Why are my Baozi shrinking?
I've tried to make Chinese Baozi a couple of times now together with my girlfriend, who is half-chinese and knows the dish from her mother. We tried them according to various recipes, and in our latest attempt I even tried to pour all my knowledge about bread and pizza crust in -- without any success.
I have tried plain white-flour-yeast doughs with a quick proofing, as well as an elaborate dough made from 3 different flours (German type 405, 650 and 1050) with additional flour-gluten, barley malt syrup for additional amylase, as well as making a "Poolish"-style starter overnight and properly kneading, stretch-folding and resting the dough.
After filling the dough, we rest them for a small while (~10-15min), and then place them into the [hot,cold] pots with water onto the steaming trays (laid out with fine cheesecloth, to let through steam but prevent sticking), and steam them for 15min. We tried preheated (already steaming) pot, cool pot, then heat up when the buns are in. We tried shorter steaming (raw filling) or longer (after too long steaming they start to shrink) -- no success either. Following we tried lifting the lid instantly, or letting them cool over the course of ~10min, at the end of which I would open the lid very, very slowly.
The End-Result is always that the Baozi shrink heavily and quickly develop a hardish skin. Upon biting them the dough doesn't feel light and airy anymore, but only slightly airy with a "short crumb", much like German pretzel dough would inside...
What could be the cause of our problems? Thank you for any suggestions!
Best Answer
Nebuk, I, too, had labored over baozi many a time, only to have them fall flat. After much searching, I came to Andrew Nguyen (who has since answered many more of my questions regarding Asian cuisines) for the answer. Check out this article by her from the LA Times.
She addresses your problem specifically:
The problem arises when the dough is stuffed to make filled buns. Whether the filling is raw or cooked, it introduces moisture into the bun during steaming and can cause the dough to cave in or wrinkle after cooking. Imagine my devastation on the occasions when that happened after hours of working and waiting.
She offers advice on how to prevent this:
At the end of the day, the best and easiest bao dough is simply made by stirring together these readily available ingredients: moderate gluten all-purpose flour from the supermarket, instant (fast-acting) yeast, baking powder, canola oil, sugar and water. I often knead by hand, but when I feel lazy, I let the food processor do the work. Regardless of method, the result is fabulous...The key is having a little fat and combining yeast with baking powder in a balanced proportion. As biochemist and acclaimed author Shirley Corriher explains in "Cookwise," working in a small amount of fat tenderizes and enables bread dough to hold gas bubbles well. That lightens the dough, she says, as does employing a two-pronged approach to leavening.
The two-pronged approach to leavening here being the use of both yeast and baking powder.
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Quick Answer about "Why are my Baozi shrinking?"
The problem arises when the dough is stuffed to make filled buns. Whether the filling is raw or cooked, it introduces moisture into the bun during steaming and can cause the dough to cave in or wrinkle after cooking.Why do my bao buns deflate?
When you let the dough proofs for too long, it will weaken the dough and when you steam it, it will collapse and cause that wrinkle and the buns will spread to the side making them look wide and flat. Make sure you push all the air bubbles out after resting for 15 minutes.How long can baozi last?
Cooked bao will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator and 4-6 weeks in the freezer. After 6 weeks in the freezer the bao will start to deteriorate in quality. Bao should be stored in an airtight container in both the refrigerator and the freezer. Uncooked bao (made with yeast) will last 2-3 days in the refrigerator.Can you overcook steamed buns?
If you steam the bao buns at too high a temperature, there is a risk that the buns might overcook or they might even become soggy. Place the bao buns in each steamer basket, giving them some room to rise and expand upon cooking.Why are my bao buns not rising?
Check the flour type and your kneading technique. Bread made with cake or all-purpose flour, has low gluten and protein contents, so your dough may rise\u2014and then collapse. To prevent your dough from collapsing, knead it for 15 minutes until it feels stiff, and use a high-protein flour in the future.這個就是馒头皱皮回缩的原因?! | Steamed Bun Troubleshoot | Shrink, Wrinkle, Firm | (CC 中英字幕)
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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