Chinese steamed pork buns

Dissolve the yeast fully in the warm water.

Mix the flour and sugar in a large bowl, pour the yeast water in batches, stir with chopsticks and gather into a rough dough; it does not need to be smooth.

Cover and leave one hour 40 minutes for the first proof at a room temperature of 21C, adjusting for a warmer or cooler kitchen.

Mix the ground pork with grated garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt, sugar, dark soy sauce and sesame oil.

Add the chicken stock and stir the meat two to three minutes until it absorbs the liquid, which is what makes the filling juicy.

Mix in the diced spring onion until well combined.

Cook a small amount of the filling in a microwave to taste and adjust before wrapping, then chill it in the fridge.

Check the dough: it should be 1.8 to 2 times bigger, full of air bubbles under the surface, and webbed inside when opened.

Flour the surface and knead the dough to drive the air out, folding it in half and pressing down while squeezing, about eight minutes; cut it in half first if it is hard to handle.

Cut the dough and look at the cut face: keep kneading until only a few bubbles remain.

Shape into a ring, cut each half into six even pieces, flatten and roll each into a wrapper with a thick middle and thin edge.

Put about two tablespoons of filling in each wrapper and pleat it closed all the way around, keeping the thumb on the first pleat, then twist and pinch to seal.

Brush the steamer with oil or line it with pierced parchment, space the buns apart, cover and leave 15 minutes for the second proof over warm water.

Turn the gas to maximum, bring the water to a boil and steam the buns for 15 minutes.

Turn off the heat and leave the lid on at least three minutes so the buns do not shrink in the cold air.