What is Bao? | Are Bao Buns Healthy? – School of Wok

Everything you need to know about Bao Buns

Bao Buns (pronounced “bow”), but also known as a ‘steamed buns’ or ‘baozi’ 包子, are a delicious, warm, fluffy treat of stuffing wrapped inside a sweet, white dough. Made with a mix of flour, yeast, sugar, baking powder, milk and oil, the bao is a tad sweeter than its closely related cousin, the dumpling. It is a type of filled bun or bread-like dumpling that originates from Chinese cuisines.

Bao Buns Ingredients:

• Flour
• Yeast
• Sugar
• Baking powder
• Milk
• Oil

Renowned for being light and fluffy, the perfect bao should be light, round and soft. It is more commonly known to be filled with pork, however, as the bao bun has become more popular worldwide, the bao bun fillings have become much more diverse. Let’s take a look at some of the fillings that you can serve with your bao dough.

Looking for a simple way to make Bao Buns? Check out our Bao Dough recipe

What can you serve with bao?

The bao is a little sweeter than your average bread bun, therefore we tend to use fillings that will balance out the flavours and make it into a more savoury, delicious snack. So, wok can you serve with bao?

When it comes to what to serve with bao, the world really is your oyster, however, as we mentioned, some may opt for the most common filling for bao which is the bbq pork, with a light and sticky sauce to accompany. Others may try beef, fish, or glazed mushrooms as a savory snack and chocolate for a sweeter dessert!

Just a recap of some bao buns fillings:

• BBQ pork bao buns
• Pork belly bao buns
• Pickled vegetables bao buns
• Beef bao buns
• Fish bao buns
• Glazed mushrooms bao buns
• Chocolate bao buns

Are Baos healthy?

Due to bao dough’s amazing versatility, how healthy your bao buns are is largely up to you! Whether you fancy indulging in a less than traditional dessert, like the chocolate bao, or if you would like a lighter vegetarian-based bao – the decision is in your hands.

However, we can’t say that baos are the ‘healthiest’ of snacks (in the sense of calorie-counting, diet-dabbling Instagrammers, at least). Bao dough itself is made of the six main ingredients listed above (flour, yeast, sugar, baking powder, milk and oil) – and so it is a deliciously sweet dough that should be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet, rather than the base of every meal.

Do bao buns have gluten in?

Our School of Wok Bao Bun Kits do have wheat in, therefore would not be suitable for someone with a gluten intolerance. However, the bao recipe is transferable and if you suffer from any intolerances you can substitute out the ingredients to suit your requirements when making from scratch.

Tip: if you have found yourself with one of our School of Wok Bao Buns Kits, without a bamboo steamer, watch our video on tips to create the perfect makeshift steamer!

If after reading this your mouth is watering as much as ours, and you have a sudden craving to make some bao’s, then take a look at our School of Wok Bao Bun Kits! Pop to your nearest Tesco, Lakeland or Waitrose and pick up your kit from there if you just can’t wait for the delivery!