Bao Buns!
Bao means Buns so calling it bao buns doesn’t make sense but it is such a cute name!
Bao is steamed buns and it can be many different shapes and it can be by itself or filled with sweet/savory filling.
I shared mantou, my original steamed bun recipe a long ago. It’s very similar but this recipe is an upgraded version of the old one.
I have a char siu bao & Japanese style pork bun recipe it is very delicious and you can use this bao bun recipe for the dough!
It can be served as a side with any main meal that you prepped. I love bao with pepper pork!
My bao bun recipe is foolproof, so fluffy it’s ridiculous.
Let’s get started!
Combine warm water, milk, active yeast, sugar, and oil. Whisk to let yeast and sugar dissolve then let it sit until years activate, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a stand mixer. You could make it with your hand too if you prefer.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients mixture. Start on a low speed to slowly incorporate all the ingredients together then on medium speed until it becomes a dough shape. Keep kneed for 3 to 4 minutes on medium speed. The dough should be elastic and really soft but not stick to your fingers or on the mixing bowl.
Take the dough out from the hook and form like a ball. Place back to the mixing bowl, cover with a plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until it becomes triple size, about 2 hours. Let it sit longer if needed.
You will see webs from the well-raised dough.
Place the raised dough on a working surface. Roll out the dough 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle four is not necessary but if you do, use as minimum as possible.
I bought my super long rolling pin from a local Asian grocery. It’s the best rolling pin ever!!! Love the thickness of the rolling pin is even and straight. I found a similar one on Amazon if you wanna check it out!
Cut the dough 3 1/2-inch circle with a ring mold or glass (I used a wine glass). This recipe will make 14 o 16 baos.
Lightly brush or spray oil on one surface of the baos and fold in half like a half-moon shape.
Gently press each bao with a roller and place it on a parchment paper or coffee filter-lined steamer.
Cover with a lid and let it rest for additional 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring water to boil on a wok or steamer pot.
Carefully place the steamer with the baos on top of boiling water wok/pot. Make sure water is not touching the baos. Cover and steam for 8 to 12 minutes. When they are done cooking, tilt the lid a tiny bit for slow air circulation about 2 to 3 minutes before open the lid.
Spray some water on a coffee filter to prevent the dough from sticking.
You can serve this bao as a side or make a sandwich!
The BEST Gua Bao Pork Belly Steamed Bun Recipe & Video
Enjoy!
The BEST Bao Buns
- Total Time: 2 hours 8 mins
- Yield: 14 to 16 1x
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup warm milk
- 1 tbsp active dry yeast
- 4 tbsp sugar, divided half
- 2 tbsp avocado, vegetable or canola oil
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (use blenched flour if you want complete white buns)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Combine warm water, milk, active yeast, sugar, and oil. Whisk to let yeast and sugar dissolve, then let it sit until yeast activates, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a stand mixer. You can mix with your hands too if you prefer.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient mixture. Start on low speed to slowly incorporate all the ingredients together then on medium speed until it becomes a dough shape. Keep kneading for 3 to 4 minutes on medium speed. The dough should be elastic and really soft but not stick to your fingers or on the mixing bowl.
- Take the dough off the hook and form it into a ball. Place back to the mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until it becomes triple in size, about 2 hours. Let it sit longer if needed.
- Place the raised dough on a working surface. Roll out the dough 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle flour if necessary, but if you do, use as minimal as possible. Cut the dough 3 1/2-inch circle with a ring mold or glass (I used a wine glass). This recipe will make 14 to 16 baos.
- Lightly brush or spray oil on one surface of the baos and fold them in half as a half moon shape. Gently press each bao with a roller and place on a parchment paper or coffee filter lined steamer. Cover with a lid and let it rest for additional 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring water to boil in a wok or steamer pot. Carefully place the steamer with the baos on top of boiling water wok/pot. Make sure water is not touching the baos. Cover and steam for 8 to 12 minutes. When they are done cooking, tilt/open the lid slightly for slow air circulation, about 2 to 3 minutes before opening the lid all the way. Spray some water on coffee filter to prevent the dough from sticking. You can serve this bao as a side or make sandwiches! Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 8 mins
141 comments
Hi Seonkyoung,
Thank you for sharing this!!
For this recipe, what type of milk works best?
I use 2% and they turn out great, but I think any milk works.
I use rice milk because of dairy allergy. It works fine but I think this is why I need a little more flour or else it’s too sticky
So light and fluffy. Delicious. Thanks for the recipe. My family were raving about them. Nicest Bao Buns I’ve ever tasted and I can’t believe I made them!
Can you make these and then freeze them?
I would also like to know if they can be made ahead and frozen. Have you tried?
Super late reply but yes after you steam them and let them cool I put them in freezer bags with parchment paper in between them and it worked well.
This is the easiest recipe I’ve used with the best results by far.
Thank you for the recipe! It is absolutely the best bao buns I’ve made and it’s so easy, so light and very very fluffy! My friends were very impressed!
So happy to hear that!
Can the dough rise in the fridge overnight?
For those of you who’s made this, how much baking powder did you use, 1 1/2 tsp per video or 1/2 tsp per written recipe? Thanks!
i used 1/2tsp and they were perfect
Hi! Is it possible to freeze them before steaming?
that’s not recommended, I recommend you steam and then freeze them!
April 17, u recommend to Lauren not to cook them before freezing. But on January 29, u recommended to Allyson to steam before freezing. So which recommendation is correct?
I’ve tried this both ways and freezing the steamed bao worked much better for me.
Hi…if you ook at the reply to Lauren, I think she spoke of ‘dumplings’, not buns.
Just wonder video said 1 and 1/2 tsp backing powder, but reciepe said 1/2 tsp, which one is correct ?
I Just finshing making them ,its 1.30 am at night ,my kitchen is in total mess , but omg it was worth it .Iv been looking for good Bao bun recipe for a long time , but the only thing i change was the Filling .I had to use chicken becuse my family cant eat pork due to religion reson.I also added yummy canadian maple syrup to the mix to make sweeter as well tsp fof fresh chill flakes to spice thing up .For the toping i use slice cumber ,carrot ,pepper and cilantro.
5 stars out of 5
Yes, cooking can be such a mess sometimes, also time consuming! But the satisfaction you can from your family loving the food is priceless!
Made this tonight with your Pepper Pork. Yum. My daughter says this is now her favorite dinner! Can’t wait to try it with your Gua Bao Pork Belly recipe.
Glad you guys enjoyed!
Love yr blog!
I followed yr recipe but my dough is not elastic and soft. What went wrong?
@Vivian, it could be the type of flour you used. This happened to me with so many dough recipes in the past because the flour my family buys is higher protein/gluten content. Read this blog post about types of flour and protein content! Helped me so much with making a softer dough: https://redhousespice.com/homemade-dumpling-wrappers/
Could also be not enough rest time or yeast didn’t activate properly??
I had the same issue but I slowly added more water and eventually the dough was elastic.
What filling recipe did you use?
OMG! First time I made this and they are perfect! Family is happy too saying even though we’re in complete lockdown we are still travelling the world… Thank you so much xx
AW, Thank you! I’m more than happy to hear that your family enjoyed one of my recipes (:
Hi,
Can I substitute milk for anything else ?
I used almond milk (i always do in cooking & baking) and they turned out SUPER!
I made this recipe for my family tonight. We’re Cambodian and call this type of bun, Nom Bao. This is truly authentic tasting, and very much like my Mom’s. I love the fluffiness, and softness of these baos. Perfect amount of sweetness. I’m only disappointed that I didn’t double the recipe!! My kids devoured every piece and finished it all. I made it exact to the recipe. I’ve already written this recipe down into my recipe book. It’s a keeper. Thanks so much!
YAY! So glad I could help!
What do you do with the remaining dough, after you cut out circular shapes? Do you put them together and roll them out again to be able to achieve more bao’s? Will it still turn out the same or will it have layers after steaming them?
I rolled it out again and didn’t notice any difference in the finished bun.
If I steam and freeze it, how long can I keep in freezer?
If I can’t find active dry yeast, can I use instant dry yeast instead?
That is a good question. Maybe someone can answer this
I tried that and the dough came out more tacky than soft. Wouldn’t recommend!
If using instant yeast you can skip the 10 minute activation. Changing the yeast would not change the texture of the dough, thats most likely another issue.
I have used Instant yeast every time and they turn out perfect!
Yay! I’m glad I could help! 😊
hi i made these two days ago and they were soooo good! it was just for two people so i froze the extras and was just wondering what the best way to reheat them would be? thanks so much ! 10/10 would recommend this recipe
I would recommend not cooking the portion you’d like to save in the freezer and cook them following regular cooking instruction.
Hi! Love the recipe! I am a little confused about the freezing recommendations. Should I freeze them uncooked, or freeze after I steamed them?
You should freeze them UNCOOKED and go about cooking the frozen dumplings like you would with fresh ones!
My first time at making these and wow, they were amazing, the family demolished all 14 in about 10 minutes. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for the feedback! I’m so glad your family enjoyed my recipe (:
Its not often that I follow a recipe EXACTLY…this was bang on wonderful! Thank you soooo much!
The buns look really yummy! I can’t wait to make a batch of them. May I know if the recipe of 2 1/2 cup of flour is according to the USA 1cup-125g or Australian 1cup-140g?
All my measurements are according to USA Standards (:
Thank you for all your recipes!! Yours have been the tastiest and most successful asian recipes in english I’ve found so far. I love to eat and cook asian but have always struggled to get good recipes written in english so thank you!!
Question for you, I’ve made your boa buns a few times now and while they are tasty, my dough always seems to be very dry and hard to handle. It does not rise and is not as smooth as the ones in your pictures. The yeast is fine because it bubbles like crazy before I combine with dry ingredients but the dough is tough and really hard to roll out. Any suggestions? Should I increase the amount of liquid? Thank you!!
Yea, this was my first time making it and had the same issues. I was wondering the same thing!
Hi Seonkyoung,
Please to help me, I cannot find your Gua Bao recipe to use with these buns. I have looked under the pork recipes, and tried a search, but it only brought me the Bao Buns page. 🙁
I would very much like to try your Gua Bao recipe.
Thank you!
Here is the link to the recipe: https://seonkyounglongest.com/gua-bao/
Hope this helped !
These were so yummy! I used different filing ingredients, but the Bao was amazing, so soft!!
Hi may I clarify, is it 1 teaspoon active yeast? The recipe stated 1 tablespoon active yeast and I thought it maybe a bit too much. Thanks. Really look forward to try this recipe
Hi, your recipe says half a tsp of baking powder but video says 1.5 tsp what is the correct proportion.
Thanks
Hands down the best and quickest Bao recipe I have ever seen. Really love it ,thank you for a great recipe.
Thank you for enjoying my recipe!
These were amazing! LIght, fluffy and delicious. Your trick to keep them from sticking works like a charm. Thank you so much!
I love bao buns but never thought it was possible to make them at home, until now! They are as soft as a pillowy cloud and melt in your mouth. Your recipe and tricks are spot on. Thank you so much 😊
I followed the recipe as written and they came out sooo yummy! Like fluffy little clouds : )
Made it with your pork belly recipe and a side of oi muchim. Such a great meal!
Hi –
I noticed you wrap your steamer lid. Is that just with a fabric?
I love this recipe. The bao really was fluffy and delicious! Thank you for sharing. I’m looking forward to trying some of your other recipes.
I made them today for the 1st time and they perfect, im soo happy, anyway i wanted to ask if i can freeze some of the uncooked dough.
TNX!
Yes you can!
Hi, can I freeze some of the uncooked dough?
tnx!
Yes you very much can!
Where did you get your measuring cup and spoons?
Did you wrap the steam basket in a towel for steaming?
Hi
My name is Rosy .I tried ur bao buns recipe n it was really awsome thx alot for sharing this recipe
What can I use if I don’t have a proper steamer ?
Thank you 🙂
We steam them in the instant pot. Steam 5 minutes for frozen ones.
I made these Bao Buns so many times and always happy with the results. Your recipe is very easy to follow.
Thank you for the feedback!
Hi, I made these several times and their are my kids’ favorite. One question I have is although they taste delicious I don’t find them to be very fluffy like the ones guy get from the restaurant. Any tips you can give?
I made these last night. I made the dough then fell asleep and woke up at 9pm oh no! They were fantastic. I bought a pkt last week and they were not good. I had them with hoisin sauce mixed with peanut butter and rice vinegar with mint, corriander, julienned carrot and cucumber. OMG I’ve got some in the freezer that I steamed first, didn’t know if I should cook first or not and some in the fridge for today. Very easy to make. The dough was beautiful and easy to handle. Thank You very much for some reason it’s not letting me post 5 stars which it fully deserves.
So glad I could help out! Thank you so much for the support! (:
I kept waiting for my store to restock frozen ones, but it was taking so long I decided to make it myself. Your recipe stood out because it looked so fat and fluffy, not flat and dense. You were right – it’s foolproof and delicious. I don’t think I’ll buy the premade ones ever again! Thank you.
First time making bao buns. Bao buns were fluffy and soft. Definitely a keeper. Thank you!
Thank you for trying one of my recipes! Hope you find my other recipes just as helpful (:
Hello read the comments and may have missed the response but see others have asked – does the recipe call for 1-1/2 tsp baking powder like the video or 1/2 like the print? I saw someone used 1/2 and worked out but would like the clarification. Thanks!😀
Sorry for the confusion! It is supposed to be 1/2 teaspoon baking powder!
This turned out amazing. Thanks
I couldn’t get the dough right (my kitchen aid broke half way through!). I finished kneading the dough my hand, I think I added too much flour. It was still sticky and didn’t rise when I left it for over two hours. Did I not knead it enough, or over knead ? Thanks !
Amazing!! We made these bao and served them with marinated fried tofu, carrot and bell pepper slaw, cucumber slices, and scallions. We would definitely make these again!
That sounds delicious! So glad I could help out (:
Such a fan if this recipe. Can you tell me the model on your kitchen stand mixer? It’s on the bottom of the unit’s base and back of your stand mixer. I need to get one strong enough to knead so it doesn’t break.
These were amazing! First time making them, will never use another recipe! Came out better than I’ve ever had in a restaurant. Thank you so much! 😊
Im so glad I could help! Hope you find my other recipes as helpful! (:
I’ve made these twice. They are so perfect! Please don’t take this as a criticism, it’s just my modification- I followed instructions to the T, with the exception of this: instead of rolling out the dough and cutting into rounds, I divided the dough into 17 equal size balls (using a food scale) so there is no wasting of dough or re-rolling dough. Steamed for 10-12 minutes. They were delicious and fluffy and just the right amount of sweetness! So tasty with pork floss, or alone, or used for bao tacos. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Hi I rarely leave comments but I really want to thank you for this amazing easy to follow recipe!! I substituted sugar with maple syrup and added corn starch to make up for the wet/dry ingredients of sugar. It turned out so amazing and fluffy and just delicious !!! Thank you soooooooooo much !!!!!!!
I have some pork spare ribs. Do you have a recipe that would be suitable filling for the Bao Buns?
https://www.justonecookbook.com/wprm_print/82344
Lisa – I served the bao with Asian ribs – so delish!
Can you use water instead of milk? I’m out of milk but I have canned evap milk. Would that work or does milk make it fluffy?
I see my question above but no answer so I’m going to go ahead and ask about what looks like a cloth over the steamer. Can you explain what that is, please?
Sorry about the late reply, so this is to prevent the water from gathering at the top of the steamer and drip on the boas, so if you put a cloth around it the cloth will be able to absorb the moisture so it won’t drip onto them while they cook. Hope this helped (:
Great great recipe! For the first time making bao (and not using a stand mixer) I think these were a huge a success….
The dough was the perfect flavor but I found it super sweet, any recommendations for changing the type or amount of sweetener or is this a traditional amount to use?
Yes you can totally adjust the sugar amount to your liking! I would suggest halving the sugar amount and see how you like that! Hope this helped (:
These were so easy to make and my whole family loved them! Boa Buns for the win!
I’m a pretty good home cook and I was intimidated by making bao buns. I had low expectations as recipes like this take a little tweaking. I was completely wrong. These are probably some of the best ones I’ve ever had. I am beyond impressed.
I opened a new bag of bleached AP flour and made the dough per the recipe. It was hard as a rock…I started over making sure I had enough wet ingredients and still a hard dough ball…HELP!
Hi, just wondering can the leftover dough after you cut them be rolled out again to make more buns? Will it be soft & fluffy . It’s such a waste to throw them out. Thanks for sharing.
Please see my comment above on how I divided up my dough; no waste at all and it was super fluffy. I hated the though of wasting the dough, but if you were to use the cut out method and reused the dough, you’d end up reworking the dough scraps over and over again.
If I make these in the afternoon in preparation for dinner, how should I rewarm them? Quickly steam them again until warmed through? In the oven for a bit?
This was delicious! I was nervous that my dough would not work out, in fact threw the first try away. It didn’t look like yours in the video. But it worked like a champ. I have the same question, I made a ton of food and have some leftovers I’d like to just have tomorrow. How should I store the leftover buns and reheat?
Kat – I’ve briefly microwaved them and they’ve turned out well. I’ve also thrown them in the air fryer or oven, and reheating this way makes for an interesting slightly crispy but soft chewy inside. I actually prefer the toasting method, but it does change the soft spongy outside texture – just a warning! Unless there’s an easy way for you to re-steam, I’m just too lazy to reheat it by re-steaming.
The BEST recipe!
I’m so excited to try this recipe!! Going to order the steamer now :). Can you please let me know what size wok you used as well? In inches?
YAY! I believe it was a 14 in wok if I remember correctly. Hope this helped (:
I keep having trouble with this recipe and I’m not sure why. I follow the measurements exactly and my dough isn’t elastic, in fact, it’s kind of dry and breaks when I try to stretch it to check elasticity. When I steam it, the texture of the bun is almost like raw dough. What am I doing wrong??
They came out absolutely AWESOME. Thankyou so much.
Hello there.. the recipe looks fantastic! Just wondering if I can use bread flour to replace the all purpose flour?
thank you so much for this recipe! I tried bao buns a few weeks ago and fell in love. But when I returned to the restaurant, the had shut down. So I had no choice but to give it my best effort. This recipe was so well written and easy, I succeeded my first time when I had to cook for a large group. everyone loved therm
I’ve tried this twice back to back and each time my dough was very wet and sticky. I followed the recipe to a t and I have no clue why it didn’t turn out the way it’s shown here. Although the buns are edible, they just don’t look as pretty.
They turned out great! I made them twice 🙂
You misspelled “bleached” flour in recipe
Tried 2 other recipes and was not impressed– flat or tough. Yours was PERFECTION. Better than any restaurant. Seriously. Will use this again and again. Thank you!
Hi Seonk,
Do you have any suggestions for steaming the buns if I don’t have a steamer like yours? I would really love to try this recipe.
Hello!
Yes! I’ve found a link(https://tinyurl.com/db9k4kks) that has many other methods of steaming if you don’t have a bamboo steamer! Hope this was helpful!
I followed the recipe as it’s written and made the most perfect fluffy bao buns I have ever made! I will definitely be making more of your recipes!!
Wow! Love this recipe. My first batch of these bao were fabulous! Will be making them again and again! Thankyou
OMG I love this recipe it is amazing! They are so fluffy and dilcious my family absolutely loves them! Thank you so much for sharing with us?
I’m so happy to hear that Isabelle!!
My son & I made these for dinner for the first time. We used what we had in our fridge to fill them. (Katie Workman’sMongolian beef) They were so good! Thank you!
Awesome! 👏🏼 👏🏼 👏🏼
I enjoyed! Thank you!
Hi i made dough this morning and it is still rising. Should i keep all together before cutting into circles? I would like to use for dinner tonight?
Turned out fantastic!
I dont like baking but this is a straight forward recipe and tge cute buns turn out light and fluffy. Much better result than another more complex recipe I also tried the same day.
It says Total Time: 2 hours 8 mins – just the rising time alone is over 2.5 hours and total recipe time is over 3. This threw me off just a bit when I went to make it to coincide with my pork belly. Having said that – this is a great recipe for bao buns – the best I have been able to find online.
Recipe is great with correct ratios. I can’t believe no one has pointed this out but this recipe must’ve been adapted, and the amount of flour should’ve been halved relative to the hydration amount given. So with flour at 1 1/4 cups, this recipe is spot on.
DO NOT USE A WINE GLASS to cut the buns. For me the wine glass broke and stabbed my hand. Had to throw out the dough as it was full of blood and glass.
I have used this recipe several times! Love it and so easy.
I made them today and my kiddo loved it…….
I tried this recipe and the bao buns came out so fluffy and flavour was out of this world!! I even froze the steamed buns for several weeks and it was still fluffy and tasted so fresh when re-steamed! Thank you so much for this recipe! I will be making this over and over again!
Just made these. Came out soft, fluffy and light colored. 8 minutes in the steamer. Perfect!!
Next time you go to make lobster tails, make these buns. Buy a whole lobster and use the knuckle and claw meat with some brown butter and green onion on the Bao to make a lobster roll for an appetizer. Best lobster roll you’ll ever have.
This sounds really delicious!
I’m in the process of making this recipe so I can’t really say yay or nay if I like it or not just yet. But I can say that one thing that has confused me is saying in the ingredients section that the sugar should be halved because I don’t see where the other half of the sugar gets added in. I’ve only added in one half of the four tablespoons required cuz I was assuming that the other two would be added at a later point…
Hello Kate,
Sorry for any confusion and thank you for your comment. To answer your concern, 2Tbps sugar go into the wet mixture and the other 2Tbsp of sugar go into the dry mixture.
I hope this helps and I’d love to know how your Bao Buns turn out 🙂