Chocolate Steamed Buns

Up close of two hands tearing open a bun filled with melted chocolate.

These chocolate buns made with the softest, pillowy bao dough and filled with a semi-sweet chocolate lava filling are the ideal dessert for you to treat yourself with. Take one bite and you are greeted with a beautifully soft bao bun oozing with gooey melted chocolate.

Course Appetizer & Sides, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Asian Fusion, Chinese

Keyword Chinese steamed buns, chocolate bun, chocolate steamed bun

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Proof Time 2

Total Time 3

Servings buns

Calories 332kcal

Author Megan

Equipment

Ingredients

Bao Dough

¾ cup (180 ml) whole milk 110°F or 43°C
1 ½ teaspoon (6 g) active dry yeast or instant yeast
2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (100 g) wheat starch
½ cup (70 g) powdered sugar
2 teaspoon (10 g) baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon (15 g) vegetable shortening
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon (15 g) vegetable oil

Chocolate Ganache

1 ⅓ cup (8 oz) semi sweet melting chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream

Instructions

Chocolate Ganache

Heat the heavy cream. In a small saucepan, add the heavy cream and heat until hot and lightly simmering around the edges. Make sure to NOT boil the heavy cream.
Pour heavy cream over chocolate. In a heat proof bowl, pour the heavy cream over the chocolate chips making sure the cream covers the chocolate chips completely. Leave for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes, stir with a rubber spatula until creamy and silky.
Chill. Cool the chocolate ganache uncovered for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Then cover with cling wrap and press so it contacts the surface (so you don't form a skin) and cool for an additional 1 hour.

Bao Dough

Prepare the yeast. Warm the milk to 110°F (43°C) degrees. Add active dry yeast. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 min. If using instant yeast, let sit for 2-3 minutes to double check if the yeast is active. The yeast will create a frothy, 1/4 inch foam layer at the top if it is active.
Sift the dry ingredients. Sift together the flour, wheat starch, powdered sugar, baking powder and salt into the bowl of your stand mixer with a dough attachment. Mix together on low.
Add the shortening. While mixer is mixing on low, add the shortening. Make sure the shortening is broken up into small pieces by feeling it with your hand.
Liquify the egg in oil. In another separate bowl, combine the room temperature egg white with vegetable oil. Liquify the egg by pulling up the egg yolk with a fork a few times until combined.
Knead all the mixtures together. In the stand mixer on low, mix the yeast milk mixture and then add the egg and oil mix for 30 seconds. Once combined, increase the speed to medium (level 4) and knead for 5 minutes or until it forms into a ball in the mixer and is no longer sticking to the bowl. The dough should be tacky but not overly sticky. If it is too dry, add 1 tablespoon of water and combine. If the dough is too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour and combine.
Knead the dough into a ball with your hands. Knead the dough into a smooth ball with your hands for about 1 minute and transfer it into a lightly greased large bowl.
Proof the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and place in warm area (100°F) for about 1-2 hours or until double in size. This dough has more moisture from the fat in it so it may take awhile to rise.
Divide and roll out the dough. Divide into 12 equal pieces and quickly roll them into smooth balls. Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap to prevent them from drying. Then, use a rolling pin and roll out the edges leaving a thicker center. Approximately 4-inches.
Add the filling and form the bun. Add 1 tablespoon of filling and wrap the dough around the filling to form a ball. Then pinch tightly to seal. You may need to remove the excess dough at the end.
Let the buns rest. Place parchment squares or cupcake liners underneath each bun. Cover with a dish towel and let the buns rest for 15 minutes.
Steam the buns. Wrap the lid of your steamer with a dish cloth to prevent the condensation from falling into your steamer. Add water to your steamer and bring the water to a boil. Place the buns 2 inches apart in your steamer, cover and steam on medium heat for 10-12 minutes. After steaming, leave the buns to sit in the steamer for 1 minute to prevent them from wrinkling from the temperature shock. You will have to steam the buns in 2-3 batches depending on the size of your steamer. Cover the uncooked buns with plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator to slow down the yeast activity until they are ready to be steamed.
Serve immediately when hot.

Notes

If the dough is too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until it becomes tacky and doesn't stick to the bowl.
If the dough is too dry, add 1 tablespoon of warm water at a time until it reaches the tacky consistency. You don't want the dough to be too dry, the seam will not properly seal when you pinch if it is and the filling will ooze out during the steaming process.
Chocolate notes: The lighter the chocolate (white>milk> semi-sweet>dark) the softer it is, so the less cream you need. This recipe is meant for semi-sweet chocolate chips so adjust the cream ratio accordingly. You MUST use cooking chocolate, or chocolate purchased from the baking aisle, NOT regular eating chocolate it won’t melt as smoothly.
Make sure to rest the bao dough for 15 minutes after shaping. This is crucial for that slight rise and fluffiness in the bao. Careful not to wait too long because the yeast will over rise and create a gap between the dough and the filling.
Wrap the lid of your steamer with a dishcloth. This step is so important to prevent the condensation from dripping down into your bun and making them wrinkly!
If your steamed bao bun is wrinkly after steaming, it probably means that either your steam was too hot or you steamed them for too long.

Nutrition