The Unabaker Speaks

Steamed Bao Buns with Chairman Mao's Red Braised Pork Belly ( Máo Shì Hóngshāo Ròu) Note about Asian Flours In Thailand, as in most of  Asia, there are varieties of flours used for specific products such as different types noodles, and buns. "Special", is a standard variety made by United Flour Mill  in Thailand. It's a white flour, 8% protein designed for making such tender things as Bao Buns. You can easily substitute a flour available in your area if it has 8% protein, or use All P urpose Flour. Even though it has greater protein content (10%), it works just fine, Or you can blend the AP with some cake flour which is also about 8% protein. Using cake flour alone would likely produce similar results as the Special, though a bit texturally different is my guess; I've not tried it. The Special works well for the Bao bun. Perhaps your local mill produces similar flours for specific uses.  As for the fat and the water: Substitute  whatever fat you prefer if lard d...

 The Kitchen Formula Calculator v4 Explained This article is detailed, but is in question and answer format, so a reader can browse it, or read it entirely. It amounts to a condensed version of the 7 part series I posted about the calculator.  What is it? The Kitchen Formula Calculator is a set of calculating tables designed for writing new recipes, or recording ones already in hand. The file is a template meant to be duplicated, the duplicate then used to enter the recipe data. The template is the template. Do not perform data entry in the template. The recipe calculators are more than simple calculating tools. They are a neatly designed, organized format in which to write, record, and develop recipes. One of their great virtues, and the reason they were created is to be able to quickly, and flawlessly upscale or downscale a recipe. The calculators have integrated tables that are used to reformulate a recipe for further development, a common occurrence after “cook-testing” a ...