This popular street food originated in Fuzhou (Fujian Province) in Southern China, and was brought over to Taiwan by Fuzhounese immigrants. The filling can be ground pork or beef, seasoned with soy sauce, sugar, white and/or black pepper, and lots of minced scallions. The dough is comprised of two parts: the first is yeast-based (made in a stand mixer in this recipe); and the second is cake flour mixed with lard, which gives the buns their flaky consistency. You can substitute with vegetable shortening, but nothing beats the flavor of lard! The buns are typically baked in a clay oven similar to an Indian tandoori oven but, for the home cook, baking them in a conventional oven works fine. The filling in this version also includes five spice powder, sesame oil, garlic and rice wine. As a time saver, all of the scallions are mixed into the filling rather than separately mounded on top of each bun's filling before the dough is crimped and sealed.
Filling:
1 lb. ground pork
1/2 tsp. five spice powder
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. white pepper
1 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. soy sauce
3 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. rice wine
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
8 scallions (1 bunch), chopped
Part 1 of Bun Ingredients:*
1 cup + 2 tbsp. warm water
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. active dry yeast (1 pkt.)
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
Part 2 of Bun Ingredients:
5 tbsp. lard (room temperature)
3/4 cup cake flour
1/2 cup toasted white sesame seeds
2 tbsp. water + 1 tbsp. sugar
*PUFF PASTRY ALTERNATIVE: Preheat oven to 400F. Use 2 pkgs defrosted puff pastry dough. Cut each sheet into 4 equal circles using a 5" ring; add a heaping 2 tablespoons of meat filling in the middle; fold the dough over and crimp to seal on the bottom. You may be able to get an extra circle of dough with the leftover pastry bits. Press the top of each bun with your hand slightly to flatten. Brush the top with sugar water, then press into the sesame seeds to cover. Place the buns onto a non-stick foil-lined baking sheet. Preheat oven to 400F and bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned; immediately remove from oven and let cool.
Filling:
Combine all the filling ingredients together in a bowl; mix the filling using chopsticks or a fork, stirring clockwise constantly until the mixture is sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
Part 1 of the Bun Dough:
With a whisk, mix together the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add 1 cup + 2 tbsp. warm water then mix at low speed with a dough hook on low speed about 5-8 minutes or until the dough is smooth.
Cover the bowl and let rest 30 minutes in a warm place (I like to put it in the oven previously preheated to 100F, then turned off).
Part 2 of the Bun Dough:
Place the lard and cake flour together in a bowl and mix well to combine; set aside.
1. Turn out Part 1 of the raised bun dough onto a lightly floured surface, pat into an oblong shape then roll out into a rectangle about 1/4" thick.
2. Spread Part 2 of the bun dough (lard and pastry flour mix) over the rectangle.
3. From the long edge of the dough, roll it up tightly like you would a jelly roll and then pinch the ends closed to seal. Cover the roll with a towel and let rest 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 400F. Take the filling out of the refrigerator and portion out with a spoon into 8 equal parts.
5. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into 8 pieces. Crimp the edges of the cut surfaces of each piece, then roll into a log, then curl into a snail shape (see photos below).
6. Flatten each piece with the palm of your hand then roll into a circle, 1bout 1/4" thick.
7. Place one portion of the filling into the center of the dough circle, then enclose the dough over the filling, then pinch and crimp the top to close. Turn the bun over in the palm of your hand so the pinched side is down; smooth and press down on the bun slightly.
8. Brush the top of the bun with sugar water then press into the sesame seeds to cover; place each bun on a foil-lined baking sheet (crimped side down); bake for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is golden.
Part 1 of the dough. Using a stand mixer speeds up the process of kneading.
Combine the lard with the cake flour.
Roll the rested part 1 of the dough into a 1/4" rectangle, then spread the lard-cake flour mixture over the top.
Roll the dough up tightly like a jelly roll, cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
Cut the dough into 8 pieces.
Pinch the ends of each piece together to seal.
Roll each piece slightly into a log, the curl up into a snail shape.
Flatten the dough, then roll out into a 1/4" thick circle.
Place one portion of the filling into the center.
Pinch up the edges over the filling, then crimp to seal.
Crimp/pinch the dough on the top to close the bun.
Turn the bun over on the palm of your hand so that the crimped side is on the bottom; press slightly to flatten. Brush the top with sugar water, then press into the sesame seeds to cover.
Arrange the buns on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes or until the tops are golden.
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