Taiwanese Peppery Pork Buns

Dim Sum and Other Snack Foods

Taiwanese Peppery Pork Buns
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
½ teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
½ pound ground pork
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon thin soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 whole scallions, chopped
½ cup sesame seeds
Preparation:
I. In a small bowl, mix two tablespoons warm water with the dry yeast and the sugar and stir until dissolved. Then let this stand for five minutes until frothy.
2. Sift the flour and salt in a large bowl, stir in the yeast mixture, the oil, and enough of one-half cup water just until the dough comes together when stirred, then turn it onto a floured surface and knead until smooth, about six to eight minutes. Then cover with a cloth and let it rest in a warm area until double in bulk, about an hour.
3. In another bowl, mix pork, both ground peppers, the Sichuan peppercorns, oil, soy sauce, and salt and combine this by hand, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and roll into a snake then cut into eight evenly sized pieces, and roll each one into a flat round about four inches in diameter.
5. Put one tablespoon scallions in the center of the dough, then a like amount of the pork mixture and bring the edges of the dough to the center and seal it over the filling leaving no holes and no gaps. Put seal side down on a baking sheet.
6. Now scatter seeds on a flat plate and put another plate next to it with a small amount of water in it. Dip the top of each bun in the water, then in the seeds, and put them on a baking sheet seed side up about two inches apart. Bake until lightly brown, about half an hour, remove from the oven, and let them cool on a wire rack for a few minutes. Then serve.

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