CHAR SIEW PAU

(WITH DOUGH STARTER)

Printer friendly version

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

Makes 9

 

Dough Starter:

    135g cake flour, sifted

    45g pau flour, sifted

    1 tsp instant yeast

    A pinch of salt

    100g water

 

 

METHOD:

  1. Place dough in an oiled bowl and covered with cling film. Prove for 11/2-2 hours until dough is double in volume.

  2. Divide dough to 4 portions (about 70g each). Reserve two portions for this recipe and store the rest in an air tight container and freeze. Thaw to room temperature the next time you want to use the dough starter.

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

Char Siew Filling:

    1 shallot, sliced

    200g char siew, diced

    1-1/2 tbsp light soy sauce

    1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce

    2 tbsp sugar

    1 tbsp oyster sauce

    1 tbsp cornflour

    1 tbsp tapioca flour

    100ml water

    1-2 tbsp oil for frying

 

 

METHOD:

  1. In a bowl, prepare sauce by mixing light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, oyster sauce, cornflour, tapioca flour and water.

  2. Heat oil in a frying pan. Fry shallot until fragrant. Add in char siew and fry. Pour sauce prepared in Step (1). Keep stirring until sauce thickens. Leave aside to cool.  

 

 

INGREDIENTS:   

Main Dough:

    75g cake flour

    65g tung min flour

    1 tsp bread improver

    10g baking powder

    60g icing sugar

    1/2 tsp instant yeast

    40g water

    140g (2 portions) Dough Starter

    10g shortening

   

   

 

METHOD:

 

  1. Sift cake flour, tung min flour, bread improver, baking powder and icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Combine yeast and water with flours. Blend to mix well. Beat using dough hook until a smooth dough is formed.

  2. Add in dough starter and shortening. Continue to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic (for about 15 minutes) (Note 2).

  3. Prove dough for 60-90 minutes until dough passes the finger-tip test (Note 3).

  4. Divide dough into 45g portions. Roll each portion into ball, covered with a damp cloth and set aside to rest for 5 minutes.

  5. Use a rolling pin to roll out a portion of dough such that edges are thinner than the central part. Place some char siew filling in the centre and wrap to form a pau. Repeat for remaining dough.

  6. Boil water in a steamer.  Steam char siew pau over rapid boiling water immediately after the wrapping for 10-15 minutes. Serve while paus are still hot.

 

 

NOTE:

  1. This recipe is different from  Steamed Man Tou, Ying Shi Juan, Hua Juan and Meat & Vegetable Pau although it uses dough starter too. The important step in the preparation of char siew pau is to reduce the percentage of gluten in the dough to ensure char siew paus do break up when steamed. This is make possible by substituting flour with tung min flour.

Tung min flour is produced from flour where the protein has been removed. With the exclusion of protein, gluten will not be formed upon addition of water. However, when constructing this recipe, I was afraid  that protein contributed by the cake flour alone was not sufficient for the proper functioning of yeast and for the texture of pau. As a result, I used 2 portions of dough starter.

  1. Unlike bread dough, dough for pau does not have to be kneaded to the thin membrane stage. Knead until gluten is formed in dough.

  2. Use the "finger-tip" test to check if the dough has fully risen. Press dough with your finger tip. If the impression stays, it is ready to go on to shaping. If the impression spring back, continue proving.

  3. Please adjust water content of this recipe. Remember amount of water required depends on type of flour used, type of liquid used, temperature and humidity of atmosphere at the time of making the pau.

  4. Dough with tung min flour tends to be soft and sticky to work with. However, avoid using too much flour to dust your working surface. This may result in thick and hard pau skin.

  5. Avoid water condensate at steamer's lid from dropping to the pau. Dry lid with a cloth every time you uncover the steamer.

  6. If you are not able to finish all the pau at one time, keep them in an air-tight container or plastic bag and freeze. Just reheat them whenever you want to have them. Estimated storage period is 2-3 months.

 

Made on 25-02-04

Written on 04-03-04

 

2003-2004 Copyright @ Jo's Deli Bakery. All rights reserved. No part of this webpage may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission by Jo's Deli Bakery.