大包 Da (Big) Bao

Recipe

Adapted from:

• Tai Pao / Da Bao

Ingredients

Makes 8 servings

Low-Protein Flour (Optional)

All purpose flour - 240g / 2 cups
Cornstarch - 2 tbsp

Pre-ferment

Low-protein flour - 160g / 1⅓ cups
Water - 120g / ½ cup
Instant yeast - 3g / 1 tsp
*Sugar - 30g / 2.5 tbsp (for short pre-ferment)

Final Dough

Low-protein flour - 80g / ⅔ cup
Cornstarch starch - 100g / ¾ cup
Sugar - 30g / 2½ tbsp
Pre-ferment - all
Water - 120g / ½ cup, plus more as needed
Neutral oil - 23g / 1½ tbsp

Filling

Pork shoulder or loin - 170g / 6oz
Boneless, skinless chicken thigh - 170g / 6oz
Jicama (mangguang) - 90g / 3 oz - about half a small jicama
Sugar - 30g / 2½ tbsp
Ginger, minced - 1 tsp
Cornstarch - 1/2 tsp
White pepper - 1/2 tsp
Kosher salt - 1/2 tsp
Chicken bouillon - 1/2 tsp
Dark soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Oyster sauce - 1 tbsp
Water - 2 to 3 tbsp as needed
Eggs - 4 for hardboiling

Technique

Low-protein Flour Substitute (Optional)

1 - Measure out 240g (2 cups) of all purpose flour. Remove 2 tbsp of flour and replace with 2 tbsp of cornstarch. Mix or sift to combine.

2 - Measure out 160g for pre-ferment and 80g for final dough. Set aside for use.

Pre-ferment (Long)

3A - Mix low-protein flour with water and instant yeast. Cover and let rise at room temperature for at least 16 hours. The pre-ferment should be loose and bubbly.

Pre-ferment (Short)

3B - Mix low-protein flour with water, instant yeast and sugar. Cover and let rise in a warm environment for 3 hours. The pre-ferment should be loose and bubbly.

Filling

4 - Steam the diced jicama for 10 minutes until softened.

5 - Hand-dice pork shoulder and chicken thighs into small pieces.

6 - Combine pork and chicken dice with steamed jicama, sugar, minced ginger, white pepper, salt, chicken bouillon, cornstarch, dark soy sauce and oyster sauce.

7 - Add just enough water so that the mixture holds together, but is not overly watery or loose. Refrigerate until needed.

8 - Bring a pot of water to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer eggs for 20 minutes.

9 - Place eggs into an ice bath, then peel eggs. Slice each egg into quarters, lengthwise. Set aside for use.

Final Dough

10 - Mix low-protein flour, corn or potato starch, salt and sugar.

11 - Add the water, oil and all of the pre-ferment.

12 - Knead by hand until the dough is smooth and consistent. It should feel soft like your earlobe. Add more water if dough seems dry, but avoid adding too much or the dough will be difficult to work with.

13 - Rest the dough for 10 minutes.

Assembly and Wrapping

22 - Divide the dough into eight portions (roughly 68g each). 65g to 80g make good-sized baos. Round each portion into a ball.

23 - Roll each ball into a flat circle. Try to make the edges thinner than the middle.

24 - Place 2 to 3 tbsp of filling in the middle of the dough circle and top with two hard-boiled egg quarters.

25 - Pull the dough edges upward, over the middle of the filling, creating pleats. Twist and pinch the top closed.

26 - Let the baos proof on squares of parchment paper for 15 minutes until fluffy.

Steaming

23 - Prepare a steamer and place the baos inside. Avoid overcrowding as the baos will puff up in the process.

24 - Steam over medium heat for 20 minutes.

A Complete Meal

How is a 大包 da bao different from any other kind of bao? It’s a well-seasoned pork and chicken bao, like many out there, but the defining characteristic for me is the inclusion of quartered hard-boiled eggs. As a big fan of eggs, this takes the da bao from snack to meal territory and gives it (dare I say) a bit of a luxe edge.

As its name suggests, the dabao is a little larger than a regular bao you might find. It’s also pretty unique to Singapore and Malaysia, and is one of half a dozen differently filled baos you can get at a kopitiam (coffeeshop) for less than two dollars.

Though easily available, store-bought da bao are often industrially produced. Consequently the filling can taste a little rubbery (looking at you eggs!). One of the chief advantages of making it at home is being able to control that texture, adjust flavours, and being generous with the filling.

Two Ways to Pre-ferment

As with bread, baos can be made quickly within several hours, or over a longer period of time. The basic pre-ferment is made from flour, water and yeast. For a quick pre-ferment, add sugar as food for the yeast, and accelerate the process with a warmer fermenting environment. This results in a sweeter, more simply-flavoured bao dough.

The longer and more traditional pre-ferment does not use added sugar, and allows the yeast to do its work over at least 16 hours at room temperature. The lack of additional sugar and heat allows for a longer fermentation period, as the yeast does not use up its nutrients as quickly. Thus the flavours developed are more complex and a little beer-like.

I chose to try the longer pre-ferment this time around. I did like how the more nuanced flavours in the dough complemented the filling – more like a harmony. The shorter pre-ferment is also a perfectly fine way to make baos, especially on short notice – the result is more of a contrast between the sweetness of the dough and the savoriness of the filling. Pick the method that works for your schedule!

Hand-dicing Meat

I’d always assumed that bao and dumpling fillings were made with ground meat and indeed they can be. However the result can be a mushy, homogeneous texture. I’ve since discovered that hand-dicing can yield a superior mouthfeel. It is also a lot easier to control how the meat tastes, since I can choose a cut of meat with the appropriate amount of fat.

For da bao, I like to use cheap pork cuts like pork shoulder and pork loin. I also prefer using chicken thighs as they are more tender and flavourful, but chicken breast also works. In general baos are a pretty economical dish – there’s no point using premium cuts for it. Baos and dumplings also benefit from having a bit of fat in them. Using lean meat yields a drier, denser texture.

The technique for hand-dicing is really simple and I learnt it from Woks of Life’s demonstration. Simply score the meat diagonally along its length, flip it around and do the same on the other side, then methodically slice crosswise to create small dice. For even finer dice (for dumplings and such) I score in more directions, and then pulverise the meat with the knife after. It works pretty well and is very much worth it – the filling has a good chew to it.

Wrapping

Wrapping the da bao can be a little tricky at first, but is easy with some practice. If it’s your first time, avoid rolling the dough out too thin. It’s okay to have some thickness. Use plenty of flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to your work surface, rolling pin and hands. 

Avoid overfilling – start with just two tablespoons of filling and maybe an egg quarter. There’s a happy medium between underfilling and having an unwrappable bao explosion, but it’s better to err on the side of underfilling. The filling is so well-seasoned that we don’t need a ton of it anyway.

To wrap, gather up the edge of the bao with your left index finger and thumb and pull it upwards, transferring it to the right index finger and thumb. Then reach down with the left hand and grab the next piece of dough edge, pull it up, and transfer to the right hand. Pinch with the right hand to pleat the dough.

Rotate the bao as you go along – flour on the work surface helps. Eventually, move your right hand (the hand holding the pleats) over the middle of the filling. The bao resembles a little sling as you work your way around it.

Finally, grab the last edge you can get at, twist all the pleats together, and pinch to seal. This can be a little tricky to master. If not sealed properly, the bao might open up while steaming, but it’s not a big deal.

The Best Breakfast

Da baos were my breakfast of choice in secondary school. I’d grab one from the school canteen and speed-eat it before heading to morning assembly. There’s something about eating one at a brightly-colored bench, feeling the cool of the morning and the smell of dew in the air while gearing up for the day ahead.