Gluten Free Bao Buns that are also egg free, nut free and vegetarian? I had never heard of such a thing...until now. These Baos are exactly like you remember with a delicious savory mushroom filling.
Make the dough according to the instructions on the bag. Use the cornstarch water mixture instead of an egg for egg free.
Mix the cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of water in a small bowl until thin and watery, it will be thick and tacky at first.
Once the 1 cup of water is warm and the right temperature, pour the cornstarch water mixture into the warm cup of water. Whisk together.
Follow instructions on the dough bag. The dough will need to be refrigerated for one hour before using.
Now for the filling: In a small sauté pan or frying pan over medium high heat, cook your onions in the oil until caramelized. Add in the scallions and continue to cook. Now add in the mushrooms and start to reduce them. Once they’re soft, add in the ginger and cornstarch and mix until combined. Then add in the soy sauce, mix to coat and add in the sugar. Sauté everything until soft and it smells amazing. About 10 min or so. Set aside.
After the hour is up, take your dough out of the fridge and break apart into 10-11 balls of dough.
Cut 10-11 small squares of parchment paper about 3 inches by 3 inches. Set aside.
On a clean work surface, lightly dust some of the retained gluten free flour (it tells you to do this on the flour bag) and take one of the balls and knead it a few times. Once smooth, roll the dough ball with a rolling pin into a circle. You want the middle of the circle to be a little thicker than the edges because the filling is going into the center.
Using a tablespoon, fill the center of the circle with some of the mushroom filling. About 1 heaping tablespoon of filling.
Now we are going to wrap the bun. Take two opposite sides of the dough circle and pinch them together. It will kind of resemble a cannoli at this point. Now we want to do the same thing with the other two sides. Press the dough edges together so that it forms a square bun with a cross on the top.
Pinch the two opposite sides together and then repeat with the remaining two sides. The bun should now be round and sealed. If you don’t pinch it will break open when steaming.
Place the bun onto one of the parchment squares and then repeat with the rest of the dough balls.
Let the buns rest about 20 minutes under plastic wrap before steaming them. (I have to steam my buns in batches because I can’t fit them all in the pot).
To prepare the steamer, heat about 3 inches of water in the pot over medium high heat until it boils. Once it’s boiling I lower the heat to medium low and place the first batch of buns onto the steaming rack.
Cover and steam them for 15 minutes. Once they’re done, carefully uncover the steamer, (watch your face for hot steam), using potholders or a dish towel...remove the hot steamer and place on a trivet. Remove the buns carefully and let them cool on a plate for 5 minutes before eating.
Cook the rest of the buns using the same method. Enjoy!