15 June 2012

Crispy BBQ Pork Bun (Siew Bao)


I baked these siew bao/ crispy BBQ pork bun few weeks ago. 12 of them, for the first time no leakage of gravy from the seal. Then few days later I baked another batch of 18 (using 1.5x the ingredients) for Friday LG supper. All using the same recipe from my previous baked. This siew bao is my fifth attempt so far, if not mistaken. However, there is something more which I want to tell you, a personal observation on these pastry, not to offend anyone.

When I was preparing my oil dough for the 12 siew bao, the dough felt very dry (compared to my previous four baked). I was worried, thinking that it might be a failure attempt. The rolling of dough was a nightmare, as the water dough couldn't contain the oil dough, the oil dough was far too dry, the dough torn while rolling up. However, it surprised me when come to wrapping the filling, the dough was able to seal very well, this has not happen before in my previous four baked.


Then, in the oven, the siew bao didn't leak out any gravy!! I was so happy, how come this happen? Does it means that the oil dough has to be dry so to get a good seal? Then the true came out when I bite on the pastry, hey... it doesn't has the flaky layers. This is because the dough torn, the oil dough and water dough had mixed into each other layers.

To confirm about my finding, I tried to make another batch of siew bao a few days later. I mixed the oil dough well and it formed a rough dough like my previous four baked. The rolling was easy, the dough was soft until the end of sealing up of filling. However, what happened was like in my previous four baked, the pastry puff up and create gaps at the seal, this cause some of the gravy from the filling...leaking out! The texture of the pastry is with perfect flaky layers.

So which one you like? As for me, I still prefer the flaky layers pastry.



12 pcs batch with no leakage of gravy

This is one of the 12 pcs I baked. See the pastry? There isn't clear layering in the pastry, the pastry is a bit hard compared to my previous four baked.



Ingredients for filling:
250g pork, sliced into small cubes
some mix vegetables
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsps sesame oil
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsps cornstarch
2 tbsps char siu sauce
3 tbsps cooking oil

Steps:
1. Marinade all the ingredients (except garlic and cooking oil) for an hour.
2. Heat wok, add cooking oil. Stir-fry garlic for 2 mins, add the marinade pork. Stir-fry the mixture until cook, or about 8 mins. Set aside to cool completely.

Ingredients for pastry:
water dough:
200g plain flour
50g butter
1 tbsp sugar
90ml water

oil dough:
200g top flour
70g butter (make sure the dough is wet and smooth, add a bit more butter to get the right texture, this also depends on the flour that you use)

Step:
1. In a bowl, mix ingredients for water dough (except butter), slowly add in water. Knead into a rough dough, add butter and knead to a smooth dough. Cover and set aside for 30 mins.
2. Mix ingredients for oil dough. Use butter knife to cut the butter and use fingertips to lightly rub the butter with flour until mixture look like fine breadcrumbs. Lightly press together the oil dough. Cover and keep in fridge for 30 mins.
3. Divide water and oil dough into 12 portions respectively.
4. Flatten the water dough, wrap the oil dough in it. Flatten with rolling pin, roll up. Cover and let it rest for 15 mins. Flatten from the long side, roll up. Cover and let it rest for 10 mins.
5. Use finger to pull up two end of the dough and press into middle. Flatten the dough into circle and stuff filling, egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
6. Bake at 210 C for 30 mins.

Note: you may refer to here on how to roll the dough.
          

This is the second batch (one of the 18 pcs), see the puff up at the seal? such a puff up is important for a pastry to ensure it gets the flaky layers. However, this puff up usually will cause leakage of gravy from the filling.


yummy flaky layers pastry!!

24 comments:

  1. All your siew pau looks very tempting. I had think want to make some but still on hold as my to bake list still a lot :D

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    1. thanks Vivian! all these are long overdue posts, I baked this last month :) Still got lot of unpublish posts :)

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  2. Tze, I am so keen to make 烧包 after seeing yours hehe... Your 烧包look absolutely delicious...wait until I come back from Msia I will try to make this again.

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    1. Li Shuan, this is using Jane's recipe, you should try this out, the pastry is really good! Like the fuyong siew bao (my hanyu pinyin keyboard function is gone, temporary cannot type chinese characters ...sob, sob..)You are going back to M'sia? When?

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  3. thank you for sharing your notes here on the dough! i do hope to try making siew puffs one day. do you think butter at different room temperatures could affect the result since you said it's all the same recipe you were using..

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    1. Lena, I doubt butter temperature could be the reason. As the oil dough has to be rest in the fridge after kneading. The different in oil dough texture, the contain of oil in it is the main reason. I may have not control the oil quantity well in the 12 pcs batch.

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  4. Ah Tze ,

    U are really hardworking to make so many batches. They look very tempting and I don't milk the leakage, haha.

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    Replies
    1. Angel, really delight to see you here. As the dry oil dough was able to make a perfect seal on the dough which raised my curiosity.

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  5. Ah Tze ,

    May I know what is Top Flour? Can I use any type of wheat flour? Thanks

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    Replies
    1. Kim, thanks for asking the question. Personally I have not explore using wheat flour to substitute the Top flour. However, if both oil dough and water dough are using plain flour, the result is harder pastry texture. For siew bao, we are looking for something in between, the texture has to be crispy but not hard.

      The defination for Top flour fromPrimaFlour website is as below :

      "Top Flour is an extra-fine quality flour to give exceptionally smooth and fine texture for your baking needs. It is especially ideal for baking very fine cakes; such as chiffon cakes, swiss rolls, crepes, cake doughnuts and butter cookies."

      Hope I have answer your question.

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  6. actually i plan to bake this siew pau today, but plan change, hahaha, now have the chance to eat yours.

    i do facing leakage issue when wrapping the siew pau, thinking is my wrapping technique still need improvement.

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    Replies
    1. Eileen, why not?

      This is not a wrapping technique issue, but a discovery on the dough texture. As the whole batch was able to have a perfect seal with the dry and torn dough. Non has puff up gaps after baking.

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  7. Looks really ymmy! This is one of my 'to do' items but I never really got down to do it. It's not easy to get the perfect flaky skin, right? Thanks for sharing your experience and observations.

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    1. 茵茵, you should try it out, it is not as difficult as we thought. If you didn't torn the dough while rolling, you will get a perfect flaky layers pastry!

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  8. Lovely char siew pau, how do you manage to get such thin pastry? Wow, lots of char siew filling, definitely delicious!!

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    Replies
    1. kimmy, you may refer to the link in my post on how to roll the pastry.

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  9. Ah Tze, so your family have been well fed with these experimenting siew bao for the past few weeks? Like you, I'll definitely go for the flaky ones! I'm experimenting 16-hour poolish version of bread lately, so far made 2 versions & is planning to make a 3rd version in the next few days! Wish me luck, hahaha!

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    1. The siew bao is delicious! I have good reason to bake more, i love to prepare food for my LG friends :)

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  10. Authentic preparation this is ! The photos are stunning !

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  11. I think it is ok with some leaking, sometime I see outside selling also the same. This recipe I have bookmarked too long, but still could not decide whether to give a try.

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    Replies
    1. Sonia, give the recipe a try, you can do better than me :) I baked these siew baos for my dad and mum before, they love it!

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  12. Hi

    When you mix the butter and the top flour for the oil dough, is it supposed to stick together when you lightly press it together? Mine is crumbly :/

    I will update you. :)

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  13. In the origin site that you preferred to, Jane's corner, it was told to use only 100g of top flour whereas you labelled 200g. Is that an error or is it your modified recipe to use 200g instead of 100g?

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    1. Hi, This is the modified recipe for me to use all these while. I find the 100g oil dough too little to mix with the water dough. Make sure the kneaded oil and water dough are wet enough to ensure a successful flaky layers.

      By the way, next time please identified yourself if you want to post a question as I don't like answering to anonymous.

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