Baked Char Siu Bao (Chinese BBQ Pork Buns)
August 13th, 2025
This Recipe creates 8 servings
Prep Time: 03 hours
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Bao (pronounced \bau\) is a traditional Cantonese bread, and can be prepared in a variety of ways. A bao with no filling is called "mantou" which could be loosely translated to "dinner roll". A bao can also be stuffed with various fillings and then either baked or steamed. A steamed, stuffed bao is called baozi (pronounced \bau·zē\). In this recipe, the bao are stuffed with a sweet and savory Char Siu Pork mixture, finished with an egg wash, and then baked.
Ingredients:
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Milk 54%; Heavy Cream 45%; ADY 2%; Cake Flour 13.6%; Sugar 18%; Salt 2%; 1 Egg;
Dry Dough Ingredients:
3.5 Cups (440 Grams) Bread Flour
1/2 Cup (60 Grams) Cake Flour
1/3 Cup Sugar
1.5 Teaspoons Salt
1 Tablespoon Yeast
Wet Dough Ingredients:
1 Cup Whole Milk
2/3 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Large Egg
Filling:
16 Ounces Chinese Char Siu Roast Pork, fully cooked
1/2 Cup Char Siu Marinade Sauce
1/4 Cup Chicken Stock
2 Tablespoons Bread Flour
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1/2 Cup Red Onion, finely chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil
Bun Topping:
1 Egg
1 Tablespoon Water
1 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds
1 Tablespoon Simple Syrup (1 part boiling Water, 1 part Sugar)
Directions:
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Mix the Dough and Proof
In a mixer bowl, add Bread Flour, Cake Flour, Sugar, Salt, and Yeast.
Whisk until fully integrated.
In a medium bowl, mix together the Heavy Cream and the Milk
Microwave for 1 minute. Whisk in the Egg.
Add the Wet Ingredients into the Dry ingredients.
Run the mixer on the lowest setting until the Dry ingredients and the Wet ingredients are integrated together. Turn off the mixer and use a spatula, if necessary, to help.
Continue to mix (or knead by hand) until the Dough is very sticky. It should stick to the bottom of the bowl, but it should not stick to the sides. If the Dough is sticking to the sides of the mixing bowl, add more Bread Flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time, until the Dough reaches the right consistency.
Turn out the Dough into an Oil coated bowl, shaping the Dough into a ball shape.
Cover the Dough Ball and rest for 90 minutes. The Dough should double in size.
The Filling
Shred or finely chop the Pork into 1/4 inch cubes and reserve for later.
In a small bowl, whisk the Char Siu Marinade Sauce, the Sugar, the Chicken Stock, and the Flour, until fully integrated. Continue to whisk until the Sugar is dissolved into the liquid.
In a small wok, heat 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil over medium heat.
Add the Onion to the Oil and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
Add the Toasted Sesame Oil. Stir and cook until it begins to bubble.
Add the Char Siu Marinade mix.
Reduce the heat to medium low. Stir for 2-3 minutes, until the Sauce begins to thicken.
Add the Roast Pork, mix well, and turn off the heat.
Set the Filling aside to cool.
Put it All Together
Add a dusting of Flour to the work surface and turn out the Dough onto the work surface.
Punch down the Dough. Knead the Dough a few minutes and then shape it again into a Dough Ball.
Separate the Dough Ball into 16 equal Dough Balls. Each Ball should weigh about 60 Grams.
Roll out each Dough Ball into a 4 or 5 inch Circle or Disc.
Ensure that the center of each Disk is slightly thicker than the outer edges.
Arrange 16 jumbo-sized 4 inch baking cups onto 2 large sheet pans.
Carefully add about 2 Tablespoons of Filling to the center of each Dough Disc.
Fold each Dough Disc over, ensuring that the contents do not get on the edges of each Disc.
Pull the edges of each Dough Disc up and crimp the Dough shut, forming a Bao.
Ensure that each Bao is closed, and then place each Bao into one of the baking cups, with the seam down.
Cover with a clean tea towel and allow to rise at room temperature for another hour.
Set the top oven rack in the top third of the oven.
Set the bottom oven rack in the bottom third of the oven.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a small bowl, make the Egg Wash by mixing the Egg with 1 Tablespoon Water. Mix well.
Brush each Bao with the Egg Wash, until the top is fully covered.
Sprinkle each Bao with Sesame Seeds.
Bake the Bao
Move the sheet pans into the oven.
Immediately turn down the oven temperature to 350°F.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Rotate the sheet pans, then bake for another 7 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove the sheet pans from the oven and gently brush each Bao with Simple Syrup while they’re still hot.
Allow each Bao to cool for about 10 minutes.
Serve.
Store refrigerated, in an airtight container, up to 5 days.
To reheat, microwave for 30 seconds.
