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Robin Ward

Chinese Pork Sung Buns & Bacon Buns

Chinese Pork Sung Buns and Bacon Buns are made with a soft and buttery milk bread base - baked with pork sung (shredded pork jerky) or chopped bacon along with fresh green onions. Try this step-by-step recipe at home!
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Prep Time 3 hours
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 12 to 16 buns
Course: Bread, Breakfast, Main Course, Pizza, Sandwich, Snack
Cuisine: American, Chinese
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • ⅔ cup heavy cream (160 ml), at room temperature
  • 1 cup milk (235 ml), at room temperature, I used whole.
  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • ⅓ cup sugar (70 g)
  • ½ cup cake flour (70 g)
  • 3½ cups bread flour (500 g)
  • 1 Tbsp active dry yeast (11 g) (blooming is not necessary in this recipe)
  • 1½ tsp kosher salt
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • 4 ounces pork sung Enough for 12 buns sprinkled sparingly (Also called pork floss)
  • 1-1½ lb bacon 1 lb (Enough for 12 buns sprinkled sparingly. Use 1 1/2 lbs. if sprinkled generously like I did in the video.)
  • 8 green onions, finely chopped
  • 1 egg for egg wash
  • 1-2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds optional garnishment
  • 2 tsp sugar (dissolved in 2 tsp hot water to make a simple syrup)

Equipment

  • Stand mixer Can be kneaded by hand for the same amount of time.
  • Large sheet pan

Method
 

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer in this order add heavy cream, milk, egg, sugar, cake flour, bread flour, yeast, and salt. Using the dough hook attachment, turn on the mixer to "stir" setting/lowest setting. Let it go for 15 minutes, occasionally stopping the mixer to push the dough together if needed.
  2. After 15 minutes, the dough is ready for proofing. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and place in a warm spot for 1 hour. The dough will grow to 1½ times its original size. *See proofing note below.
  3. If making bacon buns, cook, drain and chop bacon into small pieces while dough is proofing. Chop green onions. Organize your bun assembly station as shown in the video. I use a prepared pastry cloth. A lightly floured cutting board, or granite countertop are some good surfaces too.
  4. After the hour of proofing, put the dough back in the mixer and stir for another 5 minutes to get rid of air bubbles. Dump the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into 12 equal pieces. (16 pieces for small buns) Cover the dough pieces with a dry cloth while assembling the buns.
  5. Take each piece of dough and roll it out into a rough 4.6" rectangle. Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise onto the dough and then sprinkle with pork sung or bacon and chopped scallion. Roll it up lengthwise into a tight cigar shape. Cut the cigar in half lengthwise, with about a ½-1 inch on one end still attached, so that the piece of dough almost looks like a pair of pants. Twist the dough together, with the cut side facing up, and tuck the ends underneath the bun. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Repeat the process util all the buns are assembled.
  6. Cover the buns with a clean, dry kitchen towel, and proof for another hour.
  7. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Prepare the egg wash.
  8. Before baking, brush each bun with egg wash. Bake for 13-20 minutes, until golden brown (smaller buns take about 13 minutes, larger buns in one pan will take 15-20 minutes). After baking, remove the buns from the oven and immediately brush each bun lightly with simple syrup for shine. (I used only one sheet pan. The buns touched but were easily separated. Feel free to baked in two batches (6 at a time) if you don't want the buns to touch each other. The baking time will be about 13 minutes if done in two batches.

Notes

Warm Place to Rise: If you need a warm spot, preheat your oven for one minute, then turn it off — it shouldn’t get warmer than 100ºF or so and you should be able to press your hands on the grates without burning yourself. Place bowl of dough, covered, in this warm spot. I use this method for the first rise of most of my bread recipes.
Additional Serving suggestion: Upon savoring these buns, friends often react as if you are a kitchen wizard. To the extent that, with homemade Chinese buns paired with a selection of fine cheeses and a delectable salad, the main course almost becomes unnecessary. 
Yeast: Choose between active dry yeast or instant yeast for this recipe; no need to fuss with activating them in lukewarm water and sugar first. Toss them right into the mixer with other ingredients, but ensure your wet components are at room temperature. Fresh yeast is key, so check the date; if it's not, give it a sugar/milk boost to confirm its vitality before blending it in.
Note: If you don't have cake flour and/or bread flour, feel free to substitute all-purpose flour for both.