Bacon and Egg Pan-Fried Steam Buns (Shenjian Bao)
This is from a great blog called My Name is Yeh. She likes to combine Asian and Jewish flavors together, and, as a native New Yorker, I can but approve!
This dough by itself is also delicious - it's the perfect sweet steamed bread that I remember growing up!
This dough by itself is also delicious - it's the perfect sweet steamed bread that I remember growing up!
for the buns:
2 1/4 tsp yeast 1/2 c + 1 tsp sugar 3/4 c warm water 3 c flour, plus more for dusting 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1/4 c milk (cow or almond) 1/4 c vegetable shortening, melted for the filling: 6 strips bacon 3 stalks scallions, chopped 6 large eggs a bit of cheese, optional salt + pepper for serving: soy sauce black vinegar or rice vinegar pinch of red pepper flakes |
to make the buns, proof the yeast with the 1 teaspoon of sugar in the warm water.
in a large bowl, combine the flour, remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, and salt. pour in the milk, vegetable shortening, and yeast mixture, and mix to form a dough. knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth. transfer to a clean bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let rise for 2 hours. to make the filling, crisp up the bacon and chop it into 1/2-inch pieces. in the bacon fat or a little olive oil, cook the scallions for 3 minutes. beat the eggs with a splash of water and the bacon pieces. pour the eggs in the pan and scramble them, keeping them pretty wet. don't overcook them because they'll cook a bit more when the buns steam. add in cheese, if desired, and season with salt and pepper. roll or pat out the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut out 3-4 inch circles. you could also pinch off small balls of dough and roll them out into circles. fill with 1-2 tablespoons of filling and pinch shut. place on a square of parchment paper and in a bamboo or metal steamer, a few inches apart. let rise for 30 more minutes. steam over a large pot of boiling water for 10-15 minutes, until doubled in size and cooked through. coat a pan with vegetable oil, set it over medium-high heat, and lightly fry the steamed buns for a few minutes on each side, until browned. to make the dipping sauce, combine 1 part soy sauce with 1 part vinegar and a pinch of crushed red pepper. |