Cantonese Cha Siu Bao (BBQ Pork Bun) — Baked and Steamed

Make the filling. Combine the char siu pieces with the oyster sauce and honey in a small pan over medium heat, stirring until the glaze coats the pork and thickens to a consistency that just clings — you want savoury-sweet, not candy-like, so pull the pan off the heat the moment the sauce falls slowly from the spoon rather than running freely. Spread the filling on a tray and cool completely before using, so that warm filling does not soften and tear the dough when you wrap it.

Make the baked bao dough. Sift the flour and baking powder together, then rub in the lard until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, so the fat is distributed evenly and the finished bao will be tender rather than dense. Add the sugar, one beaten egg, and lukewarm water; bring together into a smooth, pliable dough, then rest it covered for 20 minutes so the flour fully absorbs the liquid and the dough becomes yielding and easy to stretch without springing back.

Divide the baked dough into 6 equal portions, flatten each into a round, place a portion of filling at the centre, and gather the edges upward, pinching firmly to seal, then place sealed-side down on a lined baking tray. Score three lines across the top of each bao with a sharp blade and brush once with beaten egg wash — the scoring is the structural decision that gives the top a path to bloom open into clean petals rather than crack at random, and this is where the baked bao lives or dies. The pinched seal faces down so that any gap is hidden and the top presents smooth for scoring.

Apply a second coat of egg wash over the scored tops so the surface builds up enough colour to turn a deep, even golden-brown without the dough drying out beneath. Bake in an oven preheated to 200 °C for 18–22 minutes; the bao is ready when the top has split open into a petal pattern and the split gapes cleanly — an uneven tear tells you the scoring was too shallow or the oven too cool.

Make the steamed bao dough. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in lukewarm water and allow to activate for 5 minutes, so you can see the mixture turn cloudy and faintly foamy before it meets the flour — dead yeast at this stage means flat bao later with no recovery. Add to the flour, bring together into a smooth dough, and knead for 8–10 minutes until the surface is entirely smooth, then cover and prove until doubled in size; punch down, knead in the baking powder so it is distributed evenly throughout the crumb, divide into 6 portions, shape each around a portion of filling with the base sealed tightly, set on small squares of parchment, and prove a second time until visibly puffed and light — a finger pressed gently into the side should spring back slowly, because a flat bao at this stage is an under-proved bao.

Place the proved steamed bao in a cold steamer, then bring it to maximum heat and steam on the highest possible heat for 12–15 minutes without lifting the lid, so the steam builds steadily and the bao rises in one controlled surge rather than collapsing from a sudden drop in temperature. The bao is done when it has expanded, the surface is smooth and matte, and the dough feels set — not tacky — when a fingertip grazes the side.