Steamed Buns (baozi, 包子 in Mandarin)

We made our first attempt at homemade pho, which left us with a fairly large chunk of boiled brisket. My friend, Zoe, told me not to worry--make baozi! She texted me her recipe for the buns and we got to chopping up our brisket. We tried the filling two ways. They were both so delicious, the prize for best filling is...it's a tie!

For the buns:

1 cup warm water

2 teaspoons yeast

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon sugar

3 cups all purpose flour

Combine everything through the sugar and stir until yeast is dissolved. Stir in flour. Knead the dough for about 2-3 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cover, and place in a warm, dry place until dough has risen and doubled in size.

Punch down the risen dough and divide into 16 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and roll out into about a 4-inch circle. Fill each circle with about 2 tablespoons of filling and pinch closed at the top. Arrange in your steamer, cover and let rest about 20 minutes so they can rise and fill the space.

Place steamer in a pan of water and steam for about 20 minutes.

Serve immediately, or let cool and then freeze in a gallon freezer bag for later use. They warm up great in the microwave, 1 or 2 at a time.

For the BBQ filling:

1/2 of the boiled beef brisket, chopped

Your favorite BBQ sauce (we like Stubbs Smoky Mesquite)

Stir up the meat chunks and BBQ sauce in a bowl, and use 8 equal parts to fill the bao.

For the Ginger filling:

1/2 of the boiled beef brisket, chopped

3-4 inches peeled ginger root, diced

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

juice of one lime

Combine meat chunks and everything else in a bowl, and use 8 equal parts to fill the bao.

NOTES:

- Remember to leave space for the buns to rise again, after they are filled and in the steamer. They need to rise before you steam them.

- Don't worry too much about how pretty your pinching looks, the buns are forgiving.

- When warming up from frozen, cover them to contain the escaping steam. I use a small plate, with a bowl upside down over the buns. Microwave 2 buns on high for 90 seconds. Add 30 seconds for each additional bun that you are cooking together.

- I used instant yeast, which you stir into the flour. If you are used to working with it, this recipe works perfectly fine using instant yeast.