STEAMED PAUS-HAND KNEAD PAU SKIN

This is a workable steamed pau skin dough recipe. The dough well kneaded and adequately proof, yields lovely, soft, fluffy and light paus. The pau skin is not sweet, pliable and easy to handle for wrapping of filling and shaping. I love to make the pau skin thicker with less filling and not vice versa. 

If interested to make home made paus, do try this recipe. You can use any filling you like but a little tip to share here. For paus with savoury filling, you can increase the sweetness of the skin. For paus with sweet filling, I suggest the pau skin must not be sweet. For paus with savoury and sweet filling, the sweetness of the pau skin is average that is just acceptable.

Ingredients Pau Skin Dough

[makes about 12 paus]

400 gm pau flour

>1 tsp [about 4 gm] instant yeast

10 gm sugar

210-220 ml lukewarm water [add a little more if dough is too dry and tough]

1 tsp shortening [optional]

1. Combined pau flour and sugar in a large bowl.  Make a well in the centre, add in yeast and 150 ml water.  Mix well, stir until dissolved and leave for 1-2 minutes or so.  
2. Bring the flour together and add in remaining water, mix into a rough dough.  Cover for 5 minutes to rest.
3. After resting dough for 5 minutes, it is much easier to knead the dough into a smooth and soft dough with combination of hand motion [knead, rub, push and pull back motion with your hand]. Add in shortening if using.  As you knead, rotate dough along one direction at 90 degrees.  Add some extra water if dough is too dry. 
4. Knead dough for another 5-10 minutes until soft, smooth and pliable. Shape into a ball.  Place in the mixing bowl, cover to rest for 20 minutes or until double in size.
5. Punch down dough, then roll into round.  Divide into 12 equal portions and roll into balls.  Flatten each one in circle. Flatten the edges,  the centre is thicker than the edges. 
6. Place filling [about a tablespoon or more] in the centre, gather the edges together to seal to make a round pau or pleat the edges into a pau shape.
7. Place shaped pau on parchment paper and steaming tray.  Finish doing the rest. Cover to prove for about 20-30 minutes or until double in size.
8. Place steaming tray in the steamer over rapidly boiling.  Cover to steam for 10-12 minutes.  Off heat, leave in steamer and remove paus only after 2-3 minutes.
9. Cool on wire rack or serve immediately.