1 cup sweet yellow onions finely diced (1 cup)
12 ounces cooked char siu finely diced (3 cups)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons water room temperature
1 tablespoon cornstarch

For the Milk Wash and the Sugar Glaze

1 tablespoon milk**
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon water

Instructions

Make the Tangzhong

Stir together 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup flour in a small pan and cook on low-medium heat. Stir continuously until the mixture thickens like mashed potatoes, 4-5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Or heat tangzhou in a microwave: combine the flour and water in a small microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds and stir. If needed, microwave for another 10 seconds until the mixture looks like mashed potatoes. Set aside to cool.

Make the Dough

Warm the milk in a pan or in a small bowl in the microwave (~45 seconds) to about 105-110 °F. Add the sugar and yeast, stir until not lumpy, and set aside for 5-10 minutes until slightly foamy.
If using a stand mixer,* add 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour and salt to the mixing bowl. Reserve the remaining 1/4 cup to add to the dough later as needed. When the yeast mixture is slightly foamy, then add yeast to the mixing bowl. Use a spatula to scrape all of the yeast mixture.
Turn on your mixer to the lowest setting and mix until the mixture looks a little bit shaggy.
Turn your mixer off and use a spatula to transfer all of the tongzhong into the mixer, then continue to mix at a low speed. Add the softened butter one tablespoon at a time.
When the dough starts to pull away from the bowl, looks less shaggy and easier to mix, scrape the bowl to incorporate all of the ingredients, and increase the speed slightly to knead for 10 minutes. If the dough does not partially pull away from the bowl, sprinkle in 1 or 2 tablespoons of flour from your reserved 1/4 cup of flour. If the dough forms a ball or seems stiff, add 1 tablespoon of water.
The dough is ready to rise when most of the dough forms a ball, looks smooth, and does not feel sticky when pinched.
Oil a bowl with a few drops of oil, transfer the dough to the bowl, use the dough scraper to flip the dough over, and add a few more drops of oil. Cover the bowl with a plate or plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour or so until the dough has doubled in size. If not baking right away, you can also refrigerate the covered dough overnight and when ready to continue with the recipe, place the dough in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Make the Char Siu Filling

While the dough is rising, preheat a non-stick frying pan on medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Add oil and swirl to coat, add diced onions and saute until softened and slightly brown (3-4 minutes).
Add diced char siu and sugar and stir fry until the sugar melts and the char siu is warmed up, starts to brown, or look shiny. (2 minutes).
Add oyster sauce and soy sauce. Stir fry until coated thorougly (1 minute).
Combine cornstarch and room temperature water in a small bowl and add the cornstarch slurry to the charsiu. Stir fry until the sauce thickens (1 minute) and turn off the heat and set aside to cool down.
You can make the filling in advance and refrigerate until ready to use. Reheat or microwave the filling so that it's slightly warm before shaping the baos. Cold filling may affect the length of time it takes to proof the baos. If the filling is too hot, it might affect the yeast.

Fill, Proof, and Bake the Char Siu Baos

Line a large baking sheet (half-sheet size) with parchment paper. From the remaining 1/4 cup of flour, lightly flour a clean work surface such as a large cutting board.
Use a rounded dough scraper and transfer the dough to the floured surface and gently flatten the dough. Use the dough scraper to divide it into 4 large pieces and cut each quarter into 4 pieces, to form 16 small pieces of dough.
For each of the dough pieces, stretch the dough lengthwise and fold the top and bottom ends into the center. Then stretch the dough sideways and fold the left and right sides into the center. Roll the dough into a ball and set aside in a row (remember the order). Repeat with all of pieces of dough. Lightly flour your fingers when the dough starts to stick to your fingers.
Form the char siu baos by picking up the first dough ball you rolled and slightly flatten in the palm of your hand. Pinch around the edges of the dough and stretch just the edges to form a 3-inch circle that is thick at the center and thin at the edges. If the dough springs back, wait 5 minutes to allow the dough to relax.
Place the dough circle in one hand, use your other hand to scoop 1-2 heaping spoonfuls of the char siu filling on the center of the dough. Cup your hand with the dough and filling slightly and with your other hand, use your floured finger tips to gently stretch and pinch the edges of the dough until the bao is sealed. If the edges won't stick together or your fingers stick to the dough, lightly dust your finger tips with a pinch of flour.
Place the filled bao sealed-side down on the parchment-lined baking sheet, check that the filled bao will be balanced and not flop over. Shape and fill the remaining pieces of dough in the order that they were rolled in step #3 above.
When all the char siu baos are formed, cover with a second piece of parchment paper and a clean, dry kitchen towel. Proof the filled baos for 45 minutes to 60 minutes (no more than 2 hours) in a warm, draft-free space.
Check that there's an oven rack placed in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. When the oven temperature is ready, use a pastry brush to brush 1 tablespoon of milk on the baos before baking. Turn the baking sheet and brush again from a different angle to glaze the baos thoroughly for even browning.
Bake the baos for 21 to 23 minutes until golden brown. Since oven temperatures vary, set a timer for 20 minutes to check on them and then bake until desired doneness.
While the baos are baking rinse the parchment paper used during proofing, dry with a paper towel, and set aside. Make a simple syrup by combining 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Microwave for 10 seconds and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Microwave for another 5-10 seconds as needed and set aside.
When the baked char siu baos are hot out of the oven, brush them with the simple sugar and then loosely tent them with the rinsed and dried piece of parchment paper for 5 minutes before serving.
Serve the char siu baos while they're still warm. If you have any leftovers, allow them to cool to room temperature and refrigerate in storage container. For best results, reheat in an air fryer or toaster oven for 4 to 5 minutes. Or microwave the baos for 20-30 seconds.

Notes

*Make the dough by hand in a mixing bowl directions (not tested but it's what I would do): Add the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Cut the softened butter into small pieces and add it to the flour. Use the wooden spoon to make a well in the center and pour the yeast mixture into the well and stir, gradually incorporating more flour until you have a shaggy dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and wet your hands to knead the dough for about 10 minutes until the dough is no longer sticky. Continue with step #7 to rise the dough.

**If you want to try the milk and maple syrup glaze, I used 1 tablespoon of milk and 1 teaspoon of maple syrup.

If you need to make your own nut-free, sesame-free char siu, allow more time to make my char siu recipe.

Nutrition facts are calculated automatically and are considered an estimate.

Nutrition