• In the morning, feed your sourdough starter.

  100g is needed for the dough.

  Mixing 50g starter, 50g flour and 50g water (a ratio of 1:1:1), gives a total of 150g starter. This is enough for the dough, and then whatever is left over can be fed for the next time. A starter fed at this ratio should be ready to use within 4 hours.
  
• Once the starter has risen, mix all the dough ingredients in a large bowl and use a fork to combine it into a shaggy dough. Once you can't mix with the fork anymore, switch to using your hands.

  Combine it all together into a thick and stiff dough. If it's too thick to mix, wet your hands to add a little more water into the mixture, but take care not too add too much. The dough should be very thick. Knead the dough on the bench for around 8 minutes until it is soft and smooth. Form a dough ball.

  Place the dough ball in a lightly greased bowl and leave it to ferment at room temperature (between 20- 22°C) for around 2 hours. If your room is cooler than this, you can extend the ferment for another hour. Afterwards, place the dough in the fridge overnight.
  

The Following Day

• Take the dough from the fridge and leave it to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes, then pull it from the bowl and place it on a clean bench. Roll the dough out into a large circle, about 5mm thick and use a circle cutter (I use a drinking glass), to cut out dough circles. (Use a little flour to lightly dust the bench if necessary.)

  Once you’ve cut all the circles you can, gather the remaining dough into a ball and leave it to sit and rest for 10 minutes before rolling it out again. 

  This recipe makes between 10-12 buns.

  Take a cut out circle and roll it a bit so you create an oval that’s around 3-4mm thick . Lightly dust the oval with flour, then fold it in half and place it on a piece of baking paper. Continue with the remaining dough circles. 
  
• Now the buns need to rise until nearly doubled. This can take around 3-4 hours depending on the room temperature. I pop them in a lightly preheated, then turned off oven to help speed up the rising time.

  The buns can be brushed with water to stop them drying out, or a lightly dampened tea towel can be laid over top while they rise. 

  Once risen they should look fat and feel puffy when gently prodded.
  
• Once risen, cut around the buns on the baking paper so that each bun is on a separate piece. This makes them much easier to lift in and out of the steamer.

  Fill a large saucepan or pot with 3-4 cm of water and bring it to a boil.

  Place the buns in the steamer 2-4 buns at a time (dependant on the size of the steamer.) Add the lid to the steamer, then place it over top of the boiling water. Leave the buns to steam for around 10 minutes.

  Take the steamer off the saucepan, then remove the lid and lift out the cooked buns. Repeat these steps with the remaining buns.
  
• The bao are best served warm. If making these ahead of time, they can be reheated by being placed back in a steamer for 2-3 minutes until warmed through. 

  Pry them open along their fold, and then stuff them with your favourite fillings.

  They can also be frozen for future use.