Hong Kong Bakery Style Baked BBQ Meat Bun - Char Siew Chan Bao

I grew up eating Hong Kong style bun even though I was no where near Hong Kong at the time. Thanks to the British, Hong Kong bakery style bread and pastry are very much influenced by its colonial past. After all, it was not until 1997 when the island was eventually returned to mainland China. The popularity of Hong Kong bakery style bun in Asia is phenomenal. Almost all modern day bakeries in the Asia Pacific region sell buns like these.

The distinction between Hong Kong bakery style bread and the west is the filled buns. Unlike the coveted freshly baked loaves of baguettes, rye, or pumpernickel, the Asian bakery boost its scrumptious petite looking sweet or savory filled buns. The only plain loaf available in these bakeries will be sandwich bread. I always thought it was strange that the filled bun culture did not catch on here in the States. Its closest comparison will be a submarine sandwich, only a lot smaller and with the filling baked into the bun instead of being assembled on after the bread is baked.

Another distinct feature of these buns is its soft and light texture, as the bakers used the water roux method in making the bun dough. The method simply combines water and flour, cooked over medium heat till gluey. The addition of the flour-water mix helps to develop gluten in the bread whilst keeping the bun moist and light. You do not want a hard crust to develop on these buns as it is meant to come out soft. Simply put, these buns are the perfect meal on the go. No cutlery or napkin required.

Hong Kong Style Baked BBQ Meat Bun or Char Siew Charn Bao
Ingredients

For Water Roux
50g bread flour
250ml water


For Bread Dough
285g King Arthur's Bread Flour
60g sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 egg, beaten
84ml warm milk
84ml prepared water roux
40gm softened butter

For Chinese BBQ Pork Filling
2 1-inch thick boneless pork chops or chicken breast
1 Tbsp Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry
1/2 tsp 5 spice powder
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar

2 shallots, finely chopped
2 Tbsp cooking oil
4 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp cold water

For glaze
1/2 beaten egg
1 Tbsp sugar + 1 Tbsp water

Directions

Step 1: Prepare filling for bun. In a bowl, combine diced meat with all the seasoning ingredients. Add in sugar last. Mix well to combine. Refrigerate for an hour or more.

Step 2: In a hot pan, heat 2 Tbsp oil over medium high heat. Saute shallots till golden brown.

Step 3: Add in the meat. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When filing is cooked, combined corn starch and water to make a slurry. Slowly, add in slurry while stirring. Cook for another minute till sauce has thickened and appears gluey.

Step 4: Dish filling into a bowl. Let cool completely. Refrigerate. Filling can be make up to 2 days ahead of time.

Step 5: Prepare water roux. Combine water and flour in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat. Whisk constantly till mixture forms a paste, about 3-5 mins. Dish out into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool. Water roux can be made ahead of time and store in the refrigerator for at least 3 days.

Step 6: In a bread machine, combine milk, water roux, beaten eggs, softened butter, sugar and salt.

Step 7: Add in flour and yeast. Set bread machine to dough cycle.

Step 8: As soon as dough comes together, remove from bread machine. Place dough in a well greased bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel and let rise in a warm place for 40 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the weather.

Step 9: This is my dough after an hour as it is hot and humid out. If the weather at your place is similar, shorten the proofing time to 40 minutes.

Step 10: Cut dough into 12 pieces. Flatten dough with your hands to form a 4-inch diameter round. Place 2 heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of dough. Crimp edges together to seal. Placed form bun, crimp side down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment. (Sorry, no pics there. Fingers were extremely greasy!)

Step 11: Cover dough with a clean kitchen towel. Let rise for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F or 176C.

Step 12: Once second proofing is done, mist the bun using a spray bottle filled with clean cold water.

Step 13: Brush the remainder beaten egg on buns. Bake for 18 minutes. Remove bun from oven. Glaze with sugar and water mix. Return buns to oven and bake for another 3-5 minutes till done.

Step 14: Let bun cool for 10 minutes before serving. It keeps well in the refrigerator for 5 days. To reheat, simply place in a preheated 350F oven for 5 minutes or nuke in the microwave oven for 1 minute.

The best part about making your own Char Siew Charn Bao at home is the amount of sauce and filling you can place inside the bun. Believe me, you will not find any bakery out there selling these buns with the amount of filling you see in this picture.