Old Beijing Sesame Buns
老北京麻酱烧饼
Beijing’s Sesame Sauce Buns are an old street food that seems to be less common these days. When I first arrived in the capital there was a oil-stained alleyway behind my community will all kinds of sellers of bread, buns, wraps and primitive mala tang (a kind of spicy soup with anything you want in it). There was an old local couple that made nothing but these sesame buns. They are simultaneously light and dense with a flaky crust.
The buns are not complicated to make, but there is a knack to the folding. Hold them like you’re going to roll a roll-up cigarette and push your index fingers down in the middle and first. The sides will move up and then you need to pull up dough from the sides and pinch it at the top and rotate the technique around the bun, similar in technique to making baozi.
Makes 9 - 12 buns
Ingredients
For the dough
400g flour
220g warm water
2.5g yeast
2g salt
2g baking soda
10g veg oil
For the sauce
3 tablespoon - Chinese sesame paste
1 tablespoon - sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon - dark soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon - ground sichuan pepper
1-3 tablespoon - water
For the dipping liquid
1 tablespoon - light soy sauce
1 tablespoon - water
1/2 tablespoon - honey
1 tablespoon - flour
Sesame seeds
Method
Mix the dry ingredients together, then add the water and bring together into a rough ball of dough. Fold the oil into the dough and roll out onto the work surface and knead for 5-10 minutes, until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Put the dough into a clean, slightly oiled mixing bowl and cover.
Leave to proof for 20-40 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size, and is springy to touch.
Meanwhile make the sauce. Add all the ingredients into a bowl and stir. Chinese sesame paste can be very stiff, so requires you to put your back into a hard stirring. You want a thick sauce that can be spread; a bit thicker than peanut butter. Add a touch of oil from the jar of sesame paste, or a drop of water, but you really don’t want the sauce to be too runny; it’s better to be on the thicker side. Set aside.
Next make the dipping liquid. Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and mix together then set aside.
When the dough is ready, tip on your work surface, and roll it completely flat into a rough rectangle so it’s much longer than it is wide. Keep rolling until it’s fairly thin.
Brush one side with all the sauce, spreading it evenly across the dough. Then roll the dough up like a sausage. Cut the sausage into thick slices about 2 inches. You should have around ten pieces.
From the cut side, they will look like a swiss roll. Now pick one piece up and hold it so one cut side is facing you and press your two index fingers down in the middle of the bun so the side shift upwards. Pull the sides together, pinching at the top and keep pulling up the sides and pinching until the sides are sealed, rotating the bun as you work. Place the bun sealed side down on a tray. Repeat the process with all the pieces.
Brush each bun with the dipping liquid, and then sprinkle sesame seeds over the top.
Pre-heat your oven at this point to 200°C (Fan 180°C). On the stove, heat a flat frying pan on a medium heat with a decent layer of oil. Add the buns, frying for about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side. When lightly browned, remove from the pan and place in a baking tray.
Bake the buns for 18 minutes. Eat when they’re still warm.
