Ingredients:

For the Tangzhong starter:

2 1/2 tbsp/25 g pau flour

125 ml water

For the pau

All the Tangzhong starter

240 ml water(do not use all, leave 2 tbsp for adjustment - you might have to use more than this
amount)
5 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp shortening
1 tsp double action baking powder
3 1/2 cups/480 - 500 gms pau flour
1 tsp instant yeast.

Method:

For the Tangzhong Starter:

Measure 125 ml tap water in a glass measuring pyrex jug and whisk in 2 1/2
tbsp pau flour until there is no lumps.

Microwave on high for 30 seconds ( 20 seconds - if you are having a higher

wattage microwave). Stir well and continue to microwave on high for another
30 seconds - stirring after every 10 seconds to get the roux to a temperature of
about 65 c/150f.

For pau:
Put all the ingredients into the breadmachine bowl starting with the list above
accordingly, starting with the starter and ending with the yeast on top of the
flour.
Choose the dough function on the bread machine and press start.

In the initial stage of kneading, check if the dough is binding, add the
remaining 2 tbsps of water or add more if necessary. Do not add too much as
if the dough is too soft, the pau will not have a nice shape.
Prepare the filling while the breadmachine is having all the fun.

When the fun is over in about 1 1/2 hour, the breadmachine will beep and you
can start shaping the paus.

Cut into equal portions and roll all the portions into a very thin circle before
wrapping in filling.

Wrap the first circle and so forth. Let it rise for 20 minutes.

Heat up the steamer and when water is rolling hot, steam small buns for 7 - 8
minutes and big ones for 12 - 15 minutes.
Yeast dough

Ingredients A :
500 gm pau flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon of powdered yeast
80 gm castor sugar
1 cup of water, or slightly more
3 tablespoon shortening

Ingredient B : 1 tablespoon Double-action baking powder

Mix all ingredients A and using a dough hook, knead on medium

speed for about 10 minutes. Add just enough water so you get a
soft dough. The dough will turn out smooth and wont stick at all to
the sides of your mixer bowl or to your fingers. Let the dough rest
for about 1 to 2 hours, till it is double in size. Sprinkle B on the
dough and knead again till all is evenly distributed. Let the dough
rest for another 15 minutes before shaping. This is the basic dough
for making pau, and you can use this with any filling you like.

use Pau or Hong Kong flour, or any low protein flour. Not all
purpose flour.
use shortening instead of butter to get the white appearance.
make sure the water is boiling with lots of steam before placing
the pau in.
do not steam too long, 8 minutes for small pau and for big ones,
not more than 15 minutes.
place them far apart so it doesnt stick to one another while
steaming ( learn this from my own mistake).
no opening of lids to check on the pau while steaming.
be careful when removing the pau so the water doesnt drip
onto it.
do not overproof the pau or youll end up with buns having lots
of holes..
some say to avoid wrinkles on the pau skin, let a little steam
escape before totally removing the lid (dont know if this is true
or not).
Ingredients for dough:
Bun:

8g instant dry yeast

160ml lukewarm water
tsp white vinegar or lemon juice (optional)280g low-protein flour
aka hong kong flour
100g wheat starch
90g icing sugar
30g shortening or vegetable oil10g baking powder
10ml cold water

Fillings:

A
250g char siew, diced
tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp sugar*
1 small onion, diced
1 tbsp oyster sauce*
1 tbsp soy sauce*
1 tsp. sesame oil
1-2 drops red food colouring (optional)

B
150 ml water
1 tbsp corn flour
Salt to taste

*Some store-bought char siew comes with sauce, use it for

preparing filling. Omit sugar, oyster sauce and soy sauce.

Method:
Fillings:
1. Heat oil in pan, saut onion for 1 to 2 minutes. Add in all other
ingredients A, stir fry for 1 minutes.
2. Mix together water with corn flour, add mixture into the pan and
stir well. Simmer until gravy is thickened.
3. Transfer to plate and allow to cool.
4. Divide filling into 16 portions if desired, set aside for later use.
Buns:

1. Sift together flours and icing sugar. Place sifted flour mixture in a
large mixing bowl and make a well in the middle.

2. Fill well with lukewarm water, vinegar and yeast. Use a spatula,
gently stir the water to dissolve the yeast then slowly bring together
flour mixture.

3. Add in shortening or oil and knead for 10-15 minutes until soft
dough is formed. It should be smooth on the surface.

4. Cover dough with damp cloth and let it rise for 30 minutes or until
it is doubled in size. I used bread makers dough mode to prepare
my dough up to this step.

5. Dissolve baking powder in cold water, sprinkle over dough and

knead until well combined. Divide dough into 16 equal portions and
flatten with a rolling pin to make a 3 circle. Then place a heap
teaspoon of filling in the middle, wrap and pleat the dough to seal.
Place it on a 1.5 square parchment paper, seal side up.

6. Arrange buns into a steamer, leave about 1 gab in between buns.

Spray water mist over buns, and steam in a preheated steamer on
high heat for 12 minutes. Remove buns from steamer and cool on
rack to prevent soggy bottom.

Cooks Notes:
1. If bigger bun is desired, divide dough into 12 equal portions in
step 5.
2. There is no need to rest the dough after adding in baking powder,
but if time allowed, rest it for 10 minutes or so to get fluffier buns.
3. Adding a few drops of vinegar into steaming water will produce
whiter buns, but this is optional.
4. Steamer must be preheated otherwise bun would not rise to the
volume as it should be.
5. Spray the surface of bun with water mist helps to produce buns
with smooth surface after steamed.
6. DO NOT open the lid during the steaming process.
7. If there are yellowish spots on the steamed buns, it means the
baking powder is not fully dissolved.