Baked Barbecued Pork Puffs (Char Siu Puffs/ Su)

The first time I made this type of puff pastry was many years ago. I was a Science Stream student during my secondary school days and I joined "cooking and baking classes" as extra-curriculum on Saturday morning. The teacher taught us how to make sausage puff roll. That year was coincidental with school fund raising project and we have to make lot of them and sold each sausage puff roll for RM0.50. It was a fun year and I never forget the taste of the sausage puff roll.

It really took me so long to make another puff pastry, I plan ahead by making the butter square and cook the barbecued pork (Char Siu) one day ahead. My friends, this type of puff pastry is worth the time spend. There is no shortcut to make a flaky puff pastry. For each rolling and folding, the pastry has to go back to the fridge and rest for at least an hour and take out from the fridge for rolling and folding again for another 2 times. The dough that has enough rest will has an elastic feel when come to final round of flattening, the dough won't tear but the butter would melt (Due to super hot weather) and the dough need to be handle very quickly.

The buttery flaky layering of the puff pastry and the fragrant of the sesame blend nicely with the sweet-salty barbecued pork filling. My son came up and grabbed a piece of it when I was snapping the photos :) He said "yummy!"

I used the recipe from Veganbaking.net for the puff pastry and filling is from my own kitchen play. Veganbaking.net has a clear picture illustrations on how to make the puff pastry.

Figure A

Recipe adapted from Veganbaking.net with minor changes

Ingredients for butter square:
270g butter, cut into small pieces (it has to be cold not soften)
50g shortening, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup of plain flour

Step to prepare butter square:

1. In a bowl, add the butter pieces, the shortening and flour. Used hand to rub the butter into small chunks and rub them loosely with the flour until fine.

2. Wrap the butter dough in a wrapping film, press together to form a rough shape. Use a rolling pin to roll into a square. (I didn't measure the dimension).

3. Refrigerate for at least one hour or better if place it overnight.

Ingredients for dough:

1 ½ cups bread flour
1 ¼ cups plain flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
100g butter, cut into small pieces
180ml ice cold water

Dough wash:
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp maple syrup
sesame seeds

Step:
1. Add the flour and salt to a medium bowl and mix to combine. Use a pastry cutter to cut in the butter until the mixture has pea-sized chunks of butter. Gradually add the ice water. Use a spoon to mix and combined well.
2. Transfer the dough to clean surface, knead until getting a smooth dough.  Roll the dough into a ball, cover with wrapping film and keep in fridge for at least two hours.
3. After two hours, place the dough on a lightly floured surface, using the rolling pin roll out a big square like in figure A-1.
4. Place the butter square diagonally on top of the dough as in figure A-2. Wrap up the butter square as in figure A-3, seal the opening tightly.
5. Flatten the dough from the centre and roll it into a bigger square, about 14 inch. flour the rolling pin and dough if the dough becomes sticky.
6. Fold the dough in three folds like a tri-fold business letter. This is known as a turn in the laminated dough world.
7. Now turn the dough 90 degrees and fold it in three folds again so it turns into a square. This counts as another turn. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour for the dough to relax. The dough will become more pliable and elastic.
8. Repeat step 5-7 for another two times.  
9. Flatten the dough and cut it into desire portion as in figure A-5. Take up a piece of the dough, roll it slightly to a bigger piece, wrap in filling and seal the opening by pressing the edges of the dough with a fork.
10. Place on the baking tray. Let the puff rest for 15 mins. dough wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
11. Place into a preheat oven at 210C bake for 15 mins and lower the heat to 180C bake for another 15 mins or until the puff turned golden brown. Check wheather the inner layers of the puff is baked.

Ingredients for filling, from Ah Tze's kitchen play
600g pork, diced into small pieces
3 clovers of garlic, finely chopped
3 tbsp of BBQ sauces
1 tbsp of oyster sauce
1 tbsp of sugar
200ml water
2 tbsp cornstarch for thickening the gravy

Step:
1. Marinate the pork with BBQ sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar for 30 mins. Add oil to frying pan, fry garlic until aromatic, stir in BBQ pork. Add water, drizzle conrstarch water to thicken the sauce (sauce must be very dry), stir-fry for another 10 mins (or you may cook in happycall pan like I do). Set aside to cool.

I am submitting my post to Aspiring Bakers #19: Dim Sum Affair (May 2012) hosted by SSB of Small Small Baker