Make soft, fluffy bao buns at home – faster. Unlike traditional recipes that need hours to rise, this dough uses yeast and baking powder to speed things up without sacrificing that signature pillowy texture. It’s the ultimate shortcut to homemade bao that still tastes like the real deal. I’ve included a Korean-style grilled chicken filling to get you started, but they’re super versatile – stuff them with whatever you love.

I don’t know what it is about bao buns, but I can never stop at just one! Soft, fluffy, and pillowy, they’re somewhere between a burger and a taco, making them the ultimate better-than-takeout treat.

While you can easily find frozen bao buns in the grocery store back home in New Zealand, I haven’t had the same luck overseas. But the good news is that homemade ones taste so much better. Plus, this version skips the overly sweet dough you sometimes get with frozen buns, while still delivering that gorgeously light, airy texture.

The real magic here? Thanks to a combination of instant yeast and baking powder, the buns rise fast, so you don’t have to wait hours for them to be ready to shape and steam. It means you can make, shape, steam, fill and eat them in under an hour.

I’m filling mine in the recipe below with grilled Korean-style chicken (similar to this miso grilled chicken and sticky gochujang chicken) and crunchy slaw, but there are SO many options you could go for. Crispy fried chicken, sticky pulled pork, crispy pork belly, miso aubergine or pulled mushrooms…they all work. It’s also a fab way to use up any leftovers.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Quicker to make than traditional bao. Baking powder combined with yeast supercharges the buns and means you can have them ready within an hour, cutting your prep time in half.
• Easy to prep ahead. The buns freeze PERFECTLY. I’ll often make a big batch, then freeze to pull out for easy meals. Freeze them after you’ve steamed them, and then you can steam them straight from frozen.
• Perfect party or game day food. I made these (stuffed with Korean fried chicken) for a garden party for 40 people(!) and they went down a storm. Use the freezer trick to help you get ahead, then fill them and serve when you’re ready.
• Great way to use up leftovers. While you can make your filling from scratch, you can get creative and use whatever you have on hand. Leftover roast chicken or a rotisserie chicken would be lovely and you could even stuff them with a hearty salad, like this butternut squash salad, for a vegetarian option.

Ingredients

• All-purpose (plain) flour. You can use bleached bao flour if you can find it in an Asian grocery store – this will give your bao that classic bright white look. All-purpose flour is much easier to find, so it’s what I use. You could also use self-raising flour (flour that already has baking powder added) and skip the baking powder.
• Baking powder. This recipe uses baking powder to help the buns rise quickly, meaning you can skip the first rise of the dough and shape the bao right after mixing and kneading.
• Instant yeast. I’m using the kind of yeast you can add directly to your dry ingredients, but if you can only find active yeast (the granules are normally bigger), you’ll need to dissolve the yeast in a little water first. Don’t skip this step, or your bao won’t rise and you’ll have little grainy pieces of yeast throughout.
• Salt. It’s not traditional, but I can’t make anything bread-related without a little salt for flavor.

How to make the buns

You can use a stand mixer or mix by hand, but I’ll walk you through the hand method here. Add all your ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir until a rough dough forms. Then get your hands in there and bring the dough together. I like to give it a quick knead right in the bowl to pick up any rogue leftover flour.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for about five minutes. Don’t stress too much about technique! A simple way is to push the dough away with the heel of your hand, fold it back over itself, give it a quarter turn, and repeat. As long as you’re pressing and stretching the dough, you’re doing it right. If you want more help, check out my detailed how to knead dough guide.

You’ll notice the dough’s texture change from dry and rough to soft, smooth, and elastic. When it feels supple and bouncy, you’re ready to shape the buns.

Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces (using a kitchen scale will help you get identical buns). Keep the pieces you’re not working with covered to prevent them from drying out.

Take one piece, roll it into a ball, then flatten it lightly with your hand into an oval shape. Use a rolling pin to roll it about three inches long. Brush one side with a little oil, then fold the dough over itself.

Let the shaped buns rest for about 30 minutes until they puff up a little. I like to prep my filling while they rest. When ready, steam the buns until pillowy and fluffy. I use a bamboo steamer set on a large pot, but a regular steamer works just as well.

Remember to line your steamer with parchment paper or cabbage leaves to keep the buns from sticking! Once steamed, stuff the buns with your favorite fillings and dig in.

Got a question?

Watch how to make them

Like this recipe? Here are more better-than-takeout ideas for you

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.

Quick, Fluffy Bao Buns – in Under an Hour

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5 from 4 reviews

• Author: Kate Phillips
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 12 buns 1x

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Description

Make soft, fluffy bao buns at home – faster. Unlike traditional recipes that need hours to rise, this dough uses yeast and baking powder to speed things up without sacrificing that signature pillowy texture. It’s the ultimate shortcut to homemade bao that still tastes like the real deal. I’ve included a Korean-style grilled chicken filling to get you started, but they’re super versatile – stuff them with whatever you love.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the bao buns – 

• 350g (2 1/3 cups) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil (vegetable, canola or peanut oil)
• 180g (approximately 3/4 cup) lukewarm water
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil, for brushing

For the gochujang chicken filling – 

• 1lb (500g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs (ideally free-range)
• 1 tablespoon gochujang paste
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sweet chilli jam (plus more to serve)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

For the sesame slaw –

• 1/4 head red or white cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cucumber, finely diced
• 3 scallions (spring onions), finely sliced
• A handful of cilantro (coriander) leaves
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce

To serve –

• 1/4 cup garlic aioli (or gochujang aioli)
• 1/4 cup sweet chilli jam
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• A handful of cilantro (coriander) leaves, chopped

Equipment – 

• Parchment paper for lining
• Steamer – either bamboo or any standard steaming basket.

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Instructions

For the bao buns –

1. Mix the dough. In a large bowl, combine 350g (2 ⅓ cups) all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons instant yeast, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons of neutral oil and 180g (¾ cup) lukewarm water. With a large spoon, stir to combine until a rough, shaggy dough forms. Use your hands to bring it together into a ball. Give it a couple of quick kneads in the bowl to scrape up any leftover bits of flour, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
2. Knead the dough. With the heel of your hand, push the dough away from you, then fold the part you just pushed away back on itself, give the dough a quarter turn and repeat this motion. Continue like this for about five minutes. You’ll start to feel the texture of the dough changing – what was a little rough will become smooth and supple. At this point, you’re ready to shape your bao. You can also do this in a stand mixer with the dough hook attached if you have one.
3. Prepare your steamer. Cut out 12 small squares of parchment paper, about 5cm squared. Alternatively, you can line the entire steamer basket. To do that, cut a piece of parchment paper into a circle that will fit inside your steamer. Fold it in half, then in half again, then make 5 small cuts along the folded edge. When you unfold it, you’ll have created a perfect liner with holes for steam to get through. Pop it inside the steamer.
4. Shape the bao buns. Roll the dough into a log, about 12 inches long. Divide the log into 12 equal pieces – if you want to get exact, you can use a scale (each piece should weigh roughly about 1.75oz or 50g). Working with one at a time, and covering the other pieces of dough with a clean kitchen towel (this is to stop them drying out), shape a piece into a small ball. Then gently flatten the ball into a small oval and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into an oval shape, about 3 inches or 8cm long. Brush the exposed side with sesame oil, then fold it onto itself. Place on a little square of parchment paper (or into the lined steamer straight away), then put into the steamer, leaving about an inch between each bun so they don’t stick together. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. 
5. Let the bao rest. At this point, the dough needs to rest for about 30 minutes to puff up and rise a little. I like to take a photo on my phone of the bao as I place them in the steamer, so it’s easy to compare and see how they’re going.
6. Steam the bao. After 30 minutes, they should look a little more puffy. Now it’s time to cook them. Bring a large pot of water to a boil (I boil the kettle and pour that into a pot for ease). Place the steamer on top of the pot and let steam for 12 minutes, until the buns puff up even more and look lovely and glossy. They’re now ready to fill.

For the Korean grilled chicken and crunchy slaw filling –

1. Marinate the chicken. Heat your oven to 480°F (250°C) fan and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, add 1lb of diced chicken thighs, 1 tablespoon of gochujang paste, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar and 1 tablespoon of sweet chili jam and toss to coat the chicken thoroughly. 
2. Cook the chicken. Transfer the chicken to the lined baking sheet and spread it into a single layer. Pop into the oven for 20 minutes, until lovely and charred around the edges. You can also do this in the air fryer. Air fry for 10 minutes at 400°F (200°C).
3. Make the slaw. While the chicken cooks, add the sliced cabbage, scallions, cucumber and 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds to a bowl. Pour over 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar, ½ tablespoon of sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce and ½ teaspoon of salt. Toss to combine well.
4. Fill the bao. Spread a little aioli onto the base of each bao bun and top with a generous spoonful of the slaw. Arrange a couple of pieces of the charred gochujang chicken on top, then drizzle with the remaining chili jam. Finish with another scattering of sesame seeds and cilantro. 

Notes

PRO TIP: Make your bao filling while the buns are resting for 30 minutes.

INGREDIENT NOTES: Instant yeast is fine, dry yeast that can be added directly into the dough without having to ‘activate’ it first. If you only have active dried yeast, you’ll need to first bloom it in water, as per the instructions on the packet. You must do this – if you don’t, your bao buns won’t rise properly and you’ll end up with weird little bits of dried yeast throughout your bao. 

NO STEAMER? If you don’t have a steamer, you can improvise one with a deep pan, a heatproof plate, and some balls of foil to support it. Just make sure the plate is raised above the water line and cover with a lid. Line your heatproof plate with parchment paper and steam the bao for 12 minutes, as per the recipe.

FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS: The bao buns freeze really well. This is my preferred way of storage as you can cook them straight from frozen in about 10 minutes when you need them. After steaming, let them cool, then pop them on a lined plate or tray that will fit in your freezer. Freeze until solid, then transfer to zip-lock bags to store.

FILLING IDEAS: You can fill the buns with anything you like! Try sticky pulled pork, miso salmon, gochujang chicken, Korean fried chicken or sweet chilli glazed halloumi. It’s also a great way to use up any leftover meat you might have, or use a rotisserie chicken. 

• Prep Time: 10
• Rising time: 30
• Cook Time: 10
• Category: fakeaway
• Method: stove top
• Cuisine: asian

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 buns
• Calories: 672
• Sugar: 4.5g
• Sodium: 1279.7mg
• Fat: 31g
• Saturated Fat: 5.3g
• Unsaturated Fat: 20.8g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 56.6g
• Fiber: 3.7g
• Protein: 3.7g
• Cholesterol: 160.2mg