I used to buy the pre-mixed blend flour to make steamed "cha siu bao" but when the price of the little bag of flour went from $0.99 to $1.29, I decided to try to make that dough from scratch myself.
Cha Siu Bao (Steamed BBQ Pork Buns)
1 tbsp active yeast
1 cup of warm water
2 cups of flour
3 tsp of sugar
1/2 tsp of baking soda
In a medium size bowl, add water and sprinkle in the yeast. Mix well. Let sit for 10 mins.
In second bowl, pour 1 1/2 cups of the flour, sugar and baking soda. Mix well.
Add the yeast liquid to the flour mixture and incorporate well. If the dough is too wet, add a little flour (from the remaining measurement) at a time. Until you have a dough that can kneaded. Knead for approximately 15 mins.
Larger bowl, add 1 tbsp of oil to coat the bowl, put the dough formed in a ball into the oiled bowl. Cover with saran wrap and towel. Allow to rise -- approx. 2 hours.
After 2 hours, rip dough into baseball size dough balls. Roll each piece on a floured surface and then fill with chopped BBQ pork pieces. Place wrapped side down on parchment paper. Repeat til filling is used up and no dough balls left.
Place in a steamer and steam for 20 minutes.
