Black Sesame Steamed Baos
Black sesame steamed buns are a combination of soft buns with a sweetly rich, nutty black sesame filling. Instead of an inside filling these are spread evenly on the bun and assembled so the filling is layered and each bite will have a nice kick of sweet black sesame filling.
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cup all-purpose flour 256 grams
- ¾ cup warm water 180 grams
- 1 tsp sugar 4 grams
- 1 tsp baking powder 4 grams
- 1 tsp active yeast 3 grams
Black Sesame Filling
- 4 tbsp black sesame seeds
- ⅛ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter softened (For spreading on the dough)
Instructions
The dough
- In the stand mixer's inner mixing bowl combine the flour, ½ cup water, sugar, baking powder, yeast and salt. Use the dough hook and knead for 8 minutes. If the dough is dry add 1 tbsp of water at a time. Mix until the dough is smooth.
The filling
- In a small frying pan toast the black sesame seeds over medium heat. Toast until fragrant and stir frequently. The sesame seeds should be slightly rounded once toasted. Remove from heat.
- In a food processor pulse with sugar and salt until the seeds release oil and all the ingredients form a paste.
Rolling the dough
- Take the dough and roll it into a rectangle (15-inch X 10-inch).
- Take the softened butter and spread it over the rectangular dough.
- Take the black sesame filling and spread it evenly over the rolled-out dough.
Folding and cutting the dough
- Using both hands take the bottom corners and fold the edge up 1/3 of the way. Now take the top corner and fold it down 1/3 of the way.
- Take a sharp knife and cut the folded dough into 12 equal rectangular pieces. I start by cutting down mid way and moving one half tot he top. Make 6 even cuts so you get a total of 12 pieces.
Assemble and proof bao
- Take 2 rectangular pieces. Stack one on top of another. Using a chopstick press is down lengthwise. Take the ends and pull to stretch it out a bit. Folding down the ends. Stick the chopsticks under the bend and twist 45 degrees and press the bao down on flat surface.
- Repeat until all 6 baos are done.
- Place in the steamer and proof for 1.5 hours. They won’t double in size but should be more puffier. Make sure the inside of the steamer is humid. Add hot/warmer water to ensure it proofs.
Steam
- Turn the stove and let the water boil. Set time for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off remove the lid. Let it cool and enjoy.
Notes
Grind the black sesame finely. The black sesame filling should be finely ground to help bring out as much of the flavor as possible. In the food processor if you have ground it down enough the oils from the sesame seeds will come out. In the food processor, the ground black sesame will begin to build up on the side of the food processor. I use a spatula to scrape it down and
Use a chopstick to assemble the buns. The chopstick will help lif the pleats up and also when you create the twist near the end it will help you press the bun down to hold the shape.
Proof for at least one hour. The buns to proof double in size. Once it reaches the size you can start steaming.
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