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1
Combine the flour, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the warm water and neutral oil. Mix until a shaggy dough forms, then knead until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky — neither sticky nor dry. The dough is ready when it springs back slowly under a pressed finger.
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2
Cover the dough and rest it in a warm place until doubled in volume. The surface should look taut and domed, not collapsed.
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3
Punch down the dough and divide it into eight equal pieces of approximately 90 g each. Keep the unused pieces covered to prevent a skin forming.
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4
Flatten each piece into a round disc, thicker at the centre than at the rim. Place approximately 50 g of shredded kalua pig at the centre. Draw the edges up and around the filling, pleating to seal. The seal must be tight — any gap will open during steaming and lose the filling's juices.
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5
Set each sealed bun, seam-side down, on a parchment square. Arrange in a steamer basket, leaving at least 3 cm between buns to allow expansion. Rest for 15 minutes; the buns should look visibly puffed.
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6
Steam over vigorously boiling water for 15 minutes with the lid on. Do not lift the lid during steaming. The finished buns are white, smooth, and pillowy. A finger pressed lightly into the side should leave an impression that rebounds almost completely.
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7
Remove from the steamer and rest for two minutes before serving. The exterior should be uniformly white and glossy with condensed steam; the dough should feel light when lifted, not dense.