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Toasted Siopao Recipe

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★★★★★

4.3 from 73 reviews

This Toasted Siopao recipe offers a deliciously soft and flavorful Filipino steamed bun filled with tender chicken and hard-boiled eggs, baked to a perfect golden brown. A delightful treat perfect for sharing with family and friends.

Ingredients

Scale

Filling

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 2 cloves garlic – minced
  • 1 medium onion – chopped finely
  • 1 pound chicken thigh fillet (diced small)
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 3–4 pieces bay leaf
  • 2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 hard-boiled eggs (each cut into quarters)

Dough

  • 1 teaspoon instant yeast
  • ⅔ cup lukewarm milk
  • ⅓ cup lukewarm water
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 tablespoon oil and a bit more for coating

Instructions

  1. Filling: In a deep pan or pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken and sear until lightly browned. Add garlic and onion and saute until aromatic and limp.
  2. Cooking filling: Pour in soy sauce and add brown sugar and bay leaves. Cook until the sugar has slightly caramelized, then add water. Once it starts to boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the meat becomes tender–add more water if needed.
  3. Thickening sauce: Once the liquid is reduced to a thicker sauce and the meat is fork-tender. Add Hoisin sauce and season with pepper. Combine cornstarch and water to make a slurry and add this and simmer for another minute or two stirring regularly until the sauce thickens and becomes velvety.
  4. Dough preparation: In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in lukewarm milk and water. Sprinkle the yeast and stir. Then add the oil followed by the flour and baking powder. Mix well until a dough forms.
  5. Kneading: Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Do the windowpane test.
  6. First rise: Shape the dough in a ball and coat it with oil and place in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 30 minutes to an hour or just until it almost doubles in size.
  7. Dividing dough: Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Flatten it a bit into a circle and divide into 12 like a pie.
  8. Resting dough pieces: Form each piece into a ball, cover them with a kitchen towel and let them rest for 3-5 minutes.
  9. Forming the buns: Flour the surface of your counter and take a piece of the dough and flatten it a bit by pressing it with the palm of your hand against the counter. Flatten the edges a bit more using a rolling pin while turning the dough around leaving a small bulge in the middle.
  10. Filling buns: Hold the flattened dough on the curve of your palm and scoop a tablespoon of filling and place it in the middle. Add a slice of hard-boiled egg. Gather the ends towards the middle from one side until you reach the other end closing the filling in. Pinch and twist to seal the ends together on top. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.
  11. Second rise: Arrange the filled dough in a baking sheet and cover the filled buns with a kitchen towel and let them rise for 20-30 minutes or until almost double in size.
  12. Baking: Bake in a preheated oven at 170C/325F for 12 to 15 minutes or until they turn golden brown.
  13. Cooling and serving: Take them out of the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Let them cool down a bit. Serve while still warm.

Notes

  • Make sure to do the windowpane test to ensure the dough is kneaded properly and elastic.
  • Adjust water amount if the filling mixture reduces too much during simmering.
  • Letting the dough rise properly is key to light and fluffy buns.

Keywords: toasted siopao recipe, Filipino siopao, chicken siopao, baked siopao, steamed bun recipe

Find it online: https://foodarohub.com/toasted-siopao-recipe/