Vỏ Bánh bao xá xíu ( Pau Dough )

Day 1
Dough starter A:
50g plain flour, sifted with 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp sugar
50ml water

Mix all ingredients. Cover with a damp cloth and proof for 1 day.

Day 2
Dough starter B:
All the dough starter A
300g plain flour, sifted
150ml water

Mix all the ingredients. Cover and proof for 1 day.


Day 3
Ingredients A:
450g of dough starter B (save the remaining 100g, it will act as starter A of your next round)
150g castor sugar
1 tsp ammonia powder
1/2 tsp alkaline water
1 tbsp DA baking powder1tsp double action baking powder ( replace by ¼ tsp baking soda + ½ tsp cream tartar + ¼ tsp cornstarch )
3 tbsp water

Ingredients B:
300g plain flour, sifted with 1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp shortening

1. Mix and knead dough starter B with sugar until it has dissolved.
Mix 1/2 tsp double action baking powder, 1 tsp ammonium bicarbonate, a drop of kan sui with 2 tsp water.  Mix to dissolve and add in to starter dough mixture.  Mix well to combine.
2. Add in the rest of ingredients A and mix well.
3. Slowly mix in B to form into a smooth and pliable dough. Add in 3 tbsp lard/shortening and knead well.
4. Flatten dough and spread it out, dissolve 1/2 tsp double action baking powder with 1 tsp water, rub this all over the spread out dough, Fold the dough in and knead well, so that all the baking powder is well spread.
5. Cover with a wet cloth and rest for 15 minutes before going to shaping and wrapping.
6.Bring the water and 1 tbsp vinegar in a steamer to high boil.
Spray the filled paus/baos with water lightly, do not drown them and put to steam for 12 minutes.  Ensure that the water is on boiling high and DO SEAL the edges of the cover with wet towels, to seal in the heat.  The hotter the steam, the better the SMILE.
7.When the paus/baos are ready, remove from the steamer and allow it to cool.  Do not serve them as the smell of the ammonium bicarbonate has not dissipate.  Before serving, steam the paus/baos for another 12 minutes.
Day 1 Dough Starter (After 24 hours proofing)


Day 2 Dough Starter (After adding in flour but before proofing)


Day 2 Dough Starter (after 24 hours proofing)


Day 3 Dough (after kneading in all the rest of the ingredients & at 15 mins resting stage)


This is the final product...



The first batch "smiled" more than the second batch. Probably because I was busy "fighting" with 2 flies and delayed in wrapping the 2nd batch...  (I remember you mentioned DA Baking Powder pau dough has to be sent for steaming immediately after wrapping)

I did 1/2 the recipe at Day 3. I use 225g Day 2 dough starter instead of 450g and 1/2 the rest of the ingredients for Day 3. I make 30g dough and managed to make 19 paus. I kept the balance of the Day 2 dough starter in the freezer.

The pau stayed soft after cooling stage (what I mean is can eat without re-steaming it) but still cannot compare to the fluffiness and softness texture pau sold at dim sum restaurant. 

note : these pau flour mix are not only cheap, the pau tastes just right. if you want smiling pau, roll dough very much bigger so that when you form the pau, more dough will be on top and the more dough, the more smiling. be careful not to get oil from the filling smeared or else it will not closed and opened up when steam, it is not smiling though.

Bamboo steamer is better than the normal metal steamer as it is able to absorb most of the steam so that condensate won't drop back into the paus. Placing a piece of cloth before closing the lid does help. There are a few reasons that cause the wrinkled pau skin:

1. Condensate drips ack to pau's skin.
2. Overproofing of pau which results in large bubbles in dough.
3. Steaming at too high heat
4.Place steamer rack onto steamer and cover with tight-fitting lid. I am steaming 1 pau/bao at a time for demonstration purposes, in this small spaghetti pot, i was about to steam 3 pau/bao.  Do not crowd as there might not be enough steam to create a smile.
5.The water in the steamer pot has to VERY VERY BOILING.

hình dạng bánh . khi gói và khi hấp xong