Waltzing w Yeast 1: Singapore Tua Pau 新加坡老面大包 (sourdough method)

What're u bingeing? 又在吃什么?
吃不饱的. 不想吃饱.

Incredibly scrumtrulescent

Nostalgia Pau...The popularity of a particular kopitiam in the 1960s depended on the aroma of the thick black coffee commonly roasted in the backyard. Good coffee alone was not good enough to beat their competitor few metres away. Their coffee had to be served with a delicious steaming hot Tua Pau. Steaming of the pau were done at the front of the coffee shop in big bamboo steamers, and it was the pau special aroma that drew the crowd in first before the coffee brew.

Bamboo steamer

The special wonderfully aroma came from the yeast fermentation of the sourdough used to wrap thick sliced pork filling stuffed with a big quarter of hard boiled egg. So each vendor concocted their own secret recipe to the making of sourdough. This unique aroma cannot be achieved by dough starter or instant method. The recipe I am sharing is already using the minimum time required to ferment the yeast. I believe the professional pau makers take much longer time to do so...their sourdough could be as old as the establishment ..the secret lies here! 

However it is not happening today, kopitiam paus are mainly from factory suppliers. Even those kopitiams that make their famous paus, their fillings are far cry from those days. With the rising cost of pork, they turned to using minced pork...just not the SAME!!!! Missing so much a real bite of traditional Tua Pau, I spend days in the kitchen massaging dough after dough to get the aroma/texture/freshness I longed for. 

This recipe is from Prima Flour web and I modified a little with the addition of wheat starch and vinegar instead of alkaline water. The sourdough aroma is better than any air freshness u can imagine. The other methods give the bun a raw yeast smell which can be repelling to some. The water measurement in the recipe is just a good guide, In dough making, you need to feel when to add a little more or less as you knead. Dough kneading is therapeutic...drive all your blues away FOC.

2015 Update:
If using minced pork, buy the "see no sky" cut (costs more) which is around the armpit zone...so good bite QQQ. 

Pointers: 1) Not all yeast is suitable for making steam white bao. Check with the supplier before purchase. Some yeast turn the baos brown.  2) Knead your dough very well, drizzle some water if it is dry, should be pliable soft.

Yeast for Steam bao

Recipe:

Sourdough 1: 50g hongkong flour...3/4 tsp instant yeast...30ml water

Sourdough 2: 50g hongkong flour...25g dough 1...30ml water 

Sourdough 3: 100g hongkong flour...50g dough 2...60ml water 

Final dough: 50g wheat starch...150g dough 3 30g white sugar...1 tsp baking powder...30ml water...1/8 tsp ammonia soda...1/4 tsp white vinegar...1/2 tbsp oil 

Pork filling: 250g pork...20g chinese parsley or celery...1/4 cup mushroom chopped.

Sauce: 1 tbsp oil...2 tsp light soya sauce...1/2 tsp dark soya sauce...1 tsp sesame oil...1/2 tbsp oyster sauce...1/2 tbsp sugar...1/2 tsp salt...1/8 tsp pepper to taste...cornflour to thicken. 

Workshop available @ Palate Sensations Singapore 

- tel 65 6589 8843

food quote:   心急吃不了熱豆腐：”You have to wait until the hot tofu cools down.” Haste makes waste.

Cook as to how you like to eat it, join me if we share the same taste. PaulaCookingFingers

Step by Step Video: