During the pandemic social distancing I have been trying to make the buns for Chinese steamed fluffy pork buns served at Dim Sum houses. I have made some breads and buns that I have enjoyed, but the recipes I have been using have not produced the right fluffy bread texture. Some more reading online revealed that these buns are traditionally made with a special low gluten flour that you can generally only find at Asian markets. However, there is recipe in Saveur that claims that this low gluten flour can be mimicked by adding Corn Starch to the flour.

I made two bun filling: sauteed oyster mushrooms finished with a balsamic glaze; and a mix of tofu, chives and napa kimchi. Both of the bun styles were delicious, and the texture of the sauteed oyster mushrooms convinced me that I could use them to make a vegan Chinese style BBQ pork filling (Char Sui). The bread bun was a lot fluffier than my prior attempts and tasted great, but they still did not achieve the fluffiness of the buns served at dim sum joints.

Bun Dough Ingredients:

¹⁄₂ tsp. active dry yeast

2 ¹⁄₄ cups all-purpose flour (12 oz.)

³⁄₄ cup cornstarch (4 oz.)

¹⁄₄ cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

3 tbsp. butter or margarine

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast and 1 cup lukewarm water. Set aside until small bubbles begin to form, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, sift the flour, cornstarch, sugar, and baking powder. Add the flour mixture and butter to the yeast mixture and mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms, about 6 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-low and mix until smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Let rest at least 10 minutes.

---