Breasts and Buns

Female reproduction, breast pathology, and the memory of a comment about bunless burgers begins this post about a bakery style Chinese bun reminiscent of childhood, San Francisco Chinatown on a Saturday afternoon and a classic addition to American life along with the previously mentioned burgers.

As the smell of yeast permeates the apartment, I think of how much I don't really like hot dogs or Chinese buns for that matter. But for some reason, the soft bready dough of Chinese style bakeries just calls my name at the strangest moments.Bakery Style Chinese Hot Dog Buns 腸仔包

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1 tbs granulated sugar
1/2 - 2/3 cup warm milk
1 tsp salt
2 tbs unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
Sesame seeds
8 hot dogs (I used beef)

In a small bowl, combine yeast, milk and sugar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes to proof the yeast. In another bowl, combine flour and salt. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients with one egg. Mix to combine. When the dough begins to come together, turn out onto a flat surface and knead. If the dough seems a little dry, add a little water. If the dough is too wet, add 1 tbs of flour at at time. Add the 2 tbs of softened butter cut into small pieces. Knead into the dough until incorporated and the dough is soft and shiny.

Oil a bowl and place the dough in a warm place to rise for ~90 minutes or until doubled in size. Cut into 8 pieces of equal size. Taking each piece, make into an 8-10 inch long log with the middle thicker than the ends. Wrap around the hot dog, leaving very little space between the dough so that when the 2nd rise occurs, the dough meets to close up the space and not show the hot dog.*See that gap in the dough on the top bun? Try and avoid that. ;)

Continue until all 8 hot dogs have been wrapped in dough. Let rise for another ~90 minutes in a warm place.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. As the oven is heating up, beat the second egg and brush on the tops and sides of each bun. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. When the oven is hot, bake for 8 minutes at the preheat temperature. Turn the temperature down to 350 and bake for another 5-8 minutes.Makes 8 buns.

Chong Yao Beng 葱油饼 (Chinese Green Onion Pancakes)

Every so often, I feel homesick and start craving everything I don't usually eat. Even bao (chinese buns) of all types begin to sound appealing. There's something about making my own chinese food from scratch with a deficiency of proper ingredients that makes the process more worthwhile and the final product yummier than anything store-bought.

Since so many people have asked, this is as good a time as any to post up the recipe. Keep in mind, it's more of a guideline as opposed to a true recipe since amounts of water and flour are more of a ratio as opposed to an amount.
Chong Yao Beng
(approx - 2:1 ratio of flour to hot water)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup hot water
A dash of salt
1 cup of chopped green onions/scallions
Sesame oil

Place flour and salt in a bowl. Heat water until a low simmer is achieved. Pour 1 cup into the flour mixture and mix with a spoon. The water helps the dough begin to form gluten before you even start mixing/kneading. When the dough begins to form, you can abandon the spoon and use your hands. Add more flour or water depending on the wetness/dryness of the dough. You want it to hold together without being overly sticky. This is a very forgiving recipe.

Tear off a small ball and roll out into 4-5 inch circle. Rub with a little sesame oil and scatter green onions on top of the circle. Roll up, pressing lightly to make a tight tube. Starting at one end, curl up the tube into a snail shape.Taking the palm of your hand, flatten the coil into about 3/4 cm thickness. Some of the onions may poke through the dough as it gets thinner. Don't worry about this too much. The thicker the pancake, the longer it'll take to pan fry and the chewier the texture.

When all of the pancakes are formed, heat a nonstick skillet with about a tablespoon of oil. If you want a nicer color, use sesame oil. Vegetable oil will give less color but is healthier. Panfry until cooked through, flipping the pancake after about 3-4 minutes. The dough will begin to look clear before turning opaque as it cooks. Continue until all of the pancakes have been cooked. You can also form the pancakes and fry them as you go.

If you want to make a dipping sauce, I combined a bit of chili-garlic sauce, sesame oil, fried scallions leftover from the pancakes, soy sauce, pepper to taste.