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submitted 4 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

2nd try yielded very successful bao (steamed buns)!

I followed whattocooktoday's recipe , which has lots of helpful explanations of rationale and alternatives. I used corn starch (didn't have wheat starch or pastry flour on hand) and it worked just fine, the steamed bao are very light and delicate. I also used active (not instant) yeast; it didn't bubble much when using cold milk (Oatley's what I had) but the buns proved nicely in an hour at about 90F.

My 1st try was following some notes from a relative, which were about 65% hydration all AP flour, and came out much too dense/chewy.

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[-] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago

Looks great! I'll have to give this recipe a try. Bao are one of favorite foods but I've never had good luck making them. They never turn out as fluffy as I would like.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago

Congratulations! They look perfect and delicious. My first try was unsuccessful (grandmom’s recipe), thanks for giving me hope.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago

I made a couple shapes, some with red bean paste and some plain:

Shaped

Proved and ready to stream (10m steaming + 3 rest as in the recipe):

Proved

[-] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago

This looks fun! My kids got a library book about bao and asked if we could try. Your post might be the push I needed to try it!

[-] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago

They're fun, and pretty quick turnaround. Good luck!

this post was submitted on 15 Sep 2025
35 points (97.3% liked)

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