Steamed Bacon Buns with Hoisin

By lorik

Ingredients

• Pork Bun Variation from Saveur:
• 1/2 pound thick-cut smoky bacon, cut into 2-inch pieces
• Six teen 1/8-inch-thick coins peeled fresh ginger
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• One 16.3-ounce tube buttermilk biscuit dough (8 biscuits), such as Pillsbury Grands
• Hoisin sauce, Sriracha, sliced scallions, sliced radishes and bread-and-butter pickles, for serving
• For the Bao Dough:
• 1 tsp. active dry yeast
• 3 1⁄2 cups cake flour
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tbsp. diced lard or vegetable shortening
• For the Roast Pork Filling:
• 1 tbsp. canola oil
• 3 scallions, white parts only, finely chopped
• 1 1⁄2 cups diced roast pork
• 3 tbsp. soy sauce
• 3 tbsp. oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. cornstarch

Details

Servings 4
Cooking time 40mins
Adapted from foodandwine.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a large skillet, cook the bacon and ginger over moderately high heat, turning the bacon once, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Spoon off all of the fat in the skillet. Add the chicken broth, mirin, vinegar, sugar and soy sauce to the skillet and simmer over very low heat, turning the bacon occasionally, until it is tender and the liquid is reduced to a syrupy glaze, about 10 minutes. Cover and keep warm.

Meanwhile, fill a roasting pan with 2 inches of water and set 4 ramekins in the corners of the pan. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and spray with vegetable oil spray. Arrange the biscuits in the baking pan and set it on top of the ramekins in the roasting pan, over the water. Cover the roasting pan very tightly with foil and bring to a boil over high heat. Steam the biscuits until fluffy and cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Carefully split each biscuit with your fingers and arrange them on a platter; spread the bottoms with hoisin sauce and Sriracha and top with the glazed bacon. Drizzle each bun with some of the glaze and garnish with sliced scallions, radishes and pickles. Close the buns and serve right away.

Variation:
1. For the dough: Combine yeast in 1 1⁄4 cups water heated to 115° in a bowl; let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle. Add yeast mixture, and mix on low speed; add lard one piece at a time, increase speed to medium, and continue mixing until dough forms into a ball, about 5 minutes. Remove bowl from mixer, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit until doubled in size, about 2 hours. Knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Shape into 16 equal-size balls.

2. For the filling: Heat oil in a 10" nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallions; cook for 1 minute. Add roast pork, soy and oyster sauces, and sugar; cook until scallions have softened and pork is heated through, about 3 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in 2 tbsp. water in a small cup, add to pork mixture, and cook until sauce thickens, about 1 minute more. Remove from heat, and let cool.

3. Place a dough ball in the palm of one hand and, with the thumb of your other hand, make a well in the center. Fill well with about 1 1⁄2 tbsp. pork filling; seal by pinching dough closed toward the center. Place a 2"-square piece of parchment paper over pinched area. Turn bun over, and use scissors to make a 1⁄2" crisscross incision in the center of the bun. Repeat process, filling remaining buns and placing on parchment paper squares. Keep filled buns covered with a damp towel. Place 8 buns, paper side down, in an 11" bamboo steamer; close tightly with lid. Meanwhile, bring 2 cups water to a boil in a 14" flat-bottomed wok over high heat. Fit bamboo steamer into wok, and steam until puffed, about 12 minutes. Repeat with remaining buns.Variation: