How To Make Bao Buns (Vegan) (2024)

These steamed lotus leaf bao buns are super soft and fluffy, easier to make than you might think and they freeze really well!

They are vegan friendly and can be stuffed with your choice of fillings for a delicious meal.

What Are Bao Buns?:

Bao buns is a bit of a misnomer as 'bao' translates as bun, so it is basically calling them "bun buns". It is the name that is most common in the West however so I will stick with it!

Bao are a yeasted Chinese bread and there are various types, they may be plain or stuffed with either sweet or savoury fillings and are usually steamed, but may occasionally be baked or pan fried.

This recipe is for the kind of bao that I think are most well known. They are called lotus leaf buns due to their shape which is a folded semicircle. Once steamed they can be opened up to add fillings like a sandwich.

You can use these bao to make my delicious sticky hosin tofu bao buns!

Ingredient Details:

Plain flour: While I usually use strong flour when making bread as it has a higher protein content and therefore makes the crumb more chewy, bao buns are meant to be very soft and light so in this case I use plain (all-purpose) flour instead.

Yeast: I always prefer to use instant yeast when making bread as it can just be added straight to the flour and doesn’t need to be activated first.

Baking Powder: In addition to the yeast, these buns use baking powder to ensure a light, fluffy texture.

Milk: Soy milk is always my favourite for baking as it has the highest protein content so most closely resembles dairy milk. Any variety of non-dairy milk will work however, but go for an unsweetened one if you can, and definitely soy milk if you have it.

Oil: Adding a little oil to the dough makes the buns softer. I use olive oil but any neutral flavoured oil will work.

Sugar: These buns have a little hint of sweetness so I add a bit of caster or granulated sugar to the dough.

Salt: You simply cannot make good bread without salt. Don’t omit it.

Equipment:

To make these bao buns you will need a steamer of some sort. A bamboo steamer is ideal as it doesn't collect as much condensation so the buns don't run the risk of getting soggy.

A metal steamer pan or insert will also work fine. I can fit 6 buns in my bamboo steamer so I tend to cook the rest in a metal one so I can do them all at once; you can also steam them in batches however, just make sure to place the risen buns in the fridge while they are waiting to steam so that they don't over-prove.

How To Make Bao Buns:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

Step 1: Mix the flour, yeast, baking powder, sugar and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in the milk, water and oil to form a rough dough.

Step 2: Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and stretchy.

Step 3: Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and set aside to rise until doubled in size.

Step 4: Punch down the risen dough and knead briefly. Use a scale to divide it into 10 even pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.

Step 5: Using a rolling pin, roll one of the balls of dough out into a ½ cm thick oval. Lightly brush the dough with oil and then fold it in half to form a semicircle. Repeat with the rest of the balls of dough.

Step 6: Place each bao on a square of baking paper and arrange them spaced apart in the steamer. Cover and leave to rise for about 30 minutes until puffy.

Step 7: Place the steamer over a wok or frying pan. Add cold water to the pan, making sure that it doesn't come up so high that it will touch the buns. Place the lid on the steamer basket.

Step 8: Place the pan over a high heat until it comes up to a boil then turn the heat to medium and steam for 10 minutes.

Without removing the lid, remove the pan from the heat and set aside to rest for 5 minutes. The buns are now ready to eat

Top Tips:

As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!

Make sure that your yeast isn't out of date! Old yeast can lead to dough that doesn’t rise.

The amount of flour needed may vary a bit as different brands absorb different amounts of liquid and the weather can also affect it. Start with the quantity given in the recipe and add a little more as needed if the dough is too wet. This is meant to be a slightly sticky dough however, so don’t add too much as that will make the buns dry.

The rising time of the dough will vary depending on how warm it is; on hot days it will rise much faster than on cold ones.

Rather than pouring boiling water into the steamer, add cool water instead and bring it up to the boil with the buns sitting in the steamer over the water so that they come up to temperature gradually. Once the water is boiling, cover the steamer and set a timer for 10 minutes.

It is important that once the buns are done steaming, you allow them to rest for 5 minutes without opening the lid of the steamer, otherwise they might deflate.

FAQ'S:

If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess

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