Pork Bao 大包 (first attempt)

Can you believe this is my first attempt making bao? Yes, 千真万确. Why 大包(pork bao with hard boiled egg) out of so many other bao? Because I missed my mom version of pork bao and I want to recreate what she made last time.

Although this is my first attempt, and I did not use bread maker(as original recipe) to make these bao, but I am very happy with the result! I loved how my filling taste and I loved the bao skin, so tender and fragrant. As for the colour of the bao, may not be white as I do not have hk flour or bao flour that is why I choose this recipe without using the above flour. The skin colour turned out to be light yellow. Even so, I am still very proud of myself.

Some Da bao that I bought before did not have hard boiled egg(disappointed!) I loved my bao with hard boiled egg. So of course I won't miss it. Thanks to Kimmy for this recipe, I did some modification as below:

Ingredients for Meat Fillings:
250 gm minced meat
Marinate with:
1 tbsp each of soy sauce, sugar, oyster sauce, sesame oil, cooking wine;
A pinch of Hao chi seasoning and pepper
2 tsp cornflour
Leave overnight

2 hard boiled eggs - quartered

Bao Skin Ingredients:
350 gm plain flour sifted with 1 tsp double action baking powder
Mix together - 200 ml lukewarm water, 40 gm caster sugar and 1/4 tsp vinegar
1 tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp shortening

Method:
1. Add yeast to the water mixture. Let yeast rest and foam up abit before adding flour. Mix well.
2. Knead to form dough and add shortening and continue to knead till smooth and shiny.
3. Let dough rise to double the size, about 1/2 hour. Remove dough to a floured surface, punch down dough and divide into equal portions. Shape into a smooth ball. Set aside to add meat filling and hard boiled egg and shape into pleated bao.
4. Leave to prove for 15 - 20 minutes.
5. Steam over high heat for 15 minutes in bamboo steamer. Off heat and leave paus for a further 3 minutes before uncovering to cool on rack. This is to prevent wrinkle, rough skin.

I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #31 - Bao Ho-Chiak (May 2013) hosted by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well in Flanders.