Steamed Pork Buns (Banh Bao) are the most universally appealing snack and you’ll love this easy recipe. While working on this post, I was searching for a few alternative names for this fluffy, steamed bun filled with savory meats. To my pleasant surprise, I learned these delectable buns are quite well-loved in Asian cuisine and are known by many different names. Here are just a few: Bao, Bau, Tai Pao (Cantonese), Baozi (Mandarin), Nikuman (Japanese), Siopao (Filipino), Salapao (Sino-Thai) and Jjinpang Mandu (Korean). If you know this dish by another name, do share! ๐Call it what you will, for me these sweet and savory buns are all about comfort food and childhood memories. I remember my Mom filling my little hands with one of these piping-hot buns as a child. I recall relishing the taste of the pillowy sweet dough perfectly complimenting the savory ground pork and Chinese sausage. The hard-boiled egg was always my favorite–I’d eat that right away and then nibble my way around the rest of the bun…Yum! Even today, these buns are still a special treat for me. No doubt, they take a bit of time to make but I enjoy the entire process. Now, my favorite part is watching my family and friends devour them!
Notes on the Steamed Buns (Banh Bao) Recipe, Tips and Tricks
Always use fresh active dry yeast. If it’s close to the expiration date, don’t use it. Unless you cook with yeast often, avoid buying the larger quantities of yeast in the jars. Buy the single-use packages instead. They will stay fresher longer.
The temperature of the milk should be warm around 105-110 degrees Fahrenheit. If the milk is too hot it will kill the yeast.
For proofing the dough, the oven should be approximately 100 degrees. Covering the dough with a kitchen towel prevents circulating air from affecting the dough as it rises. It also helps to keep the temperature constant.
The dough should approximately double in size after the resting period. If it hasn’t double in size after 1 hour, let it rest for awhile longer until it has doubled in size.
When steaming the buns: to prevent the moisture in the lid from dripping onto the buns, a trick to try is to wrap the lid with a kitchen towel. Otherwise, wipe the lid twice as I showed in the video. When removing the lid, do it in a quick motion and try not to drip any of the water onto the buns. If you see shiny blisters on the buns, this is from dripping water.
If you have time, steam the buns in a single layer rather than a double layer. This way the buns will steam evenly. Alternatively, you can rotate the trays about halfway through the steaming process.
Don’t skip the part about adding vinegar to the water pan. I promise the buns won’t smell like vinegar. The vinegar helps to keep the buns a nice, bright color.
Watch the video for instructions.
If you enjoyed this Steamed Buns (Banh Bao) recipe, you may also like:
Hot Pastry Pie (Pate Chaud)
Fried Breadsticks (Dau Chao Quay)
Baked Pork Buns (Banh Bao Nuong)
Steamed Buns / Banh Bao
Ingredients
for the Dough
1 cup milk
1 tsp sugar
1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
2 cups cake flour
1 cup bread flour
1 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
for the Filling
1 lb ground pork (or any ground meat of your choice)
1/2 cup yellow onions, finely chopped
1/3 cup woodear mushrooms, finely chopped
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp cornstarch
3 large eggs or 12 quail eggs hard-boiled
3 Chinese sausage links
Other Items
12 cupcake liners or 3-inch parchment/wax paper circles
1/4 cup white vinegar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 150-170 degrees Fahrenheit. When it comes to temperature, turn off the oven.
Warm the milk in the microwave for 30 seconds, 45 seconds if the milk is cold. Add 1 tsp sugar and the active dry yeast to the warmed milk. Stir together for 1 minute. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes until foamy.
In a mixing bowl, combine the bread flour and cake flour. Take 1 Tbsp of the flour mixture and combine with the baking powder in a separate bowl. Set aside for now. Add 2/3 cup sugar to the flour mixture and stir together. Stir the milk and yeast mixture and add to the flour mixture along with the vegetable oil. Use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment to combine the ingredients. Mix on Low speed for 2 minutes. Increase the speed to Medium Low and mix for another 2 minutes. Add the flour and baking powder mixture prepared earlier and mix for another minute.
Remove the dough from the stand mixer and gently knead by hand for 2-3 minutes. Place the dough into a large bowl. Coat the dough with a thin layer of vegetable oil. Cover the bowl with a large kitchen towel and then place into the warm oven. Let the dough rest for 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the filling (except the sausage and eggs). Roll into 12 balls.
Lightly flour the work surface. Gently knead the dough for a few minutes. Divide the dough and then roll into 12 even-sized balls. Cover the dough balls with a damp paper towel and let rest for 10 minutes.
Cut each hard-boiled egg into 4 pieces. Cut each Chinese sausage link into 12 thin slices at a diagonal. Set aside for now.
Generously flour the work surface again. Take one of the dough balls and flatten to a 5-inch circle using a rolling pin. Flatten the edge of the circle so it’s thinner than the middle. On top of the dough add 2 sausage slices and then the filling ball. Top with one piece of egg and another sausage slice. Pleat the dough around the bun while pinching it together at the top making sure to cover the filling completely. Twist the dough at the top of the bun to secure it. Pat the bun to round out the shape. Place the bun on the cupcake/muffin liner. Continue making the buns until all 12 are made. Place the buns into the steamer trays, leaving about 1-inch between each bun.
Prepare the steamer by filling the bottom basin halfway with water. Add the white vinegar to the water and then bring to a rapid boil over High heat. Add the steamer trays. Wipe the moisture from the lid before covering the steamer. Lower the heat to Medium High and steam the buns for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the lid and wipe out the moisture again. Cover and continue steaming for another 10 minutes. The total steaming time is 20 minutes.
Remove the buns from steamer. Allow to cool slightly before enjoying.
The buns can be reheated in a steamer or microwave. To warm in a microwave, wrap a bun in a moistened paper towel and cook on High for 1 minute.
Store remaining buns in the refrigerator. They are best if consumed within the week. The steamed buns can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Yields: 12 buns
I made these today with my younger brother for the first time! They were very delicious and so fluffy. The meat was juicy and perfectly seasoned. Thank you for the recipe ๐
Can I use fast rise yeast?? Please advice
Yes, this works too.
Hi Trang! Iโve made your recipe twice already and it turned out perfect. However, this past weekend my dough would not form. I tried so many times Iโve lost count. It just ends up soupy. Any tips? Would you happen to have the weight measurements for the ingredients so that I can use a kitchen scale instead ? Thank you so much for your recipes and accompanying videos. Iโve made a handful of your other recipes and my family truly enjoys them.
Hi Trang,
I’ve tried your recipe multiple times and I’ve found that I’ve had to add more milk into the dough because of the dry climate we have in Calgary. I’ve also tried substituting the oil for lard and they turned out amazing. Thanks again for the recipe!
Hi Stephanie,
So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Great job with making the necessary adjustments for the dough. I’ll bet the lard made the buns pillowy soft. ๐ Thanks for sharing your recipe variation.
I have 2 questions:
1. What sugar substitute do you recommend to use in the flour mix that wil not leave an after taste or alter the taste of the buns)? I woud like to incorporate natural sugar. Is Stevia powder for baking okay?
2. Can I use olive oil instead of vegetable oil?
Hi Kim,
I haven’t tried using a sugar substitute in this recipe. However, based on what I know about sugar substitutes with baked goods, I think a Stevia baking blend would work in this recipe. Olive oil is just fine too. I hope you try the recipe with your substitutions and stop back to share your results. Good Luck!
Dear Runawayrice,
The top of my banh bao keeps cracking and opens up. I have pinched the top but it doesnโt always work. Please advise.
Hi Jojo,
It sounds like the dough may be a bit dry or perhaps the steam isn’t reaching the top of the buns to keep them moist. Make sure there is plenty of steam circulating in the steamer to keep the entire bun moist. Are you using a steamer tray with tiny holes or larger holes? Are you steaming too many buns at a time and covering up all the holes? Are you steaming just a single layer of buns at a time?
Trang,
For the dough, you listed “2/3 cup sugar”. Just want to verify if it is so or 2/3T of sugar.
Thank You.
Hi Trang,
It’s 2/3 cup sugar. The banh bao dough is a sweet dough so that’s why it may seem like a lot of sugar. Good Luck with the recipe and please stop back to share your results! ๐
This is a great recipe. Thank you so much.
Thank you! I am glad you like the recipe!
Hi chi . Can I use beef? And does it tast the same.
Hi Jennifer,
Beef has a stronger flavor than pork, but if you like it, go for it! Enjoy!
Hi Trang,
I love your recipes with the videos accompaniment. Visual is always good. I had great success with 3 of the recipes from your website. For some reason I ran into a few challenges with this recipe: the buns doesn’t come out as white even though I used vinegar in the steam water. Also cooking it for 20 minutes does not cook the meat adequately, the pork still has a pinkish tone when cut in the center. I had to cook it for another 20 minutes ( I happen to share my problem with the meat being undercooked to my mom and she told me that my grandmother usually steam the banh bao for 40 to 45 minutes ). Does the meat has to be at room temperature before assembling it? Are there any other things that I may have overlooked? I followed your recipes as written. Thank you for sharing and developing great recipes on your website!
Le
Hi Le,
I am glad to hear you’ve had success with my recipes and the videos are helpful. Regarding the Steamed Pork Buns, the best way to check to see if the pork is cooked is using a food thermometer. Generally, pork is safe to eat when it reaches 145-150 degrees (this has changed over the years from 165 degrees F). Also, when pork is wrapped up or sealed from circulating air, it often has a pinkish hue even though it’s fully cooked. The process of making the buns allows enough time to remove any chill from the meat so nothing else special is needed. Lastly, the buns may not be snowy white if you’re using an unbleached bread flour. I hope that helps and you’ll give the recipe another try. ๐
I love these buns! I’ve always wanted to make these ahead but I heard that cooked eggs don’t freeze well.Do the eggs get rubbery when you reheat from frozen?
Hi Jeanine,
Yes, hard-boiled eggs get a bit rubbery when they’re frozen and thawed but it’s not bad. The buns are still pretty tasty.