Gin Loong Pau - Recipe

Preparation time: 90 minutes

Ingredients

• 500g Bao flour (from Asian grocers) or bread flour
• 500g Red bean paste (from Asian grocers)
• 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 2 teaspoon cooking oil or 50g Shortening
• 1 small sachet Instant Yeast (10g)
• 125g superfine sugar
• 250 ml warm water (not too hot or it will kill the yeast)

Directions

Part A: Preparing the dough

• Mix the ingredients and then mix in the water gradually. 
• Knead the dough until it doesn't stick to your hands and becomes elastic.
• Put dough in a large bowl and cover it with cling wrap.
• Set it aside in a warm place or on a warm water bath for at least 30 minutes or until the dough doubles in size.
• Knead the dough again and set aside for another 15 minutes.

Part B: Preparing the Red bean filling

• While waiting for the dough to rise, scoop the Red bean paste into small balls about half the size of a golf ball, using a small spoon or scoop.
• Make about a dozen or so Red bean balls

Part C: Making the Pau

• Pinch a piece of dough about 40-50g and roll it in your hands into a ball.
• Using a small rolling pin, flatten the dough by thinning the sides but leaving the centre thick so that the Pau will not burst when you wrap it with the paste later.
• Place the dough on your palm and put a Red bean ball in the centre.
• Wrap the Red bean completely by pulling up the sides of the dough towards the centre.
• Roll the Pau gentle with your hands to smoothen the "joints".
• Repeat this process until all done.
• Rest them for at least 30 minutes or until they have increased in size.
• Using a rolling pin, gently roll out the Pau and flatten to about 1 cm thickness, but be careful not to "burst" them. 

Part D: Roasting the Pau

• Heat a small non-stick frypan on medium-low heat.
• Lightly grease the pan with a little oil using a paper towel, and remove excess oil if necessary. 
• Place a Pau on the pan and cover it with a small pot lid directly above the Pau.
• Check constantly so that the Pau is not burnt, lower the heat settings if necessary.
• Turn the Pau over when one side is done.
• Repeat until all done.