Chinese Char Siu Baked Buns 🥟✨

Description

Chinese Char Siu Baked Buns are soft, glossy, golden, and filled with sticky Cantonese-style barbecue pork in a rich savory-sweet sauce. The tender milk dough, lacquered surface, and deeply aromatic filling make them feel like a premium bakery classic with strong visual appeal, real search potential, and a warm, comforting finish. ✨

Hook ✨

Fluffy golden buns, glossy egg-washed tops, and a sweet-savory char siu filling make this Chinese bakery favorite feel rich, nostalgic, and impossible to stop eating. 🥢

Ingredients

• Dough 🌾
• 🌾 400 g plain flour (3¼ cups / 14.1 oz)
• 🍬 35 g sugar (3 tbsp / 1.2 oz)
• 🧂 5 g fine salt (1 tsp / 0.18 oz)
• 🍞 7 g instant yeast (2¼ tsp / 0.25 oz)
• 🥛 220 ml warm milk (¾ cup + 2 tbsp / 7.4 fl oz)
• 🥚 1 large egg
• 🧈 45 g unsalted butter, softened (3 tbsp / 1.6 oz)
• Char siu filling 🍖
• 🥓 350 g cooked char siu pork, finely diced (12.3 oz)
• 🧅 70 g onion, finely diced (½ cup / 2.5 oz)
• 🌻 15 ml neutral oil (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz)
• 🥢 30 ml hoisin sauce (2 tbsp / 1 fl oz)
• 🥢 20 ml light soy sauce (1 tbsp + 1 tsp / 0.7 fl oz)
• 🍯 20 g honey (1 tbsp / 0.7 oz)
• 🍶 15 ml Shaoxing wine (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz)
• 🌿 5 ml toasted sesame oil (1 tsp / 0.17 fl oz)
• 🌽 8 g cornstarch (2 tsp / 0.28 oz)
• 💧 45 ml water (3 tbsp / 1.5 fl oz)
• For glazing ✨
• 🥚 1 egg yolk
• 🥛 10 ml milk (2 tsp / 0.34 fl oz)
• 🍯 10 g honey, warmed (2 tsp / 0.35 oz)
• ⚪ 5 g white sesame seeds (1 tsp / 0.18 oz)

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Make the dough 🌾
2. Mix the flour, sugar, salt, and instant yeast in a large bowl. Add the warm milk and egg, then knead for 5 min until a rough dough forms. Add the softened butter and knead for another 8–10 min until smooth, elastic, and slightly glossy. ✨
3. 2️⃣ Let it rise 🛋️
4. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let it rise for 60 min at room temperature until doubled in size. The dough should feel soft, airy, and easy to stretch. 🥛
5. 3️⃣ Cook the filling 🍖
6. Heat the neutral oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4 min until soft and glossy. Stir in the diced char siu, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, honey, Shaoxing wine, and sesame oil, then cook for 2–3 min until fragrant. 🥢
7. 4️⃣ Thicken the sauce 🌽
8. Mix the cornstarch with the water until smooth, then pour it into the filling. Cook for 1–2 min until the sauce turns thick, shiny, and sticky enough to hold together inside the buns. Cool the filling completely before shaping. ✨
9. 5️⃣ Shape the buns 🥟
10. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a round, place a spoonful of cooled char siu filling in the center, then pinch the edges closed tightly. Place seam-side down on a lined baking tray. 🍖
11. 6️⃣ Proof and glaze 🥚
12. Cover the buns and let them proof for 30 min until puffy. Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Mix the egg yolk with milk, brush the buns gently, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. ✨
13. 7️⃣ Bake until glossy 🔥
14. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 18 min until golden brown and fully puffed. Brush lightly with warm honey as soon as they come out of the oven for that classic Chinese bakery shine. 🥮
15. 8️⃣ Rest and serve 🥢
16. Let the buns rest for 10 min before serving so the filling settles and the dough becomes soft, tender, and easy to pull apart. Serve warm for the best texture. ✨

Total Time

⏱ Prep: 35 min
🔥 Cook/Bake: 28 min
🛋 Rest: 100 min
⏰ Total: 163 min

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