Chinese BBQ Pork Buns

I have never in my life been in a dim sum restaurant. I have always wanted to go to one, but I haven't found one here in the bush and I never seem to get around to going to one when I am in a large city. So I was watching something about dim sum restaurants and they served bbq pork buns and I got pretty excited. I figured I could make those. I used this recipe and tweeked it a bit to fit my personal taste. The outcome was AMAZING!

Gather together:

Dough:

• 2 cups warm water
• 4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1/4 cup oil
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups pastry flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Filling:

• 1 lb. BBQ pork (small pork roast cooked in the crock pot over night)
• 1/2 lb. Chinese Sausage (or just regular pork sausage)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons (diced) red onion
• 1 tablespoon chinese cooking wine (rice vinegar)
  
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 3/4 cup hoisin sauce (or ketchup--I know it;'s not the same, but I have to make things work)

To make the dough add the warm water and the oil into a large bowl. Add in the sugar and the instant yeast. Add in the pastry flour; mix till smooth, add in a cup of all-purpose flour, mix till smooth. Add in salt and mix well. Add in another cup of flour, then mix, Pour about a 1/2 cup of flour on a flat surface. Pour out the dough onto the floured surface. Slowly add a light more flour. Knead the dough for 8 - 10 minutes, afterwards pour a little oil into a large bowl. Place the dough into the oiled bowl. Turn dough in the oil to lightly coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 1 hour.


While the dough is rising you can make the filling. Pour the sesame oil into a large skillet. Add in the red onions and sauté for a minute or two. Add in the diced BBQ pork, mix and cook for a minute. Be sure to stir so the pork won't burn. Add in the Chinese sausage and cook for another minute, add in the Chinese white wine. Add in the soy sauce and the hoisin sauce, mix till well combined. Pour mixture onto a large plate to allow to cool.


After dough has risen, pour out onto a flat surface (try not to deflate the dough to much). Roll dough into a long rope. Cut dough with a sharp knife or dough cutter into about 20 - 24 pieces. Take each piece of dough and place onto the palm of your hand. Flatten out, trying to keep the dough the same thickness throughout the dough.
Place a heaping tablespoon of filling on top of the dough. Now, pinch closed. Turn dough seem side down and lightly squeeze dough to shape it into a ball. Place onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for 45 minutes.

Mix the egg yolks and milk together. After the dough has risen, brush the glaze on top of each pork bun, allow to sit for 5 minutes then repeat. This will give the BBQ pork buns a beautiful shine. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for about 20 minutes or until the tops of the BBQ buns are lightly browned.