Pumpkin Bao Buns
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients::
1 bag pretzel sticks (for top of the bao)
Orange food colouring
1 box assorted chocolate truffles
The dry mix::
530 g middle-gluten wheat flour (swapsies: plain (all-purpose) flour)
0.5 tsp salt
7 g fast action dried yeast
40 g caster sugar
15 g baking powder
The liquid::
50 ml milk
250 ml warm water (depending on how humid your room feels- if the air feels very dry you’ll want to add a little more water, but if it is very humid, a little less is required)
25 ml vegetable or sunflower oil
Instructions
Step 1
Using a free-standing mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment (if available), pour in the dry mix ingredients.
Step 2
Mix the liquid ingredients in a measuring jug. Then slowly pour the liquid into the mixer while kneading on a low speed for around 2 minutes, until all the water is mixed into the flour. Once combined, turn the speed up to high for a further 2 minutes, until the dough has a smooth yet tacky feel to it. Now add the food colouring until you achieve ‘pumpkin orange’.
Step 3
Once the dough has been well kneaded, dust it with 2 tablespoons of flour, scraping off any additional dough on the sides of the bowl. Shape the dough into a rough ball, then coat it lightly with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, cover the bowl with a damp cloth and leave aside in a warm, preferably moist, draught-free location (such as inside a room-temperature oven) for 1 – 1½ hours.
Step 4
Once the dough has doubled in size, you can make it into whatever shape you wish before steaming.
Step 5
Steaming time will vary between 8 and 15 minutes, depending on the shape and size of your finished buns (the thinner the bun, the shorter the steaming time).
Step 6
Divide dough into 24 equal pieces. Roll out dough into 3" circles, place chocolate balls in the middle, wrap dough around to form a bun and pinch ends closed. Place each bun onto 2" square parchment paper and then into a steamer basket, leaving 2" in between the buns. Cover and let rise for 30 mins. After the buns have risen, use a rubber spatula to press lines into the buns to shape them into mini pumpkins.
Step 7
Bring water to a boil, place the steamer basket on and then steam over high heat for 15 mins. Place a piece of pretzel stick on top for the stalk. Eat while hot. To keep, store well wrapped in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for a couple of weeks. To reheat simply re-steam, 2 mins for buns from the fridge and 8-10 mins for buns from the freezer. Enjoy your hot, fluffy, creamy buns!
