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Prep time
25 hours
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Cook time
2 hours 30 minutes
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makes
About 25 buns
Author Notes
I know what you’re going to say. What parent in her right mind would consider David Chang’s iconic pork buns 1: kid food; and 2: something to be undertaken at home when you live in the same city as Momofuku?
I have solid arguments for both.
These buns have all of the characteristics that kids love: They’re salty and sweet and texturally interesting, they’re fun to look at and eat, and they involve pork belly, a close cousin of bacon. (In Clara’s world, there is never not a good time for bacon.)
If your children are old enough, they can make the steamed buns with you. What’s more fun than little balls of dough you can smash and roll into funny shapes? And because the recipe makes so many of them, there’s lots of room for error.
As for the second point, when it comes down to it, these are just not that difficult. The pork belly is a set-it-and-forget-it situation, requiring more patience than effort. The quick-pickled cucumbers are ready in a flash, and then all that’s left are the buns—both the most active and the most fun part of the recipe. Once you get the hang of shaping the buns, it’s kind of cathartic to crank out the smooth little envelopes of dough.
Maybe the best thing about the buns is that after you steam them, they freeze like a dream. Which is why the recipe makes twice as many as you’ll need—make 50(ish), freeze half, and the next time, the bulk of your work will be behind you before you begin.
Here’s a step-by-step on how to shape the buns:
1. After the first rise, divide the dough into 50 pieces, roll them into little balls, and let them rise again.
2. Roll each ball into an oval and brush with oil. Lay a chopstick across the center and fold the bun in half over it.
3. Gently remove the chopstick and transfer the bun to a square of parchment for its last rise before steaming.
Adapted from Momofuku by David Chang and Peter Meehan —Merrill Stubbs
Watch This Recipe
Momofuku's Pork Buns
Ingredients
- Pork Belly & Quick-Pickled Cucumbers
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6 pounds
skinless pork belly
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1/2 cup
plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
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1/2 cup
plus 1 tablespoon sugar
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2
thick Kirby cucumbers, cut into ⅛-inch slices
- Pork Buns
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1 tablespoon
plus 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
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4 1/4 cups
bread flour
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6 tablespoons
sugar
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1/3 cup
rendered pork fat, bacon fat, or vegetable shortening, room temperature
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3 tablespoons
nonfat dry milk powder
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1 tablespoon
kosher salt
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1/2 teaspoon
baking powder, rounded
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1/2 teaspoon
baking soda
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Vegetable oil, for greasing and brushing
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1 cup
hoisin sauce
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1/2 cup
thinly sliced scallions (light-green and white parts only)
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Sriracha, for serving
Directions
- Pork Belly & Quick-Pickled Cucumbers
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Place the pork belly in a roasting pan that holds it snugly, fat side up. In a small bowl, combine ½ cup of the salt and ½ cup of the sugar and rub all over the pork. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and no longer than 24.
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Heat the oven to 450°F. Discard any liquid that has accumulated in the roasting pan. Roast the pork belly, basting with the rendered fat halfway through, for about 1 hour, until golden brown.
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Reduce the oven temperature to 250°F and continue to roast for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the pork is tender. Transfer the pork to a plate, decant the fat and the meat juices from the pan, and reserve for the buns. Let the pork cool slightly.
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When it’s cool enough to handle, wrap the pork in plastic wrap or foil and put it in the fridge until thoroughly chilled and firm. (You can skip this step if you’re pressed for time, but the only way to get neat, nice-looking slices is to chill the belly thoroughly before slicing it.)
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In a small bowl, combine the cucumbers and the remaining 1 tablespoon of the sugar and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Use right away or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
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When you're ready to make the buns, cut the pork belly into ½-inch slices about 2 inches long. Warm in a pan over medium heat for a minute or two, until softened and heated through. Use the pork right away.
- Pork Buns
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In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, stir the yeast and 1½ cups room temperature water. Add the flour, sugar, pork fat, milk powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and mix on the lowest speed for 8 to 10 minutes. The dough should gather together into a ball on the hook. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, turning to coat with the oil. Cover the bowl with a dry kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until doubled in size.
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Punch the dough down and turn out onto a clean work surface. Using a sharp knife, divide the dough in half, then divide each half into 5 pieces. Gently roll the pieces into logs, then cut each log into 5 pieces, making 50 pieces total. They should be about the size of a Ping-Pong ball and weigh about 25 grams each. Roll each piece into a ball and arrange on baking sheets. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes. While they're rising, cut out 50 (4-inch) squares of parchment paper.
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After 30 minutes, using a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 4-inch-long oval. Brush lightly with the oil, lay a chopstick horizontally across the center of the oval, and fold the oval over onto itself to form a bun. Gently pull out the chopstick, leaving the bun folded, and transfer to a square of parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and form the rest of the buns. Let the buns rest for 30 to 45 minutes; they will rise a little.
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Set up a steamer on top of the stove. Working in batches so you don’t crowd the steamer, steam the buns on the parchment squares for 10 minutes. Remove the parchment. You can use the buns immediately or allow them to cool, then put them in plastic freezer bags and freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat the frozen buns in a stovetop steamer for 2 to 3 minutes, until puffy, soft, and warmed all the way through. Freeze half of the buns in airtight bags for another time.
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Open a warm bun and spread about 2 teaspoons of the hoisin sauce on the inside. Add 2 pieces of pork belly, then a couple slices of pickle. Add a scattering of scallions and a squirt of Sriracha if you like. Repeat with the remaining buns.
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