cha siu bao

Char siu bao (叉燒包, Chinese BBQ pork buns, cha siu bao) are classic pastries from Chinese bakeries. The soft and light bun surrounds a mouth-watering sweet and savory filling made with Chinese BBQ pork, shallots, sauces, and spices. This recipe describes the tangzhong method of making the dough.

Baked Char Siu Bao (Chinese BBQ Pork Buns, Cha Siu Bao, 叉燒包)

bread flour (3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon)

water (1/2 cup)

canola or vegetable oil

whole milk (1/2 cup + 4 teaspoons)

sugar

active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons) ((see note 1))

bread flour (3 1/3 cups + 1 tablespoon)

salt

unsalted butter (5 tablespoons) (melted)

sweetened condensed milk (4 tablespoons) ((see note 3 for substitution))

oyster sauce

hoisin sauce ((see note 2))

soy sauce

sesame oil

paprika

oil oil

shallots (50 grams)

garlic (minced)

water (divided)

cornstarch ((see note 4))

milk

toasted sesame seeds

mixing bowl

microwave-safe bowl

stand mixer

baking sheets

parchment paper

brush

plastic wrap

In a saucepan, whisk the flour and water together until the flour dissolves.

Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir the mixture frequently. In about 30 seconds to a minute, the flour will start to thicken. Start stirring constantly until the runny liquid absorbs into the paste. Turn off the heat and transfer the tangzhong to a bowl to cool. (See note 6 for microwave tangzhong directions.)

Make the Tangzhong

Lightly grease a large mixing bowl with oil. Set it aside. 

In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the milk in the microwave on high for about 30 to 40 seconds. Use a thermometer to check the temperature of the milk. It should be somewhere around 110ºF to 120ºF. If the milk isn’t hot enough yet, heat it again for 5 to 10 seconds. If the milk is too hot, quickly whisk the milk and let it cool for several minutes.

Add the sugar and yeast to the milk. Stir to hydrate the yeast. Let it sit for 5 to 8 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients. After 5 to 8 minutes, you should see a layer of foam on the top at least 1/4 inch thick. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the bread flour and salt. Add the melted butter, condensed milk, egg, tangzhong, and foamy milk/yeast mixture. 

Fit the mixer with the dough hook. Mix the dough on low until you don’t see any loose flour on the sides of the bowl. This should take 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then, increase the speed to medium-low and work the dough for 8 minutes. 

Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times. If the dough is feeling tacky, lightly dust your hands with flour. 

Shape the dough into a ball and place inside the greased mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic (or a silicone lid) and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, until the dough doubles in size. 

Prepare the Dough

In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, paprika, and salt. 

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, until they start to soften. Then, add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant. 

Pour the sauce into the pan. Then, pour in 1/2 cup of water. Make sure you still have 1/4 cup of water remaining in the bowl. Let the liquids simmer in the pan for about 2 minutes.

Mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with the remaining 1/4 cup of water. Stir the liquids in the pan as you pour the cornstarch slurry into the pan. The cornstarch slurry thickens the liquids very quickly, so stir constantly to ensure that the sauce thickens evenly. After about 2 minutes of stirring, you should have a very thick sauce. Turn off the heat.

Add the diced char siu into the pan and stir to incorporate the char siu with the sauce.

Transfer the filling into a bowl and chill it in the refrigerator until you are ready to shape the buns. It is easier to shape the bao with chilled filling.

Make BBQ Pork Filling

Once the filling has chilled, divide it into 12 portions of about 40 to 45 grams or 2 tablespoons each. I usually use a medium cookie scoop to scoop out a heaping scoopful of filling.

After dividing the filling into 12 portions, roll out each portion into a ball. Rolling the filling into tight balls will make them much easier to wrap when you shape the bao.

Roll BBQ Pork Filling Into Balls

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set them aside.

Once doubled, punch down the dough to release excess air. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions, about 440 to 450 grams each.

Place one half back into the bowl and cover the bowl. Take the other half and divide the dough into 6 equal pieces, about 70 to 75 grams each. 

Take 1 small piece of dough and knead it a few times to get rid of any air bubbles. Then, shape the dough into a ball. Make sure to gather all the seams on one side of the ball of dough, leaving the other side completely smooth. That smoother side will be the outside of the bao. Continue shaping the remaining 5 pieces of dough into balls. 

Take a ball of dough with the seam side facing up and the smooth side facing down. Roll out the dough into a circle of about 5 to 5 1/4 inches wide. I usually roll out the edges more than the center so that the center of the dough is thicker. 

Divide and Roll Out Dough

Shaping the bao on the counter (easier method): Take a ball of filling and place it in the center of the rolled out dough. If your fingers get dirty, wipe them off with a towel so that you don’t stain the outside of the bun. Then, take 2 opposite sides of the dough and fold it up, like a taco. Next, take the remaining 2 sides of the dough and fold them up as well. You’ll see that the dough is starting to form an x-shape. Transfer the bao to your right hand while you use the crook of your left hand to gather the dough together and start closing up the bao. Then, use your fingers to pinch the dough together and seal up the bao. If you see big folds forming along the side of the bao, use your fingers to pinch the dough together to seal up those folds. Transfer the bao to a parchment-lined baking sheet with the seam side of the bao facing down.

Shaping bao in your hand: Once you have rolled out the dough to about 5 1/4 inches, place the dough on your left hand. Pick up a ball of filling and place it in the center of the dough. If your fingers get dirty, wipe them off with a towel so that they don’t stain the outside of the bao. Using your right hand start gathering up the dough around the filling. I usually use my left thumb to hold the filling in place while I gather up the dough. Once you’ve gathered all the dough, use the crock of your left hand to start closing up the bao. Use your fingers to pinch the dough together to seal the bao. Watch the video above for a visual reference. Transfer the bao to a parchment-lined baking sheet with the seam side of the bao facing down.

Continue shaping the remaining 5 pieces of dough into bao.

Cover all the bao loosely with plastic wrap.

Continue shaping the 6 remaining bao and cover them loosely with plastic wrap. Once all 12 bao have been shaped let them proof for a second time. If you are making these in the winter, let them rise for 90 to 105 minutes, until they double in size. If you are making these during the summer or inside a warm kitchen, they should be ready to bake in 75 to 90 minutes. 

Shape the Bao (See video below for reference)

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Arrange the oven racks to the top third and lower third positions.

Whisk 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of milk for the egg wash. Using a brush, brush a thin layer of egg wash over the buns, making sure the entire surface of the bun is covered with egg wash. See note 7 about double egg washing the buns.

Sprinkle the tops of the bao with sesame seeds, if you like.

If you don’t want the bottoms of the bao to brown too much, stack the baking sheets holding the char siu bao atop baking sheets of the same size. See note 8 for a further explanation.

Bake the bao for 20 to 23 minutes, until the tops of the bao are evenly golden brown. You can swap the baking sheets around halfway through baking to ensure even baking. 

Let the char siu bao cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. They’re best eaten when they’re still a little warm.

Store leftover BBQ pork buns in an airtight container for 2 or 3 days.

Bake the Bao

I used the tangzhong method, and what a fantastic and forgiving dough this made!  At first glance, it seems like a lot of complicated steps, but the explanation is very clear and the dough comes together easily.  I do not have a standing mixer, so I just used a wooden spoon to stir all the dough ingredients until they came together, and then kneaded the dough for about 5 minutes until it was smooth and elastic.  No standing mixer needed!  :-)  I recommend substituting 2 Tbsp of seasoned rice vinegar in lieu of 2 Tbsp water when making the cornstarch slurry...this will brighten the flavor of the filling. Thank you for a great recipe!

Very good recipe. I‘m not an experienced bread maker so when a recipe says to proof until doubled  I don’t really feel confident I am doing it right. I looked on Google for some ways to test and the consensus was that you poke a half inch into the dough with your finger and if it slowly comes back and leaves a small indentation then it’s good. Would be nice to have that on recipe for people like me. Rolls came out beautiful and are very delicious!

This recipe was fantastic! We had a place here in San Jose that had the most delicious baked buns. This recipe hit the mark! The bread dough was spongy, flavorful and tasted amazing. The pork recipe was easy and made the perfect addition of sweet, tangy and salty. I will definitely be making these again. Thank you for all your tips Lisa.

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/t_original/v1611163987/cez907nwig9zlcuoh9lc.mp4

Here is a video on how to shape char siu bao

How to Shape Char Siu Bao

Char Siu Bao sind softe, chinesische Teigtaschen aus einem süßlichen Hefeteig, gefüllt mit würzigen Schweinefleisch.

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