This recipe came to us via Cathy's mom, from a newspaper article, from a Sacramento restaurant called "SooHoo's". You can buy the pork from a Chinese market or deli, or use my recipe and make your own if you wanna show off. You'll need:

Dough:

• 1 envelope dry yeast
• 1/3 C sugar
• 1 C milk (105 - 110 degrees F)
• 4 T shortening
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 6 C all-purpose flour

Char Su filling:

• 1 T vegetable oil (for the wok)
• 1 lb diced char su (Chinese barbequed pork)
• 2 T hoisin sauce
• 2 T oyster sauce
• 1/8 t white pepper (we just use black pepper)
• 1 T rice wine or sherry
• 2 T sugar
• 1/2 C chicken broth
• 2 t cornstarch dissolved in 1 T water
• 1 t flavored sesame oil (opt.)
• 1/4 C minced green onion

Egg wash for tops:

• 1 egg, beaten with
• 1 T water
• 1 t sugar

For the dough, dissolve yeast & sugar in the warm milk in a LARGE bowl.  Set aside.  Warm shortening in microwave until liquid, but not boiling.  Add to dissolved yeast mixture with salt & beaten eggs.  Add half the flour; mix until smooth.  Work in remaining dough a little at a time, until dough forms a ball.  Dough should be very soft.  Add more water if needed.  Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl; cover & let it double in size, about an hour (in a warm place).

To make the filling; heat a wok with the oil; put in diced pork; add hoisin, oyster sauce, pepper, wine, sugar & chicken broth.  Add cornstarch solution, boil until thickened.  Add sesame oil; let cool for 1 hour.  Add green onion; mix well.

Uncover dough, punch down & knead it about 5 min on a floured board.  For full-sized bao, form into 2 cylinders 2" wide cut/tear each cylinder into 8 pieces, roll them into balls.  For mini-bao, make 4 cylinders, divide those into 8 pieces as needed.  Flatten a dough ball into a round (4" for full size, 2" for mini) put in filling (2 heaping teaspoons for full size; 1 for mini); pull edges up over filling, pinch edges together to seal. Put bao sealed-side down on a cookie sheet (We put down parchment paper first; you can use squares of waxed paper or a silpat), put in a warm place for a final 30-minute rise (Cathy's mom did *not* tell her about this step, but they still turned out delicious)

Brush top of each bao with egg wash, for a nice shiny finish.  Bake bao at 350 degrees (20 min for full-size; 14 min for mini).  Serve warm; or if you freeze them, reheat at 250 degrees for 15-20 min.