Choffee Bāos

The first time I tried making my own bāos was several years ago, just when I was budding into the world of baking and cooking and I really enjoyed making them. I'm not quite sure why I never made them again and why it took me quite literally a global pandemic confining me in my home to make them again, as with many of the side projects and ideas I've had planned, but here we are. And good thing I decided to take another stab at it because IT IS SO MUCH EASIER THAN I REMEMBERED. I may have taken up an addiction of making them nearly every week for the past month; whether that's a good or bad thing, I'll leave that up in the air but for the sake of my jaded, stomach-guided mind, I'm going to lean towards good.

This revelation of my abilities to make bāos at home has also made me adapt the mindset that nearly every dang flavor can be bāo-ified because I cannot resist the FLUFFY, FLUFFY GOODNESS of this dough. Being able to mesh other flavors with it is like discovering a newfound power! 😌

Now I'm not sure if western sweets in a bāo is considered a sin, but here we are, and I ain't mad about it! Chocolate + coffee, or as my high-school-self ordering at food trucks knows it as Choffee, seemed like such an intuitive flavor combo that I could easily bāo-ify and that I did! I promise, once you make bāos for the first time, it won't seem nearly as hard as you probably thought they were. Along with this, you may find a newfound appreciation whenever you buy a freshly steamed bāozi, and perhaps view everything as having bāo-potential like I already have! 😅

Now on with the recipe:

*** Makes for 12 bāos

** For the double wrapped bāos, I made the same dough recipe but without the coffee granules or coffee and wrapped the choffee bāos in another thing dough layer!

WHATCHA' NEED

Dough

• 300 grams or 2 cups AP flour

• 1 tsp Yeast

• 1 tsp Sugar

• 1 Tbsp Instant Coffee Granules

• 1 Tbsp Oil (any neutral oil like veg or canola)

• 140 ml or 1/2 Cup + 2 tsp of a 50/50 mix of coffee & warm water (slightly warmer than lukewarm but should be nowhere near hot! + adjust ratio to coffee taste preference)

Filling

• 40 grams Chocolate (I used whatever I had lying around, so a leftover Roasted Sesame Lindt chocolate bar!)

• 1/3 cup Nutella

• Pinch of salt

MAKE

Dough

1. Mix the yeast, sugar, and warm coffee/water in a small bowl and set aside for 7-10 minutes.

2. Combine the flour, coffee granules, and oil in a larger bowl. Create a well in the dry mix and slowly incorporate the yeast mixture into the dry.

3. Mix and switch to kneading by hand to form a smooth dough ball.

4. Cover bowl with a damp kitchen towel and set aside to rest in a warm area (preheat oven on low for 3-5 min and turn off, sunlit window with no draft, etc. Get creative with it!) for 40 minutes to 1.5 hours until dough doubles in size.

Filling

1. As the dough is rising, in a Bain Marie, combine the chocolate, Nutella, and salt until all melted together.

2. Allow to cool down to room temperature and set in the fridge until ready to assemble.

Assemble

1. Once the dough is risen, on a floured surface, gently knead just until the dough is back to a smooth texture.

2. Divide the dough into 12 dough balls and set them aside under a damp towel so they don't dry out as you're working.

3. Slightly flatten a dough ball and roll out into a circle, roughly 4 inches in diameter.

4. Spoon out around a Tbsp of the chocolate filling and place in the center of your dough.

5. Fold dough to close into a bao shape.

6. Allow baos to rest under the towel for 10 minutes.

7. Starting with cold water, transfer the baos to the steamer and steam on high heat until water begins to boil, then adjust down to low-med heat for 15-18 minutes.

8. Carefully take out of steamer and enjoy your choffee bois while they're still hot! You can freeze any leftovers to be restreamed (if you have any leftover ofc 😉).