Riffing off her Chinese heritage and American upbringing, May Chow is the brains behind Little Bao, Hong Kong’s wildly popular Chinese American Diner. For this year’s Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, May is hosting an unmissable bao-making masterclass on Sunday 6 March, and teaming up with Huxtaburger’s Daniel Wilson for a night of “fast food infamy” on Tuesday 8 March.
To get you in the mood, May has shared her recipe for her trademark fluffy bao, ready to cram with fried chicken and slaw, or whatever takes your fancy.
For more must-do events at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, which runs from March 4 to 13, visit http://www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au/
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May Chow’s Bao
Ingredients:
- 3510g Flour
- 470g Sugar
- 39g Yeast
- 39g Baking Powder
- 2340g Tong Zhong (a roux of flour and water)
- 234g Water
- 117g Oil
- 8g Salt
Method:
- Mix all dry ingredients in the stand mixer for 3 minutes on low
- Add all wet ingredients except for oil and mix for 15 minutes until dough comes together
- Add oil and mix for 10 minutes
- Take dough out and cut in half, leave the dough in mixing bowl and continue to mix on lowest setting
- Flour your working surface, roll dough out so that it can fit into the roller
- Roll dough through dough roller at 1.5 inch setting
- Flour dough and surface, fold both sides in to make 1/3 shape. Pass through roller again
- Repeat action for 20 times
- Roll up dough into a log and cut into 75g for large baos, 28g for small baos
- Shape dough into balls and flatten to achieve burger shape after rising
- Proof covered for approximate 40 minutes -1 hour depending on the weather/humidity etc.
- Steam at 101ºC in a combi oven for 15 mins (75g) or 10 mins (30g)