Home Testing Honey Tsa Sao Bao - Chinese Honey BBQ Pork Buns - 3 Cups Flour Method

I am no sure where I got this recipe for the BBQ Pork Buns now.  It's been a while since I typed up the draft copy.
Try it and see.
Concept:
The dough is mixture of medium strength flour.  Basically, the pastry flour.  In the Chinese cook book, it says, ZON ZONG FA MIEN - Medium gluten raised dough
This formula uses half the dough saved from previous product and half of the new product dough.  Basically a Preferment saved from the previous dough, then, half of the new dough are mixed together.     If you have no plan to make the Bao two days in a row or make something else the next day, just do the Preferment and on the next day cut the Dough recipe into half instead of 3 Cups, etc.

 

The dough is 1 time plus 1/2  (preferment - a day old)

Make - 12 BAO
Preferment dough - A day before.
1-1/2 Cups - Pastry Flour - Use only 2-1/2 Cup in a large mixing bowl.   Save 1/2 C aside for work surface.
1/2 Tbsp of Yeast
1/2 Tbsp of sugar
1/4 tsp of Sea Salt 

 Total of 1/2 C of warm water:  Mix all dry mixture with 1/3 Cup of warm water.  Add the rest as needed to form a soft dough.
Mix the flour into shaggy dough with chop sticks or large spatula or with your hand.  Knead for 2 min
Add more water a  bit at a time to form into a soft dough.
Place in lightly greased plastic bag. 
Place in refrigerator overnight.

Next Day -
DOUGH:  Enough to make preferment for next day's product.  Otherwise, cut the formula into half
 3 Cups - Pastry Flour - Use only 2-1/2 Cup in a large mixing bowl.   Save 1/2 C aside for work surface.
1 Tbsp of Yeast
1 Tbsp of sugar
1/2 tsp of Sea Salt
Mix 1 Cup of warm water, but save 1/4 C.
Mix the flour into shaggy dough with chop sticks or large spatula or with your hand.
Add more water a  bit at a time to form into a soft dough.

After making the new dough, combine the new and preferment dough.  Knead well - about 2 min.  Place in lightly greased plastic bag.   Rest in Refrigerator - at least for 30 minute.
Bring out the dough and divide them into 1/3 each.    Save 1/3 of the dough away in a plastic bag tightly and place in refrigerator for next day project.

DOUGH PREPARATION:

To make MI ZXE TSA SAO BAO,   This is without using the purchased BBQ - Tsa Sao / Chia Xiu pork.

Add 1/3 C warm water in a medium bowl.

With hand shred the whole dough into golf ball size chunks.  Just shred into the water. 

Then, add 1-1/2 C Flour (Preferably Pastry Flour or the low gluten flour)

4 TB sugar

2 tsp Baking Powder

Mix all together with Chop sticks.  The dough will look shaggy.

Then, take the dough out to the work surface - no flour on the work surface.

Add 2 TB Oil to the dough, then, start Kneading the dough until all oil is mixed in.

Your hand should not be sticky when the dough is nice and smooth and the dough would not stick to the work surface.  It means the dough is ready.

Cover and rest the dough for 5 minutes.

Prepare the filling:

Premix 1 TB flour, 2 TB Corn flour (corn starch), with 1/2 C water.  Set it aside.

Chop 1 medium onion

1/2 Kg Pork Loin - dice into small cubes

Add 3 TB Oil into a wok and stir fry onions and pork cubes.
 Stir fry till they are slightly browned and aromatic;
Add 2-3 TB Oyster Sauce; 3 TB Soy Sauce; 3 TB sugar. 

Add food color paste if you want, but I didn't; Beet juice is an alternative to make it red in color.

Add flour slur - cook till the meat mixture is thickened.

Cool and refrigerate.

Slice the dough into 12 pieces on floured work surface.

Roll the dough into THICK disc.  Thick in center, but "slightly" thinner at outer edge, but not 'thin".

Fill the dough.

Fan fold the dough, but Do Not Close the folded dough - Leave the opening at the top. 

Or close the dough and Invert the dough in the palm of your hand and roll the dough between the palms of your hand.  Place the bao on the cut parchment paper.   Using scissor, cut the top open - but not too big.

Steam for 12 min in High Heat.

Remove the steamer basket still with lid on from the steamer pot.  

Wait 1 minute.  Then, remove the lid off

The ones with crisscross opening did not open up like the ones purchased at the market or at the restaurant, but the formula turned out pretty good.   And I don't believe in those Snow White BAO you eat at the Dim Sum Gio Row - meaning at the restaurants that serves Dim Sum where Chia Xiu Bao's dough is 'Snow White'.  I don't care if you add liquid milk or powder milk, it is inconceivable without adding titanium.  Anyone succeeded in making a Snow White bun without additive, please show me.  I would like to test out the formula.

Here is an the original notes I took: 

Basic dough: 

Flour - 3 C

Sugar - 2 Tbsp

Yeast - 1-1/2 tsp

Water - 1-1/4 C

Oil - 1 Tbsp

Combine everything except oil.   Combine with chop sticks until water is absorbed; then add oil. Knead until smooth.  

Cover and proof for 25 to 30 min.  Place in oiled plastic bag and tightly close the bag and leave in refrigerator for 2 hours for low temp proofing method.  

For ZON ZONG FASHIAO FA - for Preferment method - divide the dough into two, and place each in oiled plastic bag, refrigerate for 4 hours or more in plastic bag.

Then for ZON ZONG MIEAN TWUAN:          MIEAN ZONG - 1 portion

Water - 1-1/4 C  - add only 1-1/8 C first and reserve 1/8 C and use it only if needed.

Sugar 2 Tbsp

Flour 3 C

Yeast - 1/2 tsp

Mix sugar and yeast into water.  Hand shred MIEAN ZONG and add pieces into the mixture.  Add flour, then mix with chopsticks.   Start kneading the dough until smooth.  

Cover and place in warm place for about 10 to 15 min.  Take 1/3 of the dough can be used for cold MIEAN ZONG.

Use the rest to make various type of pastries that requires ZON ZONG MIEAN TUWAN. 

Mid-Year Reflections on Home Made Food

Since I started on this blogging many years ago, I've tried several recipes from here and there, etc.   From time to time, I looked at my kitchen gadgets and wondered often why do I have so many of them.  Just recently, I was viewing the 10 things this and that you should know or avoid at YouTube sites.  And they reminded me why I have those gadgets and recipes and formulas when I could just go out and buy them.  It's because they got all these wierd additives and drivatives made from - "Surprise!", and I don't think none of us like those surprise I-Cysteine, dough conditioner, in our flour or in our baked goods.  What is I-Cysteine made from?  Check it yourself.  Then there is the Red food color... why I want to find a way to produce it from Beets, Cherries, etc. myself, instead of buying food made with food color or 'Carmine";  And those Vanilla flavored ice-cream made from Castoreum.   
So, again, I have to vamp up my energy and continue with my home cooking and not being lazy to give in.
(These are just some of the pics from the past years.  Hmm... Yum!!)

Fun with Hydrodipping at Home

My grandson and his uncle had a fun time this summer hydro dipping.  It's a water transfer of printing film of various pattern onto an object.  It was fun watching the process.  My grandson decided to test on some rubber duckies he had.  Once a basin is filled with water, a printing film is placed on the water afloat.  Film activator is sprayed onto it, then, an object is dipped into transfer the image onto itself. 

Getting it ready with activator spray.

It can get stuck onto your hands too.  Just wash/scrub them off with soap and water.

What's your fun with your children?
Next, Lego / Brick Fest in Sacramento on September 23, 24.

Japanese Baked Pastry - MATCHA MANJU

This is my second take on Japanese pastry - MANJU, while I enjoy the steamed version of MANJU, I tasted a very tasty baked KURI MANJU (MANJU with chestnuts and red bean paste) the other week. It was for Japanese food bazaar.  It tasted so good.  I want to try making it myself, except I don't have cooked chestnuts, so this is MATCHA Bean Paste MANJU.  

This is not a very good recipe that I tried.  I got it from one of the YouTube blogger.  But nevertheless, it's worth studying.
Makes 8 to 10
Bean Filling:
Drain two cans of white kidney beans - Cannelini Beans - 15.5 oz or 435g - drained and rinsed.
1/2 C sugar in food processor, 1 Tbsp MATCHA powder, add strained beans.
Process till smooth.
Over a low heat in a small pot, with a heat proof spatula, heat the bean paste until it can hold up on a spoon without spreading off.  Basically heat over low heat to dehydrate the watery paste good enough to form into ball shape.
With 1 inch cookie dough scoop or with hand, form the bean paste into a ball.
Option is to buy Red Bean paste (AZUKI) from Asian market - heat over low heat to dehydrate enough to form into balls.
DOUGH:
Shift 3-1/2 oz Cake Flour Plus 1/2 C more for kneading with 1/2 tsp baking soda.
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt.
Food Processor:  1 whole large egg, 1-1/2 Tbsp butter, soft; 1/2 tsp water; Add 3-1/2 oz shifted flour.  Process till dough forms.
Place in a plastic bag and refrigerate for 30 min.
Take the dough out on a floured work surface and knead the rest of 1/2 C cake flour in.
Roll into 1 inch rope.  Slice into 8 to 10 pieces.  Roll into balls.
Cover and rest for 15 min.
Take one dough and flatten between the palms of your hand into a disc.  While the dough disc is still in the center or your palm, place filling in the middle.  Cuddle the dough around the filling and start working the dough by slow push upward with the palm while hold down the filling with right fingers.  Slowly turn the dough while cuddling upward and pushing filling down until the opening closes.
Place on top of baking sheet covered with parchment paper or silpat.
Preheat oven to 325'F after making six.
Prepare Egg Wash:  1 large beaten egg yolk mixed with 2 tsp of milk.  Apply egg wash.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if you have any.
Bake at 325'F for 10 min*, then raise the temperature to 400'F and bake for 10 min* or just till the top browns beautifully.   Be mindful of your oven's BTU power - Your MANJU might get browned beautifully after 15 min at 325'F.

I think I like the steam MANJU better.  And I think I need to study different dough formula.
It was fun.

Homemade Bagels and Pretzels

Lions and tigers and Bagels and Pretzels... they are the best when they are homemade.. of course, not the lions and tigers, but just like the home baked Matcha Hokkaido Loaves, you don't have to be concern with this and that unwanted additives.
Simple combinations of ingredients - flour, yeast, water, and your favorite toppings would satisfy your family's cravings for the chewy soft pretzel snacks or breakfast bagels.

 

 

Cover and let dough rise double in size. 

Bench Rest 5 min. after portioning.

Form into shape.  Place on top of Silpat.

 Cover with slightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise 1-1/2 time its size.

 Bring a pot of water to boil, then, bring down to simmer.
Carefully pick up a dough off the Silpat with flat strainer ladle and scoop the dough into simmering water.

 Cook 2 min. each side.
Remove to Silpat.  Preheat oven to 450.
When, the dough are bit cool-not steaming, apply egg wash.  In my case, because I forgot to add the chopped Japapeno into dough, I sprinkled them on top of the egg washed bagel dough.

 Ready for baking in hot preheated oven.

 Do the same for Pretzels.

 After applying egg wash, sprinkle poppy seeds and maybe a bit of coarse sea salt, for example.

 Bake!

 Yum!!!

 Awesome!

 The next morning? naaa... let's cut one open ... Wow! nice texture.

 Let's get some homemade Prickly Pear jelly and avocado slices.

 Let's bite into it!

 Pretzel is just as tasty with Deli mustard!

How about a chocolate dipped pretzels, the next time?