Crispy Chicken Bao

BAO DOUGH INGREDIENTS

The Dry Mix

• 530g middle gluten wheat flour (swapsies, plain flour)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 7g fast-action dried yeast
• 40g caster sugar
• 15g baking powder

The Liquid

• 50g milk
• 200g - 250g warm water (depending on how humid your room feels- if the air feels very dry you’ll want to add a little more water, but if it is very humid, a little less water is required)
• 25g vegetable or sunflower oil

CRISPY CHICKEN FILLING

• 300g Chicken thighs
• Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• Cornflour
• Sriracha Mayo (or any sauce of your choice)
• Easy cucumber/ daikon/ carrot pickle or vegetable filling of your choice
• Oil for deep frying

MAKING THE BAO DOUGH

1. Using a free-standing mixer with a dough hook attachment (if available), pour in the measured-out ‘Dry Mix’ ingredients.

2. Mix ‘The Liquid’ ingredients together in a measuring jug. Then slowly pour the liquid into the mixer while kneading on a low speed for around 2 minutes until all the water is mixed into the flour. Once combined, turn the speed up to high speed for a further 2 minutes until the dough has a smooth-yet-tacky feel to it.

3. Once the dough has been well kneaded, dust with 2 tablespoons of flour, scraping off any additional dough on the sides of the bowl. Shape the dough into a rough ball, and then coat lightly with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, cover the bowl with a damp cloth, and leave aside in a warm, preferably moist, draft-free location (like inside a room temperature oven) for 1 – 1.5 hours.

4. Once the dough has doubled in size, you can then shape it into whatever shape you wish before steaming.

5. Steam times will vary between 8 – 15 minutes depending on the shape and size of your finished buns (the thinner the bun, the shorter the steaming time).