Soft, chewy, and slightly crisp on the outside, these Chinese Hamburger Buns, also known as mo (馍), are the perfect vehicle for juicy fillings like cumin-spiced lamb or braised pork.
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What are Chinese hamburger buns?
These buns, also called baijimo (白吉馍), originate from Shaanxi province in northern China.
They're a type of leavened flatbread made with primarily with flour, water, and yeast.
Chinese hamburger buns are dense, chewy, and slightly crisp, with a round shape similar to English muffins. The buns are vastly different than American-style hamburger buns, which are much more pillowy and soft.
They're often sliced open (like a pita) and filled with tender, flavorful meats, also known as Roujiamo (肉夹馍), which is sometimes called the “Chinese hamburger” -- a popular street food.
Mo buns are different than Taiwanese gua bao, which are soft, fluffy, folded over and steamed.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Minimal ingredients: it only takes just a few pantry ingredients to make these buns.
Easy to make: the hamburger buns are cooked on a flat griddle, rather than baked in the oven.
Versatile: use these buns to hold all sorts of savory fillings, from Chinese BBQ pork to shredded chicken or cumin lamb.
Ingredients you'll need
- lukewarm water: for activating the yeast; make sure it's not too hot or that will kill the yeast
- granulated sugar: to balance the flavor
- active dry yeast: leavener for the buns
- all-purpose flour: regular flour, or bread flour
- baking powder: acts as a leavener for fluffy buns
- sea salt: for flavor
- Chinese five-spice powder: optional, gives the buns extra flavor
Where to find?
You can find these ingredients at grocery stores, or Asian supermarkets.
How to make the Chinese hamburger buns
Make the dough:
Activate the yeast in warm water with sugar.
Combine with flour, baking powder, salt, and five-spice powder, and knead the dough until smooth.
Let it rise for about 1 hour.
Divide and shape:
Divide dough and shape the dough into ovals, roll up lengthwise, coil, flatten and let rest.
Cook:
Cook the buns on a griddle or pan by pressing them flat with another pan, then flip and cook until golden and puffed.
Cool on a wire rack before slicing and filling with your favorite meats.
How to serve
These mo buns are best when warm, stuffed with savory meat like cumin-spiced lamb, braised pork, braised beef shank, crispy pork belly, or leftover BBQ pork.
They're great as a light lunch, snack, or meal paired with other sides such as mala tater tots, smashed cucumber salad, and green onion beef pancake rolls.
Try pairing with quick pickled vegetables or a smear of hoisin sauce for extra flavor.
For various fusion ideas, try adding a Vietnamese spin with slices of pork roll and do chua, or a Korean take with kimchi, gochujang meatballs, spicy bulgogi pork or beef bulgogi.
How to store & reheat
Store leftover Chinese burger buns in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Reheat by lightly toasting or warming them in a skillet.
Freeze cooked, cooled buns in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 1 month and thaw before reheating.
Expert tips
Make the dough ahead of time and store it in the fridge overnight.
Let the dough come to room temperature before shaping and cooking.
Add sesame seeds to the buns before cooking for extra crunch and texture.
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Chinese Hamburger Buns (Mo 饃)
For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.
Ingredients
Dough:
- 155 ml lukewarm water
- 5 g granulated sugar
- 7 g active dry yeast
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 2 g baking powder
- 3 g sea salt
- 1 g Chinese five-spice powder
Instructions
Make the dough:
- In a bowl, combine warm water, sugar, yeast and give it a stir. Let the yeast activate, about 5 minutes.
- To a stand mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook, add in the flour, baking powder, salt and Chinese five-spice powder. Pour in the activated yeast mixture.
- Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 7-8 minutes.
- Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover it and let it rest in a warm location, about 1 hour.
Shape:
- Once the dough has risen, divide the dough into 6 equal portions, about 70g each.
- Roll each portion of dough with a rolling pin into a long oval.
- Next, roll it up lengthwise.
- Coil it up like a snail, tucking in the end, and press down to flatten to about 3.5" in diameter.
- Place the shaped dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Cover the dough and let it rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes. It will become slightly puffy.
Cook:
- Preheat a flat griddle (or a frying pan) over medium heat and place the dough onto the griddle (or pan). (I could fit 6 on my griddle, but if you're using a frying pan, you may be able to fit up to 2).
- Lay a piece of large parchment paper over top of the dough and use the back of another fry pan or similar sized pan to press firmly over top of the dough.
- Let the pan sit on top for a few minutes before carefully flipping it over to cover the dough.
- Lower the heat to minimum and cook for about 5 minutes on one side.
- Remove the top pan and flip the buns with a spatula. Cook for another 5 minutes until golden brown in color.
- Remove buns from heat and let cool on a wire rack before slicing horizontally.
- Fill with your favorite meats such as braised pork, or cumin lamb.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
Oh these buns look so lovely and tasty that I'd probably enjoy them without any filling.
Michelle
Thanks Ben, the buns are certainly delicious on their own! 🙂
Healthy World Cuisine
I don't know if we want to try your braised beef shank or crispy pork belly first to serve on these deliciously textured Chinese buns. Perfection!
Michelle
Yes, any savory meat would be a great pairing with these Chinese flatbread buns! Thanks Bobbi!
David @ Spiced
Interesting! I'm not too familiar with Chinese hamburger buns, but I do love to bake breads of all types. I'm thinking I need to make this recipe. You know, for science and stuff. Looks delicious!
Michelle
Thanks David, haha yes you'll have to try this bun out for yourself! 😀