Quick and Easy Bratwurst Bao
This recipe originated as a pizza dough and turned into bao. That's the beauty of having dough ready at any moment.
Why Bratwurst?
We ended up using bratwurst because we had some leftover from our visit from Gene’s Sausage Market in Lincoln Square. Our Lincoln Square neighborhood guide is coming soon. This neighborhood is famous for many European delicacies and sausage is one of them! Food fusions evolve naturally in our kitchen because (just like urban neighborhoods) our fridge is often a mix of different cultures. We found out when you break the bratwurst apart in a pan and add vinegar and cooking wine it tastes delicious!
How this bao works
This recipe allows steam to cook the buns to completion.
- Making the dough
- We found that this recipe for homemade pizza dough makes the perfect dough for bao. It creates a fluffy and moist bread for the bao. We use a rolling pin to roll out the dough before shaping it into a disc. Pro tip: use the lid of a jar to cut your dough into a perfect circle.
- The filling
- While not traditional in any sense, we encourage you to expirement with a fusion for filling. We had German Bratwurst Sausage on hand and found that since the ground meat was already seasoned, it brought excellent flavor to the bao. After removing the casing, we sauteed the sausage with some Chinese black vinegar and shaoxing wine.
- The acidic and herbal finish
- Fresh garnishes complete the perfect bao. This could take the form of cilantro, scallions, lime, mint and/or basil. Acid from the lime brings a brightness to each bite.
About Bao
Bao is a delightful treat that is varied in construction. You can form the dough into a gua bao, which is accomplished by folding the circle of dough in half to create a semi circle. You can also choose to place filling in the middle of the circle of dough and cinch the sides up to the top to make the more traditional and fully enclosed dumpling.Recipe Card
Quick and Easy Bratwurst Bao
3-4
servings15
minutes (not including making the dough)10
minutesIngredients
400 grams pizza dough; see note
1.5 lbs of bratwurst, casing removed
1 tablespoon Shaoxing Wine
1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Sesame seeds, for garnish
Directions
Line your bamboo steamer with parchment paper
Set the bamboo steamer in a pan and fill the pan with water up until the floor of the bamboo steamer. Bring the water to a boil.
Meanwhile, roll out the pizza dough to a uniform thickness of 1/4 inch.
Take a lid of a jar, measuring around 3 inches in diameter, and cut circular shapes into the dough. Lightly dust flour onto the disc of dough and gently fold it in half to create the bao bun so that it resembles a semi circle. The sides should not be sticking together.
While the bao is cooking, cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat. Break up the sausage into small pieces with a spatula. Mix in the Chinese black vinegar and shaoxing wine and cook until the sausage has been cooked through, approximately 8 minutes.
To assemble the bao, carefully remove the bao from the steamer, add in the cooked sausage, and top with cilantro and sesame seeds.
Recipe Notes
- Use a pizza dough recipe of your choosing from an online resource or purchase pre-made from a grocery store.
