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Recipes
November 2016

Cornmeal Bao With Turkey and Black Pepper Sauce

By Josh Walker & Duolan LiPhotography by Gentl Hyers

4.0

(6)

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Gentl & Hyers

These pillowy steamed buns are delicious in all the same ways as Parker House rolls, with the sweet flavor of cornmeal.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes about 16 Servings

Ingredients

Cornmeal Bao

2

tablespoons sugar

1

¼-ounce envelope active dry yeast (about 2¼ teaspoons)

2

cups all-purpose flour

1

cup Jiffy corn muffin mix

1

tablespoon kosher salt

1

teaspoon baking powder

2

tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more

Sauce and Assembly

¼

cup sugar

3

tablespoons soy sauce

1

green or red Thai chile, thinly sliced

1

½-inch piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced

1

garlic clove, thinly sliced

2

tablespoons dark or regular soy sauce

2

tablespoons mushroom or regular soy sauce

2

teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar

1

teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pastrami-Style Grilled Turkey Breast, mayonnaise, bread-and-butter pickles, shredded carrots, and cilantro leaves with tender stems (for serving)

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

  1. Cornmeal Bao

    Step 1

    Stir sugar and yeast into ⅔ cup warm (100°) water in a small bowl. Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Whisk flour, corn muffin mix, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl to combine. Stir sugar mixture into dry ingredients, then stir in 2 Tbsp. oil. Mix just until a shaggy dough forms.

    Step 2

    Turn dough out onto a work surface. Gently knead just until smooth (be careful not to overwork). Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until dough is puffed and yields easily when poked, about 1½ hours.

    Step 3

    Divide dough into 16 balls and gently roll between your palms until smooth. Roll out each ball to a 6x3" oval, lightly brush with oil, then fold in half crosswise. Cover bao with a damp cloth and let rise until slightly puffy, 60–90 minutes.

    Step 4

    Place a bamboo steamer lined with parchment paper over a large pot of simmering water (or you can use a steamer basket). Steam bao in batches until firm to the touch and cooked through, 10–12 minutes per batch.

    Step 5

    Do Ahead: Dough can be made 12 hours ahead; chill instead of letting rise. Let rise 2 hours. Bao can be steamed 1 week ahead; tightly wrap and freeze. Thaw and steam 3 minutes to restore softness just before serving.

  2. Sauce and Assembly

    Step 6

    Cook sugar and soy sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until sugar is dissolved; let cool.

    Step 7

    Transfer to a small bowl and mix in chile, ginger, garlic, dark soy sauce, mushroom soy sauce, vinegar, and pepper. Let black pepper sauce sit 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld.

    Step 8

    Build sandwiches with bao using turkey, black pepper sauce, mayonnaise, pickles, carrots, and cilantro.

    Step 9

    Do Ahead: Sauce can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Nutrition Per Serving

For 8 servings: Calories (kcal) 220 Fat (g) 6 Saturated Fat (g) 1 Cholesterol (mg) 0 Carbohydrates (g) 38 Dietary Fiber (g) 0 Total Sugars (g) 6 Protein (g) 5 Sodium (mg) 980
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