Bao buns are fluffy, steamed rolls stuffed with savory or sweet stuffing. Our bao buns are stuffed with a combo of sweet and sour flavors, pickled veggies, tofu, and a delicious sauce.
BAO BUNS Active Dry Yeast | Warm Water All-Purpose Flour | Granulated Sugar Salt | Baking Powder PICKLED VEGGIES Water | Rice Vinegar Granulated Sugar | Carrot Cucumber | Jalapeño Pepper TOFU FILLING Soy Sauce | Rice Vinegar Maple Syrup | Sambal Oelek Sesame Oil | Firm Tofu
Knead the dough in a stand mixer and then on work surface by hand until dough is smooth. When the dough is smooth, proof it in the Instant Pot on the yogurt setting for 60 minutes. Once risen, punch down and knead for 5-10 minutes.
Next, divide the dough into 12 equal parts and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to about a 1 cm thick circle. Use a cutter to cut dough into 8" circles. Fold each round in half and flatten slightly. Steam in the Instant Pot for 10 minutes using a bamboo steamer.
In a pot combine the water, sugar, rice vinegar, and salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then bring the mixture to a boil. Add the vegetables to the brine. Stir to submerge, then remove the pot from the heat. Let it sit for 20 mins.
Sear the tofu until deep brown on all sides. Remove the tofu from the pan. Add all the sauce to the same pan and reduce until it thickens. Add the tofu to the pan and stir to coat with the glaze.
To serve, slather the inside of the bao buns with hoisin sauce, then glazed tofu, the pickled vegetables, cilantro, peanuts and sesame seeds.