EASIEST Bao Bun Recipe
Soft, fluffy, and easier than you think, these homemade bao buns are the perfect base for savory or sweet fillings. This easy steamed bao bun recipe walks you through every step so you can create bakery-style buns right in your own kitchen with simple ingredients and foolproof results. Save this for your next homemade comfort food project.
Servings: 36 buns
Calories: 93kcal
Cost: Varies
Equipment
- Bamboo Steamer Basket see tips below if you don't have a steamer basket
Ingredients
- 3 Cups Water
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Yeast
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Salt
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- 6 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 3 Tablespoons avocado oil or oil of choice
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine water and yeast. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes until dissolved.
- Add salt and vinegar. Mix in flour a cupful at a time until it's all incorporated and creates a shaggy dough.
- Cover your dough with a tea towel and set it on top of the fridge (or a draft-free warm place) to rise for about 2 to 3 hours, or until the dough has at least doubled in size.
- Then, loosely cover it with a lid and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 14 days to allow the gluten to finish developing.
- Prepare your bamboo steamer baskets with a liner and soak the bottom edge of the lowest steam basket in water for 30 minutes.
- Heavily flour your work surface and place ⅓ of the master dough recipe onto the flour. (You can use the remining master dough to make more bao buns or no-knead artisan bread, sticky chocolate cinnamon rolls, and pizza crust for my chicken Alfredo pizza recipe.)
- Press the dough into a disc and add about ¼ cup of flour along with ½ teaspoon baking powder on top.
- Knead the dough for about 3-4 minutes to incorporate both the flour and baking powder until the dough is no longer tacky. Add more flour as needed.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out until it's ¼-inch thick.
- Using a large biscuit cutter (or a Mason jar ring) cut out your bao buns.
- Roll the buns out so they're just a bit larger (if desired).
- Brush the bao buns with oil and fold them in half.
- Using a rolling pin, gently roll over the bun to seal it.
- Gather any remaining dough and repeat steps 4-7 until all buns are formed.
- Place bao buns into the prepared steamer baskets, stack and add the lid.
- Boil water in a large pan on the stove (I'm using my wood stove) and place the steamer basket in the water.
- Be sure the water isn't touching the portion of the basket where the buns are, it should only come up on the “legs” of the basket.
- Steam your bao buns for eight minutes and then remove from the heat.
- Allow them to cool slightly and enjoy!
Notes
Recipe Tips and Troubleshooting:
- Use Parchment Paper - Small parchment squares prevent sticking and make transferring the buns much easier.
- Avoid Overcrowding - Bao buns expand while steaming, so leave enough room between them.
- Keep the Lid Covered - Opening the steamer too early can cause the buns to collapse or wrinkle.
- Let the Dough Rise Fully - Proper rising time creates lighter, fluffier buns with better texture.
- Refrigerator - Store cooled bao buns in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer - Freeze steamed and cooled bao buns in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
- Reheating - Reheat by steaming for 2 to 3 minutes or microwaving under a damp paper towel until soft and warm.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bao bun | Calories: 93kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 298mg | Potassium: 26mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin C: 0.001mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg
