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Taiwanese pepper buns
Hôo-tsio-piánn (胡椒餅): flaky sesame buns filled with peppery pork and spring onion, baked in a very hot oven
TaiwaneseThe queue at the entrance to Raohe night market in Taipei forms for these: buns slapped onto the inside wall of a blazing clay oven, then lifted out crackly, blistered and studded with sesame. Inside is a juicy filling of fatty pork mince heavy with white and black pepper and a mass of spring onion, its juices hot enough to burn, so locals nibble a small hole first and let the steam out. A home oven turned up as high as it goes, with a preheated tray or stone, gets close to the clay oven's crust. The usual mistake is mixing the spring onion into the pork in advance: it weeps water and makes the bun soggy, so add it only as you wrap. Chef's tip: chill the filling until firm before shaping; cold pork is far easier to seal inside the dough and makes a juicier bun.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the water dough
- 10 ½ oz plain flour
- ⅛ oz instant dried yeast
- ⅓ oz sugar
- ⅛ oz salt
- ¾ cup warm water
- ½ oz lard or neutral oil
For the oil paste
- 3 ½ oz plain flour
- 1 ¾ oz lard or neutral oil
For the filling
- 14 oz fatty pork minceabout 25% fat
- 1 ½ tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 ½ tbsp coarsely ground white pepper
- ¼ tsp five-spice powder
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 5 ½ oz spring onionschopped, patted very dry
For the tops
- 4 tbsp white sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp waterfor brushing
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Method
0/12 doneStep 1: Mix 14 oz fatty pork mince, 1 ½ tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp sugar, 1 ½ tbsp coarsely ground white pepper, 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper, ¼ tsp five-spice powder, 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil and ½ tsp salt, stirring in one direction for 2 minutes until sticky. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
2 minStep 2: For the water dough, mix 10 ½ oz plain flour, ⅛ oz instant dried yeast, ⅓ oz sugar and ⅛ oz salt, then add ¾ cup warm water and ½ oz lard or neutral oil. Knead for 8 minutes, until smooth and soft. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
8 minStep 3: For the oil paste, rub 3 ½ oz plain flour and 1 ¾ oz lard or neutral oil together into a soft, smooth paste.
Step 4: Divide the water dough and the oil paste into eight pieces each. Flatten a piece of dough, put a ball of paste in the centre and pinch closed. Repeat, keeping the rest covered.
Step 5: Roll each ball into a long tongue, roll it up like a carpet, turn it 90 degrees, roll it long again and roll it up once more. Cover and rest for 15 minutes. This builds the flaky layers.
15 minStep 6: Heat the oven to its highest setting (at least 475°F) with a baking stone, steel or heavy tray on the middle shelf.
30 minStep 7: Roll each coil into a 12 cm round, thinner at the edges. Put a spoonful of cold filling in the middle and heap a large pinch of 5 ½ oz spring onions on top.
Step 8: Pleat the edges up over the filling and pinch tightly to seal. Turn the bun seam-side down and press it lightly into a 2.5 cm thick disc.
Step 9: Brush the tops with 2 tbsp water and press them firmly into 4 tbsp white sesame seeds so they are thickly coated.
Step 10: Put the buns seam-side down on baking paper, slide onto the hot stone or tray and bake until deep golden and blistered, turning the tray halfway.
20 minStep 11: Check one bun with a probe thermometer: the filling should read 160°F. Bake 3–5 minutes more if not.
3 minStep 12: Cool for 5 minutes before eating. Bite a small hole first: the juices inside are very hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does taiwanese pepper buns take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 95 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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