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Chinese Hum Bao recipe

belfiore's picture
belfiore

Chinese Hum Bao recipe

Does anyone here have a recipe for Chinese hum bao bread? They're like a sweet bread stuffed dumpling. We had them last year in Seattle at Pike's Place Market and would like to try to make them. My husband is deathly allergic to soy and we have to make a lot of our own breads and this would be fun to try.

Thanks,

Toni

belfiore's picture
belfiore

Thank you so much! I have snagged a few that sound like the Seattle Pike's Place Market treats so I have a starting place to experiemnts...I love science projects!

Toni

althetrainer's picture
althetrainer

I did an online search and this is the picture I got.  Still can be sure what's inside. 

http://nyculinarian.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/dsc02016.jpg

So it's some kind of sweet fillings... red bean or maybe lotus paste? 

Al

mrfrost's picture
mrfrost

From what I can gather, bao means bun(or maybe even just bread). I guess the other part of the name depends on what the filling is.

belfiore's picture
belfiore

Thanks Mr. Frost!

belfiore's picture
belfiore

The ones at Pike's Place Market in Seattle are like a baked dinner roll only larger filled with various things. There are sweet, savory, chicken, pork & beef, and vegetarian fillings, too. The bread itself is similar to Hawaiian sweet bread in taste and texture.

Thanks to everyone for the recipe info.

Toni

belfiore's picture
belfiore

I'm still gathering filling recipes...I've seen a lot of different ones and maybe I'm just hungry, but they all look good :-)

Toni

jennyloh's picture
jennyloh

Al - the picture you have looks like "Char Siew" Bao.  Char Siew "is a cantonese word for barbequed pork.  Its usually grilled with a red sweet sauce.  You can get the ready made sauce from Chinese supermarket - they are called "Char Siew sauce". If you have the sauce, its easy.  Usually use lean back leg meat,  put a good spoonful of char siew sauce,  cover up for first 30 minutes and bake at 180 degrees celsius.  Open up and put more sauce if it is not reddish enough.  Turn to grill or you may keep to bake,  and bake for another 15 minute or so open,  till its a little charred.  Anyone with wood oven grill or charcoal grill,  it will be even better.

Such "Bao" - means buns - may also be filled with red bean,  lotus paste,  or just plain sweet or with milk.

inlovewbread's picture
inlovewbread

Hi Toni,

I know exactly what you're talking about! I used to love to go down to Pike Place and get one of those giant HumBao! Makes me miss living in Seattle....

Anyway, it's been so long since I've had one of those there but as I recall they had a sweet pork/ bbq type filling. I made something very similar the other night and was very pleased with the results. Also, I baked the buns rather than steaming them. 

Baked Chines Bun Dough:

200 g bread flour (I included about 1/3 whole wheat flour)

   3 g salt

 20 g sugar

  4 g instant yeast

100 g warm water

 20 g egg (one large egg)

 20 g butter

Mix flour, yeast, sugar, salt in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender. Mix in egg and water. Knead about 10 min. until silky. I used the Bertinet method to knead as this is a very sticky dough. You could also mix in your machine.

Bulk ferment 50-60 min. or until about 3 times its size.

Fold dough and cut into 8 pieces. (I doubled the above recipe for 8 large buns)

Shape each piece into a ball and rest 10 min. Flatten into discs leaving the centers thicker than the edges. Add filling* and fold into bun sealing the bottom well. (there is a picture demonstration online if you google it how to properly fold the bottom of a chinese bun)

Proof for 40-50 min. Brush with beaten egg and bake on parchment lined baking sheet at 350F for 17-20 min.

*There are also many recipes online for the sweet pork filling. Just pick one you like :-)

Hope this helps. Let me know if you try it!

 

belfiore's picture
belfiore

Thank you very much! My husband is going to bbq a roast for pulled pork so I will definitely try this and let you know! My daughter in WA called today and said they are baked at PPM too.

Sounds yummy.

Toni