Baked Mushroom Bao

By sidecars

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 1/2 teaspoons active dried yeast
• 2 cups flour
• 1 egg, slightly beaten (plus another for egg wash, if desired)
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup finely diced onion or shallot
• 5 1/2 cups finely chopped mixed mushrooms (I used white button and shitake)
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon hoisin
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/4 cup vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon cornflour

Details

Servings 12
Preparation time 120mins
Cooking time 135mins
Adapted from katherinemartinelli.com

Preparation

Step 1

Directions
For the Dough:

Put the sugar and warm water in a bowl and mix until the sugar has dissolved. Add yeast and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes, until frothy.

Sift flour into a large bowl.

Add yeast mixture, egg, oil, and salt and stir.

Bring the flour mixture together with your hands. The dough will be very sticky at first.

Place dough on a floured surface and knead for approximately 10 minutes, until the dough becomes smooth and slightly elastic.

Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours depending on weather conditions.

For the Mushroom Filling:

Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or pan over medium-high heat.

Add the onion and sauté until soft, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the mushrooms to the pan. Cook until they have rendered down and most of the liquid has evaporated.

Stir in the soy sauce, fish sauce, hoisin, and sesame oil, cook for another few minutes.

Mix cornflour and stock together until smooth and add to the mushroom mixture.

Stir well and keep cooking until the mixture thickens, 1 or 2 minutes.

Remove mixture from wok/pan and place in a bowl to cool. Set aside until ready to use.

To Assemble and Serve:

Preheat oven to 200º C/392º F

Once dough has doubled in size knock back and divide in to 12 portions and shape in to round balls.

Use a rolling pin, roll out to approximately 2 inches in diameter. Pick the piece of dough up and gently pull the edges to enlarge to about 3 inches. (Doing this keeps the dough slightly thicker in the center and prevents the tops from splitting when baking.)

Place a good sized tablespoon of filling in the center of the dough circle.

Gather the edges and seal your bun.

Place the bun seal side down on your baking tray. Continue with rest of dough.

Once all buns are complete brush surface with an egg wash, if desired.

Put in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Directions