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Chinese BBQ Pork Buns (Baked Cha Siu Bao Recipe)

Published: By 360 Comments

Chinese BBQ pork bun

Ah, childhood. When choices were easy (Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network?) and one’s biggest concerns were in the vein of running home fast enough from the elementary school to catch the ice cream truck and the 3:30 PM escapades of Arthur the aardvark on PBS. When your parents seemed to know everything there was to know about everything, and you saw the entire world from a foot or two lower to the ground. Eating Chinese BBQ Pork Buns or baked Cha Siu Bao was also part of that childhood!

My particular version of childhood involved a lot of sinking Titanic reenactments in my friend Reema’s above ground pool (we were very melodramatic children), reading at recess, strong lobbying for a family puppy acquisition, the collected cinematic works of John Hughes, my see-through purple Gameboy Color, and a gradual familiarization with anything having to do with horses. It also involved a lot of Saturday morning car rides into Queens and Chinatown, when we would visit my grandparents or cousins, grab dim sum, and inevitably stop by a Chinese bakery for some warm bread.

There were always the usual suspects…the pillowy soft butter buns, the sweet, crumbly pineapple buns, the vastly-appealing-to-Chinese-American-kids “hot dog” buns (my enchantment with this particular pastry has…ebbed over the years. [update] – THAT IS, UNTIL I MADE THEM MYSELF! Here’s the Chinese hot dog bun recipe.), and of course, the “cha siu baos,” or baked BBQ pork buns, which are filled with a savory, slightly sweet filling of Cantonese roast pork. Chinese BBQ Pork buns, dim sum and Chinese bakery favorites are of course, the subject of today’s post.

(If you would rather have a steamed bun, then peruse our recipe for Steamed Char Siu Bao pork buns. It’s most definitely the real deal and you won’t be disappointed!)

Out of all the bakeries in and around Beijing–the Paris Baguette‘s, Bread Talk‘s, Holliland’s, and Wei Duo Mei‘s packing the city, no one seems to have this “quintessentially Chinatown” pastry. Until now!

You know, because we do.

These take some time, but are pretty easy to put together, especially if you can get the roast pork ready made from your local Chinese grocery store’s hot bar. If not, you can also easily make your own roast pork, with this fantasmagorical Chinese BBQ Pork (cha siu) recipe we posted a few days ago. In any case, the bread dough is fairly straightforward as well. It involves one crucial, dead simple step at the beginning, which involves making a quick five-minute roux/paste with flour, water, and milk. The paste, called a “tangzhong,” is then mixed with the rest of the dough ingredients, and you knead the heck out of it until it’s smooth. Easy.

Let’s get started.

For the Chinese baked pork buns:

UPDATE: You can still use this recipe for the bread dough, but you also have the option to use our new Milk Bread recipe, which is considerably easier (and, truth be told, softer). Find the recipe here. As is the case with both dough recipes, you can fill the dough with cha siu pork filling after it’s proofed once, and then let them rise a second time after they’ve been filled.

  • 5 cups bread flour or all purpose flour, plus 1/3 cup
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1 1/3 cup milk, divided
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 tablespoons melted butter
  • eggwash (1 egg, beaten with a tablespoon of milk)
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)

For the filling:

 

In a medium saucepan, mix 1/3 cup flour with 2/3 cup water and 1/3 cup milk until the flour is dissolved. Put the pan over medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture resembles a thick paste, about 3-5 minutes. If it looks like vanilla pudding, it’s too thin. If it looks kind of like really thick toothpaste, it’s just right. You can also measure the temperature with a thermometer, if you’re the Alton Brown type. It’s about right when it’s reached 149 degrees F/65 degrees C. Set aside.

Chinese BBQ pork buns (cha siu bao) - thewoksoflife.com

In a large mixing bowl, combine 5 cups of flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Mix it all together with your hands.

Chinese BBQ pork buns (cha siu bao) - thewoksoflife.com

Add the flour paste (aka the tangzhong), 1 cup milk, 2 eggs, and the melted butter. Stir together to form a soft dough, and knead (by hand or with the dough hook attachment of your mixer) for 15-20 minutes. Because our KitchenAid Stand Mixer didn’t make the journey from NJ to China, I did this all by hand–in front of the TV, so I wouldn’t get bored. It wasn’t really that bad.

Chinese BBQ pork buns (cha siu bao) - thewoksoflife.com

Form the dough into a ball and place into a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise for 1 hour.

Chinese BBQ pork buns (cha siu bao) - thewoksoflife.com

While that’s happening, make the filling. Chop up some onion, dice the pork into small cubes, and take out some chicken broth (or in our case, some Organic Better than Bullion mixed with some water).

Chinese BBQ pork buns (cha siu bao) - thewoksoflife.com

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok over medium high heat. Add the onion and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

Chinese BBQ pork buns (cha siu bao) - thewoksoflife.com

Add the sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and dark soy.

Chinese BBQ pork buns (cha siu bao) - thewoksoflife.com

Stir and cook until it starts to bubble up.

Chinese BBQ pork buns (cha siu bao) - thewoksoflife.com

Add the chicken stock and flour. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring, for a couple minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the roast pork. Set aside to cool.

Chinese BBQ pork buns (cha siu bao) - thewoksoflife.com

After it’s risen, separate the dough into 16 equal pieces.

Chinese BBQ pork buns (cha siu bao) - thewoksoflife.com

Chinese BBQ pork buns (cha siu bao) - thewoksoflife.com

Shape each piece into a small circle, where the center is slightly thicker than the edges. This prevents the top of the bun from being too thin and bursting open mid-bake. That would be bad.

Put a couple tablespoons of filling into each!

Chinese BBQ pork buns (cha siu bao) - thewoksoflife.com

Crimp them closed, making sure they’re tightly sealed. It’s a similar technique to making Shanghai soup dumplings. But no need to unnecessarily complicate things. Just make sure it’s closed, and closed tightly.

Chinese BBQ pork buns (cha siu bao) - thewoksoflife.com

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Lay them out seam side down on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, and let rise for another hour. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Chinese BBQ pork buns (cha siu bao) - thewoksoflife.com

Brush with egg wash…

Chinese BBQ pork buns (cha siu bao) - thewoksoflife.com

And sprinkle with sesame seeds (if using). The sesame seeds add a little aesthetic somethin’ extra, I think.

Chinese BBQ pork buns (cha siu bao) - thewoksoflife.com

Beeeeyoooteeeful!

Chinese BBQ pork buns (cha siu bao) - thewoksoflife.com

Put them in the oven and immediately turn the oven down from 400 degrees (about 200 degrees C) to 350 degrees (about 175 degrees). Bake these BBQ pork buns for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

And then don’t immediately grab one, bite into it, burn your tongue, and then almost drop it on the floor whilst nursing a second degree mouth burn. I, uh…let them cool off for a few minutes before not doing that.

Chinese BBQ pork buns (cha siu bao) - thewoksoflife.com

These Baked Chinese BBQ pork buns (cha siu baos) are a joy to make and to eat. Whether they bring you back to your childhood, or are an entirely new experience, we hope you enjoy them. Post any questions or comments down below, where you’re guaranteed a pleasant and/or witty answer from one of us.

Try one of our other favorite recipes that you can have steamed or pan fried – Carrot Ginger Pork Buns, Two Ways (Bao Zi, 胡萝卜肉包子)!

4.8 from 20 reviews
Chinese BBQ Pork Buns (Baked Cha Siu Bao)
 
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Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Chinese BBQ pork buns or cha siu bao are filled with a savory, slightly sweet filling of cha siu roast pork. Chinese BBQ pork buns are a Chinese bakery favorite
Author:
Recipe type: Chinese Bakery
Cuisine: Chinese
Serves: 16
Ingredients
FOR THE BUNS:
  • 5 cups bread flour or all purpose flour, plus ⅓ cup
  • ⅔ cup water
  • 1⅓ cup milk, divided
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 tablespoons melted butter
  • eggwash (1 egg, beaten with a tablespoon of milk)
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)
FOR THE FILLING:
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • ½ cup finely chopped shallots or red onion
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
  • ¾ cup chicken stock
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups diced Chinese roast pork (cha siu)
Instructions
  1. In a medium saucepan, mix ⅓ cup flour with ⅔ cup water and ⅓ cup milk until the flour is dissolved. Put the pan over medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture resembles a thick paste, about 3-5 minutes. Set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine 5 cups of flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Add the flour paste (tangzhong), 1 cup milk, 2 eggs, and melted butter. Stir together to form a soft dough, and knead (by hand or with the dough hook attachment of your mixer) for 15-20 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and place into a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise for 1 hour.
  3. While that’s happening, make the meat filling. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok over medium high heat. Add the onion and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and dark soy. Stir and cook until it starts to bubble up. Add the chicken stock and flour. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring, for a couple minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the roast pork. Set aside to cool.
  4. After it has risen, separate the dough into 16 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a small circle, where the center is slightly thicker than the edges. Fill each with meat filling, and crimp them closed, making sure they’re tightly sealed. Lay them out seam side down on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, and let rise for another hour. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (200 degrees C)
  5. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sesame seeds (if using). Put them in the oven and immediately turn the oven down from 400 degrees (about 200 degrees C) to 350 degrees (about 175 degrees). Bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

 

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360 Comments

  8. This looks great! My favorite Chinese bakery in Brooklyn must have changed their baker, because the filling wasn’t up to par. I’ll have to make my own, in self defense! I’m a retired professional cook and chef, and have done Chinese style cooking as well as many other ethnic cuisines. I worked side-by-side with two Chinese chefs for 5 years. I make my own roast pork regularly. I’ll let you know how it turns out!

    Reply

  9. Sarah, this is fantastic. We’re on a mission to find the perfect lunch food for my bf. Last week he took cold steamed cha siu bao to work, this week we’re going to try the baked buns BUT we’re going to try a ham and swiss filling and a philly cheese steak filling. Since we’re doing 2 different fillings, I thought we might try both of the baked doughs. Do you have a suggestion for which dough would go best with each filling? Also, I froze the prepped steamed buns and then steamed them the night before from frozen for 20 minutes, can I do the same sort of thing with the baked ones?

    Reply

  11. Hi Sarah,

    Recipe looks great! I am making baozi with brisket as a filling in a sandwich manner (Filling added after bun is steamed). Would you recommend this recipe or the Chinese Sausage Buns for the dough?

    Thank you!

    Reply

    • Hi Caro, You can leave out the onions if you don’t like them but adding carrots is an interesting idea and worth a try. Make sure you cook the carrots until they are softened because you don’t want a “crunch” in your buns. I would avoid daikon since they have a stronger taste and can be used for a different filling recipe.

      Reply

  14. In the middle of making these and everything looks amazing!! Am I able to steam this dough or will it only work for baking?

    Reply

  15. im currently visiting family in nocal and had my first taste (2 different bakeries) of pork buns. 1st place was in chinatown, sf. bakery was recommended and got rave reviews on google (“authentic” “yummy” “best place in the bay area” blah blah). i wasnt impressed. the dough was incredible. the filling… not so much. it was so sweet, it tasted more like syrup than bbq and i think there was more fat than meat. second place (cafe bakery on noriega) was exactly what i expected… pork chunks with a savory, slightly sweet asian bbq sauce. incredible dough. sooo tastey. this is what i hope to get (if not better based on your other recipes ive made) from this recipe. i plan on using the updated milk bread recipe and i cant wait to get home to try it out.

    i also got a curry beef pastry at the 2nd bakery that was different but just as yummy as the pork bun. i dont suppose you have a recipe for that type of filling?? they used a pastry similar to croissant than yeast roll for the curry beef.

    Reply

    • Hi Vicki, Sorry we missed your comment! I agree that the pork bun fillings these days are a bit too sweet but that seems to be the trend. All the more reason to cook them at home ;-) You should definitely try our Beef curry puff recipe HERE because I think you will adore it – nothing like fresh puff pastry wrapped around a savory curry beef filling! If you like roast pork filling, then try making our Chinese Roast Pork puff HERE.

      Reply

  17. why my buns look pretty but taste dried and not soft and fluffy?
    follow recipes, dough rises double , punch down, fill the buns, rest 1 hour see buns double again but after baking it’s hard ??

    Reply

  18. These are incredible! I made them using the dough but filling with leftover barbeque chicken. I added some chopped bacon, onion, barbeque sauce and a little smoked honey. They were amazing. Next time I am going to use the filling in the recipe. I plan to make these for a tailgate this fall for football season!

    Reply

  19. Big thumbs up from my 2 boys. They love these buns from the Chinese Bakery. I used your updated milk bread recipe. It was so light. So pillowy soft.

    I’ve learnt you can cut back on the amount of yeast when scaling recipes. I doubled everything else and it worked great with only 20g of instant active yeast. We don’t have a fancy mixer so I mixed it in a large bowl and kneaded it by hand using the Richard Bertinet technique of slapping it on the marble slab and pushing through it with the heel of both palms. What a workout. But it was worth it.

    Next time I will try making your cocktail buns.

    Oh and your dan tat recipe is amazing. Even when the kitchen was nearly 30 degrees C and I was cooling the pastry down in the freezer in between book folding, cutting the circles and putting them in fluted stainless cases (eventually I left the fluted tart cases in the freezer and took them out 1 by 1 which helped save the little blobs of butter). Everyone loved them. So flaky. So light. Delicious.

    Reply

  20. Well, hot diggidy dang! Made these today and like your other milk bread recipes, these were wonderful as well! I made the char Siew from scratch as well but followed a different recipe. ( I don’t know why I didn’t try out your recipe instead. ) It didn’t come out as nice but after mixing it with your sauce for the filling (which was spot on), my mediocre char siew was alright, alright, alright. ( say it like Matthew McConaughey)
    I did your milk bread recipe following the weight measurements instead of cups. And this time the dough wasn’t as sticky. So, going with weight measurements is definitely better.

    Thank you so much for putting up so much effort and time to come up with great recipes and sharing it with everyone.My family and friends thank you as well.
    P/s I did exactly what you said not to do..bite into the piping hot bun and scalding my tongue.

    Reply

    • So glad you liked these! Good call on the weight measurements–you’re right that they’re much more accurate, and it’s easier to get more consistent results. We’re in the habit of using US cups/measuring spoons, but I’m trying to get more into the habit of measuring by weight like everyone else around the world.

      Sorry you burned your tongue––happens to the best of us. :)

      Reply

  21. I would like to try this recipe. I wish you had the ingredients in grams or ozs. I personally think that measuring the ingredients with a weighing scale would be easier and more accurate.
    I get confused with cup measurements.. I’m not sure which cup you are referring to. The UK cup or the US cup. When I checked with the conversions of cup measurement, the UK cup differs from the US cup.
    Since your buns look so yummy, I would like to try making them but I dont want to make them in case I use a different cup from yours.
    BTW when you measure dry ingredients with a cup. It could be different if you fill one cup and then fill another cup. I tried weighing the two cups separately in grams and there was a difference in weight, whereas if you weigh out your ingredients, It would be accurate all the time.

    Reply

    • You’re so right! We should definitely start weighing our ingredients here in the US––it IS indeed a much more accurate method of measurement. But as our audience is primarily an American audience, and we also live in the US, we seem to be sticking to our measuring cups and spoons. i do think we will try to make more of an effort to include weight measurements in the future. There are online converters that will tell you how many grams of flour are in a US cup of flour, or a US cup of sugar, which can be helpful in the meantime!

      Reply

      • Many thanks for your prompt reply.
        I’m from Singapore and always thought that Americans were very advanced in whatever they do. Yet I wonder why they still stick to the old fashioned way of measuring their ingredients. It reminds me of how our great grandmothers in our country used to measure their ingredients when they cooked.

        Reply

  22. Good morning!
    I love the way these look, they are just so perfect! May I ask if I can make the buns without a filling? I have some pork in the oven and I’d like to serve along side these lovely buns. Will that work by any chance?

    Reply

  23. Hi, I want to make this recipe now for tomorrow morning can I prove it for an hour now then somehow stop proving it overnight and bake tomorrow? I don’t want to over prove them though, is this possible?

    Reply

    • Hey Jeff, i wouldn’t proof the dough overnight. As far as I know there isn’t a way to “stop” it from happening. Even if you put the dough in the fridge overnight, it slows down the proofing process but doesn’t completely stop it. I would bake them today and then before serving them, you can heat them up in the microwave for about 30 seconds, and they will taste like they just came out of the oven!

      Reply

  24. I made my own BBQ pork a few days ago to use in some stir fry and to make buns, although I didn’t have a bun recipe yet. Although I was looking for steamed buns, this recipe intrigued me and so I gave it a go with a half recipe (there are just two of us).

    It was very good with easy to follow directions and photos. I did it by hand like you as we got rid of the mixer years ago (We are nomadic). I will mention that I’ve been baking breads for many years. I was a little concerned that there was no “starting” of the yeast. But everything rose according to plan in a warmed oven.

    For the pork filling, I substituted hoisin for the oyster sauce as I wanted a sweeter taste. Also used brown sugar rather than white.

    Everything turned out great. Per your advise in the comments, we are freezing a few.

    I will be trying the softer bread version next time (Didn’t have the cream) and also the steaming version. I think I would try a different filling. Maybe something sweet for a breakfast bun.

    I am wondering where you are in China. We were in Ningbo, a few train hours from Shanghai, for a couple of months. Loved going to the local market. It was a mushroom lover’s heaven. We had nine-mushroom omelets one morning.

    Reply

    • Hi Nomadic Chef, here is our steamed BBQ pork bun recipe with many, many great reviews from our readers. Hope you give it a try. We are currently back in NJ after spending three years in Beijing. Last year, Bill and I spent three months in Shanghai and had a wonderful time living like locals.

      Reply

  25. Hi I’m making this right now I follow the tangzhong dough recipe as written don’t know why the dough is very sticky messy… ? Don’t know if I had done something wrong… hope the final buns comes out ok?

    Reply

  26. Fantastic recipe, can’t wait to try it. I only have 1 question. Do I need to wait for the yeast to be activated?

    Reply

  27. Is normal fresh yeast ok to use? I can’t find instant yeast in markets in the area.
    I d really love to try your recipe. Thanks.

    Reply

  28. Best baked cha siu bao recipe I’ve tried! A little taste of home for both me (western Canada) and my bf (California). We live in New Mexico now and while the local food is fantastic, good, cheap bao (among other things) are hard to come by. Thank you!

    Reply

  29. I cannot thank you enough! For years, I have been searching for a baked cha siu bao recipe. Your recipe was easy to follow and the results are fantastic. Eating them brought me back to the Chinatown coffee shops of my native NYC.

    Reply

  30. Hi

    I’ve made this recipe 3x last month, first with just sesame seed on top but the last two, I put the pineapple buns topping. My husband said that I could never make it again with just sesame seeds. hehehe… this was an awesome recipe thank you for sharing! do you have a green onion cake recipe?

    Reply

  31. Thank you for the perfect and easy to follow recipe. Yesterday I made steamed and baked bun with my homemade BBQ pork and chicken curry. I love the texture of the bun and definitely I will make it again soon.

    Reply

  32. Hi there

    We have been tasked with doing some fun finger food for a party of 14 at a friends house this weekend and thought these looked great. Couple of queries – have seen frozen versions in online Chinese supermarkets (sam pan brand?) and wondered if they bake off well? If not thought would have a go myself as above. If I bake off at home then have a 20 min journey to where we’re going will they keep ok on baking tray under a cloth?

    Ed

    Reply

    • Hey Ed, they should definitely keep fine during that 20 minute drive. I would say that they’re a bit bigger than finger food! If you want to make mini ones, just be sure to adjust and monitor the baking time accordingly, as they will bake faster. I have never tried the frozen ones, so I’m not sure how they taste.

      Reply

      • Hi Sarah,

        Thanks for posting this recipe! I just got back from Shanghai and LOVED these while I was there. I was thinking about making some for a Christmas party (about 60 attendees). How big do these come out? I mainly put out finger foods (2-3 bites max per piece). If this recipe makes ones that are bigger than that, how would you suggest that I alter the recipe or will that not work? I need about 80 pieces total…

        Thanks!!
        Chris

        Reply

        • Hi Christopher, this recipe makes 16 rather large buns––larger than a dinner roll. My mother actually also recently did these as an appetizer for a party, and she just made 32 of them from the same recipe––to make them about half the size. Worked great!

          Reply

  33. I made both the baked and steamed bun recipes yesterday and they were absolutely spectacular! One suggestion I have for the pork filling in both recipes is to whisk the stock and flour together in a small bowl before adding it to the pan. This will eliminate any small clumps that might form by adding the flour as a dry ingredient to the pan. I can’t wait to make more of your great recipes!!!

    Reply

  34. Hi!
    Really looking forward to making these before I go home in a couple months to visit my parents. You say that the Milk Bread dough recipe is easier and softer, but I have to ask, is the original dough recipe tastier? Or more traditional for a bao? I’m absolutely up for the challenge, I want it as close to authentic as possible, my parents grew up in Hong Kong and are always teasing that I should bake Chinese pastries/bao. So I’m going to give it a go and surprise them! :)

    Reply

    • Hey Cardina, the milk bread recipe was developed after this original Char Siu Bao recipe was published, and we think it’s an improvement in every way-–flavor and texture. So I would use that recipe for the dough. :)

      Reply

  35. Happy New Year! I used your Cha Siu & Cha Siu Bao recipes for the first time yesterday to make our contribution our friend’s New Years Eve potluck. They turned out quite well and everyone enjoyed them last night. I’m breakfasting on a couple that didn’t fit in the travel container. Gung Hey Fat Choy!

    Reply

  36. I’m not sure why you would expect Paris Baguette to have these, since they are, after all, a Korean version of a French bakery. At least, those in California subscribe to this model, which I thought was standard for the brand.

    Reply

  37. The pork filling with the milk bread together makes 15 great cha siu baos. I made this for my family and they said it taste like the ones you get from Chinatown bakeries. Thank you for this excellent recipe.

    Reply

  38. Will a gluten free flour blend be acceptable to substitute for flour. Miss having these so much and if could make it gluten free it would be even better. Thank YOU, for making being away from home easier!

    Reply

  41. Is it possible to freeze the buns & bake at a later date for a birthday party. Make ahead and freeze and bake at another date.

    Thank you.

    Reply

        • Hi Hannah, no microwave, no problem. This is what I would do: preheat a flat-bottomed pan over medium heat, put the buns in the pan, add 3 to 4 drops of water to the pan (not on the buns), and cover immediately. The sizzling steam will heat up the buns quickly. Keep the lid on for 3 minutes or so. Just make sure the heat is low enough so it does not burn the bottom of the buns.

          Reply

  42. Made this for the first time last night…amazing thank you.

    However due to a miscommunication between my wife and I the leftover that we placed in an airtight container didn’t get put in the frig or freezer. Do I have to throw these out now?

    Reply

  44. Thank you!
    I’m following this recipe fot the second time today. The firat time I followed it as best as I could with Swedish ingrediences. This time I made a filling with minced meat. I love the dough very much. It’s so easy to work with.

    Regards from Sweden

    Reply

  45. hi I would like to know if I can prepare these tor if the day befor? or will they not be as nice? or if not up to witch step can I do the night before.thank you!!!

    Reply

    • Hi Zoe, if you want them really fresh, you can just make the filling the night before and then do the dough and the baking on the day of. You could also make all the buns the night before and then microwave them for 30 seconds right before you’re ready to eat them.

      Reply

  46. Hi! I’ve recently moved to a small town in Sweden with no/little access to any form on Chinese food. I was wondering if it was possible to make this without pre-made Chinese roast pork? Should I cook pork beforehand in a marinade or could I substitute minced pork (I know it would have a different texture)?

    I made the ginger and pork steamed buns before and loved them but I’ve been craving BBQ pork buns for ages!

    Thanks!
    Jaz

    Reply

  47. Thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to try. I usually make the steam version and buy the premade flour dough mix in the Asian aisle that only requires water. Would that work for this recipe?

    Reply

  48. I also have a bag of wheat starch and was told I could make Char Sui buns with it but I don’t know how this is used in a recipe. Any ideas?
    Thanks.

    Reply

  49. Hi Sarah. I’ve also had the curried beef version of this bun. Would you happen to have the recipe for that? I love them both but my husband prefers the curry one. Thanks.

    Reply

  51. These just came out of the oven and they are delicious. My husband and I had something similar at a bed and breakfast while on our honeymoon last month and I knew that I had to find a recipe when we got home. I will be making these again for sure. Thanks for all the recipes, it will make meal planning a lot easier!

    Reply

  54. I really love the recipe. My family loves it too! Also tried the raisin buns with the milk bread recipe. It’s my first time to make breads. I never thought it will be easy. Thanks so much for the clear instructions with pictures. It really helps a lot. Thanks so much for sharing. I appreciate it so much! Happy tummy!

    Reply

  56. These were very good, although a bit different than the ones I bought in Chinatown in San Francisco as a child and Boston most recently. I can’t wait to try the cha siu recipe with the milk bread recipe, I used a local restaurants cha siu and it was too dry and overlooked. The milk bread recipe seems lighter and sweeter, closer to what I used to get. And although they take time, it sure beats driving the 2 hours to Boston. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Hey Rhonda, I would bake them, THEN freeze them. When you want to reheat, just pop the frozen bun in the microwave for about 30 seconds, or until completely warmed up!

      Reply

  59. I love these, making them for Mother’s Day, and wondering if I can make them ahead and freeze them

    Reply

    • you can definitely make ahead and freeze! I pop them frozen into the microwave, or you can let them thaw out a bit before microwaving them. I’m sure you could also reheat them in the oven. They’re not as good as they are fresh out of the oven, but they’re definitely still wonderful!

      Reply

      • Thank you, I am also thinking about using the milk bread recipe and was wondering if you still use the tangzhong

        Reply

        • Hi Chris, definitely use the milk bread recipe as the dough for this bun. It’s quick, easy and there’s no need to fuss with tangzhong.

          Reply

  60. I am now a goddess in my husband’s eyes, thanks to this recipe. He says that they are better than the ones at Seattle’s pike pl market and he’s been jonesing for those for years. Thanks so much, and well done!

    Reply

  61. Can you possibly use pizza dough as a starter dough instead of making your own? Can’t wait to try these…yum!

    Reply

    • Hey Rachel, interesting question! These buns are actually made with an Asian milk bread, which are much fluffier and softer than pizza dough. I think that pizza dough would yield rather hard, crunchy rolls, which isn’t exactly what you’re looking for in char siu bao. That said…i would be averse to putting char siu on pizza…

      Reply

  62. I have a recipe that tells me to steam them….that takes forever because I can only steam a few at a time…I’m excited to try baking them! My husband lived in Taiwan and these are some of his favorite, and have now become my kids favorite. Thanks for the tip on baking them

    Reply

  63. I haven’t seen this style of pork bun since I moved back to the NYC tri-state area from the Seattle area and I’ve missed it so much. This recipe is amazing!!! Thank you so much, this recipe was so fun and so rewarding. I have a bunch of my diced bbq pork in the prepped sauce left over which I plan to freeze for more buns in the future seeing as these are gonna disappear quickly.

    Reply

  64. Hi I just wanted to say THANK YOU! This is the first time that I made chicken ba paos and they were amazingly good! I used the milk bread dough and it rose so beautiful. Everything was so easy to follow and the end result was the best I ever had! Thank you and god bless from South America!

    Reply

  65. I made this with some liberties: I did not use heavy cream or cake flour in the milk bread dough; instead I used 1.75 cups milk and 4 cups bread flour with an extended kneading time (to make the ultimate product more chewy). I also added 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil along with other ingredients to help with the dough from sticking. For the filling, as cha siu is relatively expensive where I live, I oven roasted pork shoulder with a little chicken stock (marinated prior with dijon mustard and dry rub consisting of garlic powder, kosher salt, white pepper, dry mustard powder, smoked paprika, brown sugar, and a dash of cayenne pepper). Once cooked and cooled, cubed the pork and mixed with small cubes of tart (granny smith) apple confit. The buns turned out fantastic; thank you so very much for the recipe.

    Reply

  66. I used your milk bread recipe for the dough. Everything was very easy to make, however I found the filling too salty. I prefer a sweeter filling and a sweeter egg wash on the top. Almost sticky like our local dim sum.

    Reply

  67. Made these tonight and they were awesome! I had some leftover pulled pork that I added the the oriental sauce to. The dough was so light and fluffy and delicious. I halved the recipe and got 8 large buns. These would impress most people. I do not care for the steamed buns myself but absolutely loved these. First time on your page so I will be sure to check out more recipes. Thanks

    Reply

  68. My husband remembers the pork buns from when he was a kid. He is drooling over all your recipes and (this is one for the books) we were supposed to go fishing tomorrow. Instead he is going to go out and get the ingredients and cook the BBQ Pork buns.

    I’m shocked … lol

    Reply

  69. Hello I just discovered this recipe and it’s looks absolutely delicious. I was wondering if these could be frozen and if you recommend freezing before or after baking?.thanks so much!

    Reply

    • Hi Shianna, you can freeze these buns after they’re baked. It’s definitely preferable to enjoy them right out of the oven, but if you do freeze them, they reheat nicely in the microwave.

      Reply

  70. Hi, I was considering making these for a bbq this weekend. Would they still be good refrigerated over night and then reheated in the oven? If not, what would you recommened?

    Thank you

    Reply

    • Hi Ashley, you can refrigerate them overnight. The best way to reheat is actually to pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds. It heats them up without drying them out. Good luck!

      Reply

  71. How have I only just discovered your blog?
    I have just spent the last hour (at least) engrossed in all your fantastic recipes. Thank you for providing such well written, presented, researched and throughly witty recipes.
    I can’t wait to start cooking up your fantastic fayre.
    I look forward to more in the future…

    Reply

  74. Hi! I would love to make this recipe- do you know if its possible to substitute in gluten-free baking flour and get the same result?

    Reply

  78. You’ve ruined me. I live in NW Arkansas where there are few Chinese and even fewer Chinese restaurants I’ve always loved porkbuns but always felt they lacked the filling quantities that I wanted. Your recipe allowed me to make the porkbuns I’ve always wanted and now I can investigate vegetarian pork buns as well as southern style smoked pork buns.

    thank you. Har Gow is on my list to try very soon as well. Already subscribed and following on Instagram.

    Reply

  79. I live in an area that is at least two hours away from a dim sum restaurant. Even then, it is not the dim sum I am used to eating in San Francisco when visiting family. I tried a few of your recipes for my favorites. They have been spot on and have satisfied my dim sum cravings. Baked pork buns have always been my favoritea nd the recipe is perfect in my opinion.

    Reply

  80. I was just wondering if these can be frozen after they’re baked. And if so, will they be just as good thawed and reheated as they are fresh?

    Reply

    • Hi Kelly, yes, you can freeze these buns after baking. It’s definitely preferable to enjoy them right out of the oven. With that said, these buns do reheat (in the microwave) nicely.

      Reply

  81. I am so glad I found your site! I accidentally stumbled here in search for a siu bao recipe. My husband and I love the special bao we buy from NY Chinatown. It is huge with ground pork, boiled egg, chinese sausage and shitake mushroom. I am picky with the bun, I have tried several recipes but I just can’t get the bun that I remember from our visits to chinatown. We love dimsum as well, we live in a suburb of Chicago and we would drive over an hour to go to Chinatown and get our dimsum fix. I have tried your recipe for the steamed bun and I love it! My daughter and son approves as well. Thank you for sharing your recipes and I will be visiting frequently… Pls add me to your mailing list.

    Reply

  83. I would like to try this recipe, I have one question though. I want to try it with the milk bread instead. Do I have to double the milk bread recipe at all to get enough dough? It seems the bread recipe on this page is a lot larger than the milk bread recipe. Thank you in advance!

    Reply

    • Hi Alex, if you make the milk bread recipe for the dough and the filling recipe from this post, you can make about 15 buns. I have done it before!

      Reply

  84. Hi,

    I have to prepare your receipe for a reception and I have a question for you : Is it possible to make the dough; put the filling in, but instead baking them right away, put them in the refrigerator over night and wait until the next day to bake them? Will the dough still be fluffy and good and all?? Thanks a lot in advance for your fast answer !!

    Marie

    Reply

  86. Hello,

    Love love your recipes.
    I wanted to know if these could be prepared and filled then frozen to be thawed and baked at a later date.
    Also can left over dough be frozen and later thawed?

    Thanks a bunch!
    M

    Reply

  88. I did this today.Not bad for a newbie.Thankfully the fillings stayed in but I forgot to lower the temperature when I put them into the oven so some buns got a little charred.But I covered them with foil till baking time was over.
    The buns remind me of what we used to get from the bread van that came to the neighborhood.
    Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply

  89. I am planning to make these tomorrow. Just one question.
    How big is the circle of dough where I put the filling? The finished buns in the pictures look large.

    Reply

    • Hi Randall, hard to say the size of each dough ball. if you make the whole recipe, just divide the whole dough into sixteen equal pieces. This recipe makes about 16 buns.

      Reply

  90. I made these today for the first time. They came out perfectly and they are delicious!! I live in a small town and I can’t buy them anywhere, so I am thrilled that I can easily make them at home and they are every bit as good. Thank you!!

    Reply

  92. Hi there,

    Glad to have found your site. Thank you for the wonderful recipes esp. The veganised version. Since starting the diet in April this year, I haven’t stopped craving for home comfort foods.
    I supposed there isn’t anyway to omit yeast? essential for dough to rise? Is there a sub eg.baking powder & vinegar (or in my case lemon juice?)

    Can this dough be used for steaming too?

    Sorry for the endless inane questions!

    Reply

  93. I love to cook and bake… but I have a bad shoulder and unfortunately I can’t knead my dough as well as I could before… can this dough be made using a bread machine? I wouldnt wantto take away from the integrity of the dough…

    Reply

  94. When I lived in Jamaica, I used to go to the chinese restaurant everyday after school to get a couple of these one with chicken and one with pork. So good but when I moved to the US. I vould not find them and chinese food here is not authentic. So thanks for this recipe.

    Reply

    • You’re welcome Natali! I don’t get to say this very often here on the woks of life, but it’s so cool that we could bring you a little taste of Jamaica in the US!

      Reply

  95. This is a great recipe! I have one question. I’ve never seen thaws baked ones refrigerated before. I would like to take some for our travels, were looking at eating 8-12 hours after they have come out of the oven. Do you think they would still be good with meat in them? TIA for a reply.

    Reply

    • Hey Rachelle, I think that would be ok, as long as you’re in somewhat of a cool environment. They might be a little dry though…they taste best when they’re reheated in the microwave for a few seconds.

      Reply

  96. I just want to say Thank you so much!!! I just moved back to Sweden after 11 years in Asia (BK and HK) and i had difficulty finding good Chinese food, but this motivated me to make my own!!! My beloved char siu bao <3 Love this website! Will be sharing and bookmarking so many recipes :)

    Reply

  97. I made these over the weekend but instead of using pork i used BBQ pulled chicken! It was amazing and was such a hit in my house! I must say that this is the best dough recipe I have found! I would love to share this recipe on my blog as a feature!

    – Megan

    Reply

  98. Hmmm- just posted, but it doesn’t seem to have taken – apologies if this becomes a double post.
    I wanted to let you know that despite the frustrations I had with the liquid above (it got very messy!), plus some with the dough, these were *amazing*. I had to take them straight out of the oven and to a party, and they were a definite hit (still warm a couple of hours later). They are definitely going onto my make again list :-)

    Reply

      • I made them again today – have just eaten one still warm :-) It was definitely easier the second time round – now that I knew what I was doing! And, even better, there was enough of the pork mixture left to go into the freezer for next time. Thank you for sharing!

        Reply

  99. Could I check some measures with you? (I’m in NZ, so not sure if measures are the same amounts in the US!) My pork mixture came out a lot more runny than yours looks in the picture, and even with trying to make sure that hardly any liquid went into the bun (and using less than 1 dessert spoon of filling, rather than 2 tablespoons), it ended up squeezing out as I tried to seal the top. We have 1 tsp = 5 ml; 1 tbsp = 15 ml (which makes measuring 1 1/2 tbsp very difficult, as I don’t have a 7.5 ml measure and had to do it by eye…); 3/4 cup = 180 ml.
    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Quick update (the buns were still cooking when I posted the last question, and I then had to dash off to take them to a party) – I wanted to let you know that these were amazing! I’d had some frustrations with the bread dough, and, as above, with the liquid coming out of the top of the buns when I was sealing them – it got very messy, but it was all worth it! These are definitely going onto my make again list :-)

      Reply

  100. Thanks for the recipe!! My hubby loves it. However, after cool down, the dough was dense and harder. Is this normal?

    Reply

  101. Hey, this is great. I LOVE pork buns!
    I made these buns and mine came out slightly crispy and more dense. Not light and fluffy.
    Any thoughts?

    Thanks so much!

    Reply

  102. these were TREMENDOUS!!! We LOVED them!! Definitely a keeper! Thanks so much for putting this together for us! AAAAAND for such simple directions to follow. Yay for you guys!

    Reply

  103. My daughter and I made these last night came out great. We let the dough sit 2 hours as it was really sticky. We used floured hands to form each bun and they came out great! Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

    • Awesome, thanks for sharing Callie! Some of my best childhood memories involve standing on a chair in the kitchen, with my hands in something sticky, cooking with my parents and grandparents. So glad you enjoyed the recipe.

      Reply

  104. Great Recipe, we just tried it right now! The dough was perfect, but unfortunately the cha siu mix was way to spicy to our taste (and I cut down on the soya sauce). Next time,we’ll try to make it without soya sauce and cutting down the salt in the dough.

    Great Recipe though, thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  106. Hey!
    I’ woke up in the morning wanting a meal akin to this so bad so I made them and added a little twist to the seasoning of the beef (not pork) itself. It was my first time making those ‘edible envelopes’ I call them and they did not exactly fold up as nicely as yours. Any tips?

    Thank you for your website and share. :D

    Reply

    • Awesome! Thank you for sharing! To prepare/roll out the skin to wrap the buns: the center should be thicker than the edges. I know the dough is very elastic, try pressing the edges thin with your fingers. It’s not hard, but it does take a little practice.

      Reply

  108. thank you ver much for this recipe ! The fact that am working in the food industry makes me question any recipe I find online! I got to say this is a perfect recipe !
    It reminds me of the ones I had in Hong Kong !!

    Reply

  109. Hi, I want to make these for a picnic. Can I bake them the day before and store the baked buns at room temp? I need quite a lot (at least 36 buns) and won’t be able to fit all of them into the fridge.

    Reply

  110. I just made these and they are delicious! There’s so many of them that I was wondering how to save them? Could I freeze a couple or place them in the fridge, and how long do they stay fresh?

    Reply

    • Hi Autumn, you can store them in the fridge for up to a week in a zip-lock bag. You can also freeze them using a freezer zip-lock bag.

      Reply

  111. Hi Sarah,
    Thank you for this recipe. I had some leftover pizza dough that I made and going to use this. Don’t know…but I’ll try it. Also is there a sauce for this to dip in?
    Janice

    Reply

  112. I should have included in the comment above that one BBQ pork (Cha Siu) recipe makes enough pork for two (2) Cha Siu Bao recipes.

    Reply

      • I made the buns a second time, again including making the char siu myself. This time, we made a few more than 100 in preparation for a party we were hosting and froze them ahead of time (made the dough in a lobster pot that I have – the largest bowl-like item in my kitchen – it overflowed even that as it rose). Again, they were very, very good and they didn’t get overbaked the second time around (I had a great kitchen assistant for the party). It is a bit tricky to get the dough wrapped around the filling properly but after doing a few, my family and I got the hang of it. Very popular with our party guests (and my older daughter who took some leftover frozen buns home with her).

        If you’re interested in doing the recipe ahead as I did, freeze them individually on a sheet pan and then transfer to bags once they’re frozen. Bake at a constant 350F for 30-35 minutes, until done.

        Thank you, again, for sharing.

        Reply

        • Thanks so much for sharing your experience Steven! We know a lot of our readers were interested in pre-making these buns, so your insights are super helpful.

          Reply

  113. As I mentioned in my comment on the Dan Dan Noodle post yesterday, I made the Cha Siu and Cha Siu Bao today (using the original dough). I didn’t turn down the temperature when I put the buns in the oven. Nonetheless, they were very good, just a little darker than I would have wanted. I also have six in the freezer since I need to know how they’ll come out when baked from frozen (any suggestions welcome).

    I made the centers too thin and had some leakage – but I made them to learn these lessons.

    https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/105164358/BakedChaSiuBao.jpg

    https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/105164358/BakedChaSiuBao-Halves.jpg

    Reply

  114. I made these today using the milk bread for the bun. They turned out great, just like how I remember them from my childhood.

    Reply

  115. Hey I have had these buns many places. I have also made them before. The ones I made aren’t sweet. I thought if I added honey to the top it would help. It didn’t seem to be right. Is this recipe sweet?

    Reply

    • Hey Karen, if you follow the recipe here for the filling, it is quite sweet (as you may be familiar with…in terms of what you’ve tried from Chinese bakeries). Then, if you substitute the dough recipe here with our newer Milk Bread recipe, https://thewoksoflife.com/2015/01/milk-bread-2/, you’ll find that it’s pretty soft and sweet as well! (Just make the dough, let it rise for an hour, fill the buns, let rise for a second time, and then bake…the procedure is the same regardless of which dough recipe you use!)

      Reply

  116. I just made these today except filled them with yakisoba, they were perfect! I got much enjoyment from kneading the dough by hand, it made the finished product the more enjoyable

    Reply

  117. I made these on the weekend using the milk bread dough (so insanely good!) and they were even more magical than I ever thought possible – one of my greatest successes to date! Thank you for always posting recipes that impress and, more importantly, WORK!

    Reply

  119. I am allergic to onions, but I can have garlic. Would the flavor still work for the filling if I used garlic instead of onion? I know from experience with some recipes that completely omitting the onion without replacing it alters the flavor too much. What do you advise?

    Reply

    • Hi Catlin, so sorry to have missed your comment. Yes, you can use garlic, but you have to cook the garlic until they are super soft.

      Reply

  120. Just for some others benefit….
    I live in Florida – today is about 75% humidity.
    I had to add more flour, and I was out of white flour so I used Organic Brown Rice Flour – maybe as much as 1/2 cup to actually form a dough ball. The rest went well and they look nice, but they are very dense. Maybe the brown rice flour? I would stick with the regular white flour for this recipe.

    Reply

  121. I love Bao. Since moving to Indianapolis 5 years ago, I have not been to find it in any of our local restaurants. I tried this recipe, with the milk bread substitution. Perfect! This is as good as any bao we have had in the San Fransisco / Sacramento area. This is an extremely easy recipe, and delivers an amazing dish. Thanks so much for sharing. Looking forward to making this on a regular basis from now on.

    Thanks again,
    Bob

    Reply

  122. Hi,

    I just tried out this recipe for the first time and the dough was so sticky it was impossible to work with…. I started by kneading with my stand mixer, but ended up transferring it to my counter to work by hand. I ended up adding an additional 100g (almost a full cup) of flour into the stand mixer and then had to heavily flour my work surface to even get the thing to come together. I know that 1 cup of flour weighs 120g, is it possible that your measurements are off? I live in a very arid climate.

    The first rise is currently happening, but I”m concerned that the flour proportions are way off and I wonder if I should just toss it.

    Thanks

    Reply

  123. Your recipe sounds delicious! Do you think that the buns can be frozen prior to baking, with the cooked filling inside in raw dough and then baked as needed?

    Reply

  124. Help! I made this dough not knowing that I can’t steam them — can I steam them anyway?

    Last time I made another mantou recipe w/your filling, and I couldn’t get the proportions of dough to filling right, so I made your complete recipe w/o realizing these are baked. I have lived in China 4 years over the last 30 years and I still can’t say I’ve eaten them baked, so I’m not sure what they are supposed to be like — the candid feedback said they were tougher more like hamburger buns — do you think i could try steaming them so my autistic son will think they are like the last time i made them with a mantou recipe?

    Reply

    • Hi, Michelle, here is my suggestion since you’ve already made the dough: make 2 buns (only) first and steam to see if you like the results by following the steaming method on our Carrot Ginger Pork Buns (https://thewoksoflife.com/2014/06/carrot-ginger-pork-buns/). If it does not work out, still using the baking method by reducing the baking time to 20 – 22 minutes. Going forward, since your son likes the steamed version, you can make the dough from our Carrot Ginger Pork Bun recipe. Tomorrow we’ll publish a milk bread recipe, it’s so easy to make and a much improved dough for the baked BBQ Pork Buns. Let me know if I can be more helpful.

      Reply

      • Thanks for your quick response! That is a good idea, but before I read this, at the sight of my son’s face, I used my last 4 cups of all purpose flour and I’ll be making regular steamed pork buns — if you get this message, would this pork bun recipe here be a good match for the 4-cup of flour mantou recipe also on this website? Or would I probably have too much filling?
        Since I have a bunch of this dough for baking, I’m whipping together sweet bean buns that will be baked. My son’s eyes lit up at the thought. However, I am using black beans (only ones I had canned) and the taste and texture is a bit beanier than aduki (my fav!), so fingers crossed he’ll like it! More sugar is always a good idea. :)

        Reply

        • Hi Michelle, the pork bun recipe would leave you with too much filling for our mantou recipe. Something you could try is to just roughly halve the recipe for the filling. It also depends on how big you want your buns to be (i.e. more or less filling). The sweet buns sound interesting! Let us know if the black bean works as a substitute for adzuki! (And yes, in the case of black beans, I think they definitely need a little more oomph!)

          Reply

  126. Hi.

    Made the Cha Siu Bao’s tonight. They turned out picture perfect, however. If you love the taste of the traditional Pork Bao’s you find in the bakeries, and restaurants, you’ll find that these are not it. While good, the bread is dense more like a traditional bun. Probably really great for a hamburger bun.

    The inside was very good. I would give that a B. But I am afraid that the bread was way of the mark for Bao’s

    Reply

    • Hi Alexandra, thanks for the candid feedback because it helps us improve our recipes. Your comment is timely because we are soon posting an authentic version of a chinatown roast pork bao with the bun recipe you’re describing so stay tuned!

      Reply

  128. Hi,
    Great recipe! My only issue is that i can never get though to come out like what you find in a China town bakery. My dough always ends up being dinner roll-ish. Any help would be appreciated.

    Thanks!

    Reply

  129. This recipe looks great! I’ve already got my pork butt marinating for the filling but before I make the dough tomorrow I was wondering if the milk needed to be warm to help proof the yeast? Or is the roux is warm enough to activate the yeast?

    Reply

  130. Hi Sarah,

    I’ve been looking for a recipe that is the yellowish bun then the white one! I’m so excited to try this recipe! I was wondering though, has anyone tried freezing the buns after baking them? If not, what are your suggestions?

    Reply

  131. I decided to try out this recipe (which i found searching google) after having some pork buns the other week but I did hot have the time to make some pulled pork (which I make in a pressure cooker and feel would be perfect for this) so I decided to improvise. Instead I made breakfast buns and filled them with bacon, egg, and cheese. In the end I would call it a success. so you can definitely fill this recipe with anything you choose.

    Thank you for the great recipe I will definitely use this recipe again for different fillings (including the suggested pork filling ^-^)

    Reply

  132. I came across your blog from Tasty Kitchen and I’m totally hooked! It’s truly inspiring for amateurs like myself, and your recipes have rekindled my passion for baking and cooking. How adjustable is this recipe? I’d love to use this bao recipe to create other types of buns – such as the classic sausage bun – will this work? Also, will halving this recipe yield similar results? Thanks again for all of your help; looking forward to trying your other recipes and more great posts.

    Reply

    • Hi Amanda, Thank you so much for your comment. You can absolutely fill the buns with different fillings. I think that as long as you halve the recipe exactly and follow the instructions the same way, it should work. : )

      Reply

  133. Mmm this recipe sounds amazing I am extremely happy you posted it. I thank you for that. Ive always wanted to try pork buns ever since I watched the anime “Kanon” and one of the characters had one. The idea of sweet pork in a delicious bun fascinated me but me being an american living in america I had no hope of trying an authentic one. At least I can replicate it or at the very least try to. I hope to one day travel through Asia and get to know the culture and cuisine along with the people. Again I thank you for bringing me one step closer to that dream.

    Reply

  135. Hi! This recipe is amazing! But I got a quick question, I feel as though I have made too much bun and filling to eat at one goal…can I put it in the fridge so that I have fresh Char Siu Bao tomorrow morning? Or do I freeze it? Thanks so much for the help!

    Reply

    • Hey Tiffany, I think you could probably put the dough and filling in the fridge to make them in the morning. Just let the dough rise at room temperature again for an hour or so before working with it. Let us know how it goes!

      Reply

  136. I made these last night for a dinner party to go along with my signature homemade Chinese dishes. They were amazing! Everyone was blown away by them :D Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, this is a little gem of a website and is now bookmarked on my computer. I have already spotted more yummy recipes I plan to make.

    Kiara x

    Reply

  137. Thank you so much for the recipe; I want to try this as soon as possible!
    My question is; one of my friends is allergic to soy sauce so I wouldn’t be able to use it in the buns for her. Would the buns be alright without both soy sauces, or is there another alternative sauce I could use?

    Reply

    • Hey Tripti, we had a dinner table discussion about this one. Soy is just such a crucial ingredient to these pork buns. But then we thought…BBQ pork buns…BBQ SAUCE!

      Instead of using the sugar, soy sauces, sesame oil, and oyster sauce, you could replace all that with your favorite bbq sauce and follow the instructions the same way. They wouldn’t exactly be Chinese roast pork buns, but they’ll still be BBQ pork buns, and, as long as your chosen bbq sauce is worthy…they’ll probably be pretty freakin’ awesome.

      Reply

      • Just wanted to let you guys know that a good sub for soy sauce is Coconut Aminos! The paleo diet uses this. It’s made from coconut and tastes very close to soy sauce and is slightly sweet. I’m Asian and I’ve tasted it. It’s pretty good.

        Reply

  138. My buns are on their last rise before being baked. I can’t wait for my family to sit down for dinner tonight! This is my first time making these and I imagine it won’t be my last time either. Thanks for posting all your recipes! There is nothing like fresh cooked Chinese food.

    Reply

  139. You gave a choice of using bread flour or all-purpose flour. Which is better?

    Also, when you cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rise for 1 hour, does the room temperature have to be warm or place in an oven?

    Reply

    • Hi, :D, for this recipe, I used All-purpose and it worked beautifully. For proofing, I usually just lock the dough inside the microwave (without turning it on) and leave it for the suggested time (That’s what I do with all my dough proofing) It’s my own quirky method. Hope I answered your questions and we would love to hear how the buns turn out after you make it :-)

      Reply

      • Thank you for your response. I certainly will let you know how they turned out. One last question, how about proofing the buns on the baking sheet. Do I cover them or let them rise uncover and does the room need to be warm as well? Our house is always cold.

        Reply

        • Hi, :D, yes, cover the buns with a thin damp cloth. As to the room temperature issue, you can put the buns in a sunny spot for higher temperature or in a warm oven (preheat the oven to 150 degree, shot it off the heat, then put the buns inside and close the door). Cheers!

          Reply

  140. I have 2 questions for you – first, is there a substitution for dark soy? I can’t seem to find any locally (we live in a pretty remote area). When I made it this afternoon, I just used regular soy for the dark. My second question is (I think) a direct result from the first: my finished filling is much lighter in color and quite thicker than yours appears to be in the pictures above. Is this a result of the soy substitution and maybe a little too much flour?

    My son is a walking, talking pb&j kid and he said the filling was so void, could he please eat a bowl of it now?

    Thanks for giving me some kid-approved variety in the menu!

    Reply

    • Hi Kelly, there isn’t really a substitution for dark soy sauce. You could just leave it out, but the filling won’t be quite as dark and rich. Dark soy is also quite a bit less salty than regular soy.

      So yes, the fact that the filling is lighter in color is a result of not having dark soy sauce. If the filling is a bit thicker, just gradually add a bit of water and stir until it’s well-combined and at the consistency you’re looking for. We’re so happy that your son enjoyed this! We loved it when we were kids too…and still do today. Thanks Kelly!

      Reply

  141. Sarah, I found you on the Retro Pinterest Party…pinned and then came right over to see this post. Yummmmmy! Would you please come by my Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop today to share this and any other posts you’d like to share with us? My readers will LOVE it. Now, I am going to follow you on all the social media etc so that I don’t lose track of your blog. Love it!
    Sinea from Ducks ‘n a Row

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  143. I have often wondered if it would be possible to develop a kosher version, perhaps using a savoury lamb filling, for my Jewish friends. It looks like it is not possible because the milk and butter cannot be used with meat.
    You may be interested to know that today in my favourite Chinese bakery in London England, there was actually someone serving who could speak English (My Cantonese is non-existent). He told be that they import their bun flour from Malaysia, but he didn’t know any more technical details about the gluten content of the flour.

    Someone asked about keeping the buns. I freeze them in individual bags. 2 minutes in the microwave oven is sufficient for defrosting and bringing to nice eating temperature.

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    • ooooh lamb filling? Awesome. But yes, these are milk buns…but you might be able to find another dairy-less bread recipe and just kind of apply the same concept to it. And thanks for the awesome storage ideas!

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  145. Would this work to make the filled sweet bean/mung bean buns? I wanted to make sesame balls but I made the dough this afternoon but I don’t have enough pork filling. :))

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  147. I stumbled across this blog on Google+ and I’m so glad I found it! I’ve been cooking Chinese food for many years now, but lately, I’ve been wanting to step up my game. I love this cha siu boa recipe–definitely trying it soon. One thing I definitely miss is 煎饼. Hope you can make some here soon!

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  148. Hi! I made the dough and I love it. I am making this again to post in my blog. I will change the filling recipe and use the dough. I love it. This is the most successful filled bun I made.

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    • Awesome to hear Shobee, let us know what filling you use! I just checked out your latest post on pancakes and they look pretty fantastic :-)

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  149. Hi there, Love your site. I will be making these buns tonight. I am lactose intolerant and wonder if you have any suggestions for replacing the milk in the recipe. I am thinking about yogurt mixed with water, or chicken broth??? Thanks for any help.

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    • Hey Jeanette, hmmm that’s difficult because this bread is specifically an Asian style “milk bread,” where milk is added to increase softness. I’m not sure chicken broth would work. Maybe experiment with the yogurt thing? Another suggestion would be to find a different bread recipe that fits your dietary restriction and looks somewhat soft and suitable for filling. Then you could just make our filling recipe and follow the steps to fill your version of the dough!

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      • I didn’t get your response in time, and ended up plowing ahead with chicken broth. It turned out great. I am not sure it was as good as yours, but the dough was soft, fluffy, and very flavorful. Loved it!

        As an aside, I always wondered why you don’t have more comments. I mean, your recipes are unbelievably good! I attempted to leave two compliments previously on a different recipe, but they never posted. This last time, I indicated that I wanted to hear back if there was a response, and the comment finally posted.

        Thanks for all the recipes! I love getting compliments on my cooking.

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        • Hi Jeanette, Excellent to hear that using Chicken broth worked for you! Thank you very much for your feedback about the comments. I will need to check out this issue with the comments but please let us know if this happens again. We may have some technical glitch going on.

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  152. If I would want to make them into steamed bun, would this dough work it should I use your recipe that you posted earlier as the basic pan dough?
    If that is what you recommend, is bread flour better?
    How long should I steam a meat filled bun for?
    Thanks.
    HY.

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      • I made these but used baked char sui chicken thighs that was marinated in pre-packaged char sui mix for the filling. The filling need more ‘char sui flavor so I added more seasoning mix with a little water, 1 heaping T of hoisin sauce and a little salt. For the bun, I used your Man Tou recipe and part of the baked char sui bun recipe. Added warmed milk, sugar, baking powder, and vegetable oil.
        I baked a few but it only needed 10 minutes. I steamed some for 20 minutes. They looked fine, but the filling could have used a little more sauce. Otherwise, both tasted great.
        This is a great recipe! Thanks for sharing.

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        • Hey Helene, cool to hear you’re taking these recipes and making ’em your own! Thanks for sharing your experience with us. : )

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  153. Just about to make these but just wondering how long they will keep for, I’d love to take some into work for a college

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    • They’ll keep in the fridge for a couple days, but it’s best to eat them warm. What you can do is prepare them the night before, and bake them in the morning! What a great idea. : )

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    • Hey Annie, we posted our own recipe for the roast pork, which is something that we already knew how to make. We looked around for ideas on the filling, and created a recipe based on our own taste preferences. As for the dough, I did some research and developed a recipe for that as well!

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  155. hi! awesome, clear recipe.

    I’m struggling b/c my dough didn’t rise (currently doing it now in Bucaramanga, Colombia). tropical humid temperatures, used the (roughly) correct amounts, and dough rose perhaps 15%? in an hour, and it’s quite sticky. what did i do wrong?

    Any help would be greatly appreciated.

    Jon T.

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    • Hi Jon. Oh no! Sorry we didn’t get to this comment earlier. I think we were all asleep, if you’re in Colombia. Did you use the instant yeast? It’s SUPER dry here in Beijing, but if you’re in a very humid climate, the dough might have required a bit more flour and a little less liquid. Did you end up trying to shape them and bake them despite the extra stickiness?

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