Chinese Hamburger Buns (Mo 饃)

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.

Course Lunch, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine Asian, Chinese

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Resting Time 1 20

Total Time 1 50

Servings

Calories 159kcal

Author Michelle

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