Steamed Bao Buns

Ingredients:

180ml water/milk ~ lukewarm (40 deg C)

60ml vegetable oil

300g HK flour or Plain flour

120g cornflour/cornstarch

5 tbsp sugar

1 tsp instant yeast

2-1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions/Instructions:

1. Bring the water/milk to a near boil.  Remove from heat when beginning to steam & small bubbles form on the side of the pan.  Let it reduce to lukewarm between 80-90 deg.
2. Add the ingredients to the bread machine in the order listed in the ingredient above.  Set the bread machine to dough cycle, let it do the work from there.
3. Once the dough is soft & smooth, kneading by hand for a few more minutes on the kitchen benchtop.  Place the ball of dough back into a clean mixing bowl.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp cloth & let it rise for about 60-90 mins in a warm place.
4. Punch the dough & knead by hand for about 5 mins to release any air bubbles in the dough.  Then roll out the dough until it is about 1cm in height.  Rub some oil onto the surface of the dough.  Use a 3-inch cookie cutter to cut out rounds from the dough.  Re-roll the dough as needed.
5. Place these rounds onto a small sheet of baking paper or white cupcake wrapper, flatten with a rolling pin.  Fold over each round with parchment paper in between & then use a rolling pin to gently flatten the dough to form the bun shape.
6. Place all the shaped buns onto a large tray, cover with a tea towel, and place in a warm place for about 30 mins for the buns to rise again.
7. Meanwhile, prepare the steamer on the stove.  Steam the buns in batches for 10-12 mins or until they are puffy and soft, cooked all the way through.  Serve the buns immediately.