Steamed Buns

So what do you put the pork belly in?  The answer:Steamed Buns such as the ones you would find in your favorite Dim Sum restaurant. David Chang says not to feel one bit of guilt if you get these from a nearby restaurant or the freezer of your local Asian market. But these are actually fun to make and since they freeze beautifully the time you invest them will repay you for several meals.  He says that this recipe makes 50 buns and it actually came very close, 49 by my count.

STEAMED BUNS

1. 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2. 1 1/2 cups water, at room temperature
3. 4 1/4 cups bread flour
4. 6 tablespoons sugar
5. 3 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
6. 1 tablespoon kosher salt
7. Rounded 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
8. 1/2 teaspon baking soda
9. 1/3 cup rendered pork fat or vegetable shortening, at room temperature,plus more for shaping the buns, as needed

Combine the yeast and water in the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Add the flour, sugar, milk powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda and fat; mix on the lowest speed possible, just above a stir, for 8 to 10 minutes. The dough should gather together into a neat, not-too-tacky ball on the hook. When it does, lightly oil a medium mixing bowl, put the dough in it,making sure that the top of the dough is lightly oiled, and cover the bowl with a dry kitchen towel. Put it in a turned-off oven with a pilot light or some other warm place and let it rise until the dough doubles in bulk, about an hour and 15 minutes.

Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a clean work surface. Using a bench scraper or a knife, divide the dough in half, then divide each half into 5 equal pieces.

Gently roll the pieces into logs, then cut each log into 5 pieces, making 50 pieces total. They should be about the size of a Ping-Pong ball and weigh abou 25 grams, or a smidge under an ounce. Roll each piece into a ball.

Cover the dough balls with plastic wrap.Let them rest and rise for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut out fifty 4-inch squares of parchment paper. Coat a chopstick with whatever fat you're working with.

Flatten one ball with the palm of your hand, then use a rolling pin to roll it out into a 4-inch-long oval.

Lay the greased chopstick across the middle of the oval and fold the oval over onto itself to form the bun shape.

Withdraw the chopstick, leaving the bun folded, and put the bun on a square of parchment paper. Stick it back under the plastic wrap (or a dry kitchen towel) and form the rest of the buns Let the buns rest for 30 to 40 minutes; they will rise a little.

Set up a steamer on the stove. Working in batches so you don't crowd the steamer, steam the buns on the parchment squares for 10 minutes. Remove the parchment. You can use the buns immediately (reheat them for a minute or so in the steamer if necessary) or allow to cool comoletely, then seal in plastic freezer bags and freeze for up to a few months. Reheat frozen buns in a stovetop steamer for 2 to 3 minutes, until puffy, soft and warmed all the way through.