Ingredients for the wrapper: [By the way, there is no reason not to use my sweet New Year bread recipe for this wrapper.]
5 cups American Rose wheat flour [22 oz or 622 grams] + 1/3 cup [52 grams] of this flour for tangzhong roux 湯種 + 60 grams [a little > 1/3 cup] for dusting
2/3 cup water + 1/3 cup whole milk for tangzhong roux 湯種
1/3 cup granulated sugar [62 grams]
1 tsp salt [6 grams] - I used Hilmalayan salt
1/2 oz [15 grams] baking powder [single action baking powder]
50 grams fresh yeast
2 large eggs
2 oz unsalted butter [4 tbsp or 56 grams]
Egg Wash - 1 egg + a good pinch of sugar + 1 tbsp milk - slightly beaten together
First make the tangzhong roux - Mix 52 grams [1/3 cup] American Rose wheat flour with 2/3 cup water and 1/3 cup whole milk and cook slowly until the mixture becomes a thick paste.
Add in the 1 cup of whole milk and sugar into the tangzhong and yeast to allow the yeast to be activated.
Meanwhile sift the flour, mix in the salt, rub in the butter, mix in the eggs and knead in the activated yeast mixture.
If you have a table top mixer like a Kenwood Chef, use a dough hook and knead the dough for about 20 minutes.
Cover the dough and allow the dough to rise to at least double or triple its original volume which could take about one or two hours, depending on the ambient temperature.
Filling for the bun:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup of finely diced Echalion shallot
3 tbsp flour [I used strong bread flour]
3/4 cup chicken stock
Seasoning: 2 tbsp granulated sugar, 2.5 tbsp light soya sauce, a little less than 2 tbsp oyster sauce - mix these together and set aside
2 cups [260 grams] finely diced chashao 叉燒 - Cantonese bbq roast pork
1.5 tbsp sesame oil
Sauté the finely diced shallot in the oil until slightly brown and then add the flour and mix well. Add the chicken stock slowly to form a roux and then stir in the seasoning. When this is piping hot, add in the diced chashao [bbq roast pork] and when the meat has been heated through, turn off the heat and mix in the sesame oil.
When the dough has risen sufficiently, divide the dough into 16 portions and shape each portion into a circle where the centre is thicker than the edges. Fill each circle with a portion of the filling, and close the package and ensure the edges are tightly sealed. Place the prepared buns on parchment squares, with the sealed edges facing the paper and allow the bun to rise again on a baking tray.
Heat your oven to 180 C - I use baking mode on my oven which is fan heating with heat coming from the fan and the bottom of the oven so I can bake three trays of the buns at the same time.
When the buns have risen sufficiently, egg wash the buns at least twice, before baking in a pre-heated oven for some 20 - 25 minutes until the buns are cooked. You know the buns are cooked when you knock the bottom of the buns and it sounds hollow.
Notes: As this flour is very expensive, I buy the flour when I go to WingYip [榮業行 or RongYe in Mandarin]. Sometimes there is a breakage of a huge 22 kg bag and WingYip would repackage the flour in 1.5 kg bags and this becomes more affordable. Alternatively, you can experiment with "bun flour" which you can purchase from some Chinese supermarkets but I have not experimented with any bun flour because I am very happy with the American Rose flour 美國玫瑰粉 which is sourced from China.
Evaluation: Megan E said the buns were not dried, not salty and very good indeed.
I have not been very successful with the filling of Chashao bao because I found my previous recipes were too salty. However, I rather like this recipe as the filling is not too salty. So thank you Megan E for sending me this recipe and I can make chashao bao again in the future - perhaps the steamed version next time.
Caroline, Auntie Marie's hair-dresser, said, "The buns were lovely, light and moist and savoury filling was just delightful. The buns melted in my mouth. I intended to eat only one bun and ended eating two buns in ten minutes and will be full for five hours."
Auntie Marie said, "The buns were delicious and the filling was gorgeous."
If you want a heavy bread texture, then use strong bread flour instead of the American rose wheat flour. However, Chinese people prefer the lighter, fluffy bread which the American rose wheat flour gives.
No comments:
Post a Comment