Sourdough Bao Buns (Gua Bao)

Soft and fluffy bao buns using sourdough starter. These steamed buns make the perfect vessel for sticky pulled meats or jackfruit!

A lovely reader of mine put me on to the idea of sourdough gua bao and I'm so happy about it! While I have been perfecting this recipe, we've been eating them a lot. My favourite filling is sticky pulled jackfruit with five-spice, ginger, garlic, honey and soy sauce.

Gua Bao

Gua Bao are fluffy steamed buns originating from China. They are traditionally filled with pork. In NZ I mostly see them sold as bao buns, but as the word 'bao' literally means bun, so we are essentially saying 'bun buns.'

No matter what you call them, these steamed little breads are so delicious!

They are often made with two rising agents: yeast and baking powder. In this recipe the commercial yeast is replaced with sourdough starter, but I am still keeping the baking powder in there.

I've tried it with and without, and I prefer the added rise of the baking powder boost.

Sourdough Gua Bao

These buns are made over two days. On Day 1 the starter is fed, the dough is mixed and fermented overnight in the fridge. On Day 2, the buns are cut, folded, risen and steamed.

Bao Flour

The flour traditionally used in these buns is low protein bleached white flour that yields brilliantly white, light and fluffy buns.

I'm not using a bleached flour in this recipe though. I'm using an unbleached white all-purpose flour, one with a semi low protein content of around 10% to give a light and fluffy bun. If you're using a stronger flour, with a protein level of 11% and above, it will still work well but you'll end up with a slightly chewier bun.

The Bao Dough + Sourdough Starter

The dough consists mainly of white flour and also corn starch. The starch helps to soften the flour even more. Then there is a little sugar, salt, baking powder oil, water and of course sourdough starter.

(Have no sourdough starter? Learn how to make one here!)

I feed my sourdough starter in the morning. 100g is needed for the dough.

Mixing 50g starter, 50g flour and 50g water (a ratio of 1:1:1), gives a total of 150g starter. This is enough for the dough, and then whatever is left over can be fed for the next time. A starter fed at this ratio should be ready to use within 4 hours.

Once the starter has risen, the dough is mixed. This recipe makes a very thick dough, that needs a bit of hand kneading on the bench to create a soft and smooth ball. About 8 minutes of kneading is enough.

Fermenting the dough

Now the dough sits at room temperature (between 20- 22°C) for around 2 hours. If your room is cooler than this, you can extend the ferment for another hour.

Once it has sat at room temperature, (there won't be much of a rise at this point), the dough goes into the fridge overnight.

The Next Day - Shaping the Dough

The following day the bao dough is ready to be cut and shaped. These steps can be done in the morning if you want to make the Gua Bao in advance, or in the afternoon. Just ensure you leave about 4 hours of time, so they have time to rise.

Roll the dough out into a large circle, about 5mm thick and use a circle cutter (I use a drinking glass), to cut out dough circles.

Once you've cut all the circles you can, gather the remaining dough into a ball and leave it to sit and rest for 10 minutes before rolling it out again.

Take a cut out circle and roll it a bit so you create an oval that's around 3-4mm thick . Lightly dust the oval with flour, then fold it in half and place it on a piece of baking paper. Continue with the remaining dough circles.

This recipe makes between 10-12 buns.

Proofing the Bao

Now the buns need to rise until nearly doubled. This can take around 3-4 hours depending on the room temperature. I pop them in a lightly preheated, then turned off oven to help speed up the rising time.

The buns can be brushed with water to stop them drying out, or a lightly dampened tea towel can be laid over top while they rise.

Once risen they should look fat and feel puffy when gently prodded.

Steaming the Sourdough Bao

You'll need a steamer to cook the buns. I use a bamboo steamer that's placed over a saucepan of boiling water.

Cut around the buns on the baking paper so that each bun is on a separate piece. This makes them much easier to lift in and out of the steamer.

Fill a large saucepan or pot with 3-4 cm of water and bring it to a boil.

Place the buns in the steamer 2-4 buns at a time (dependant on the size of the steamer.) Add the lid to the steamer, then place it over top of the boiling water. Leave the buns to steam for around 10 minutes.

Take the steamer off the saucepan, then remove the lid and lift out the cooked buns. Repeat these steps with the remaining buns.

Serving and Storing Bao

The bao are best served warm. If making these ahead of time, they can be reheated by being placed back in a steamer for 2-3 minutes until warmed through.

Pry them open along their fold, and then stuff them with your favourite fillings.

They can also be frozen for future use.

Have you made these sourdough bao buns? Tag me and let me know! @home_grown_happinessnz