Baked Char Siu Bao

Ingredients

• 20g bread flour, for the tangzhong
• 100ml water, for the tangzhong
• 380g bread flour
• 50g caster sugar
• 7g instant yeast
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 egg
• 130ml whole milk, lukewarm
• 40g unsalted butter, softened
• 300g char siu, diced small
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 tbsp groundnut oil
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp caster sugar, for the filling
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 200ml water, for the filling
• 2 tbsp cornflour mixed with 3 tbsp cold water
• 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp milk, to glaze
• 2 tbsp honey warmed with 1 tbsp water, to finish

Before you cook

• Whisk the 20g of bread flour into the 100ml of water in a small pan until no lumps remain.
• Cook the mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes until it thickens into a paste that holds a line from the spoon, then scrape it into a bowl and cool it to room temperature.
• Dice the char siu into 8mm cubes.
• Finely dice the onion.
• Mix the cornflour with the cold water and set it aside.

Steps

1. Heat the groundnut oil in a saucepan over medium heat and fry the onion for 4 minutes until soft and translucent.
2. Add the oyster sauce, hoisin, light soy, dark soy, sugar and the 200ml of water, and bring it to a simmer.
3. Stir the cornflour slurry and pour it in, stirring until the sauce turns thick and glossy.
4. Fold in the diced char siu and take the pan off the heat.
5. Spread the filling on a plate and chill it for at least an hour, until it is cold and stiff enough to scoop.
6. Combine the 380g of bread flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook.
7. Add the cooled tangzhong, the egg and the lukewarm milk, and mix on low for 3 minutes until a shaggy dough forms.
8. Knead on medium for 8 minutes, then add the softened butter a little at a time and knead for a further 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and pulls cleanly from the bowl.
9. Cover the bowl and prove in a warm place for 60 to 90 minutes, until doubled.
10. Knock the dough back and divide it into 12 equal pieces of about 55g each.
11. Roll each piece into a ball, then flatten it into a disc that is thicker in the middle than at the edges.
12. Spoon a heaped tablespoon of cold filling into the centre, gather the edges up over it, and pinch the seam tightly closed.
13. Set each bun seam side down on a lined baking tray, leaving 5cm between them.
14. Cover loosely and prove for a second time for 45 minutes, until visibly puffed.
15. Heat the oven to 180C fan.
16. Brush the buns gently with the egg yolk glaze.
17. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, until deep golden across the domes.
18. Brush the hot buns with the warm honey syrup and let them cool for 10 minutes before eating.