The two key things to rolling out the dough are, 1) don't make it too big, and 2) make a flattened corona around the edge to made the center thicker in order to prevent leakage.
Fr. Ian Delinger
3 of 16 — PWF - Bao 03.jpg
Trent's perfectly wrapped bao makes it look so easy!
Fr. Ian Delinger
4 of 16 — PWF - Bao 04.jpg
Fr. Ian's didn't look the prettiest.
Fr. Ian Delinger
5 of 16 — PWF - Bao 05.jpg
The bao are steamed and ready to eat! Guess which one is Fr. Ian's.
Fr. Ian Delinger
6 of 16 — PWF - Bao 06.jpg
Trent mixes and works the dough before letting it rest and then shaping it into 60g dough balls to be rolled out and wrapped up.
Fr. Ian Delinger
7 of 16 — PWF - Bao 07.jpg
Time to let the bao cook in a steamer
Fr. Ian Delinger
8 of 16 — PWF - Bao 08.jpg
The insides of a Philly Cheesesteak Bao. Delicious!
Fr. Ian Delinger
9 of 16 — PWF - Bao 09.jpg
Chenda's Cambodian Bao that she brought to dinner at Fr. Ian's that very same night. Delicious!
Fr. Ian Delinger
10 of 16 — PWF - Bao 10.jpg
Fr. Ian made Mac & Cheese Bao, which Trent and Mike enjoyed.
Fr. Ian Delinger
11 of 16 — PWF - Bao 11.jpg
Fr. Ian's attempt at bao in 2019
Fr. Ian Delinger
12 of 16 — PWF - Bao 12.jpg
The end result of Fr. Ian's attempt at bao in 2019
Fr. Ian Delinger
13 of 16 — PWF - Bao 13.jpg
Fr. Ian's 2021 attempt at bao
Fr. Ian Delinger
14 of 16 — PWF - Bao 14.jpg
Fr. Ian's baked bao for Lunar New Year 2021
Fr. Ian Delinger
15 of 16 — PWF - Bao 15.jpg
Fr. Ian's 2021 Lunar New Year spread, including both steamed and baked bao.
Fr. Ian Delinger
16 of 16 — PWF - Bao 16.jpg
Fr. Ian's attempt at bao for Lunar New Year 2024. He over-crowded them, and they stuck together.
Fr. Ian Delinger
Bao simply means “stuffed bun”. The pillowy white buns hold precious filling! They are super delicious, but they are a pain to make. So, Playing With Food went to SLO Public Market to learn the tricks of the trade.
Fr. Ian Delinger currently serves as Rector at St Stephen's Episcopal Church in San Luis Obispo. He was born on the Central Coast, and was raised in both rural western Nebraska and on the Central Coast. He studied Chemistry at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. Then, he moved to the Silicon Valley where he was as a project manager in a consulting firm which specializes in environmental, health and safety issues for the semiconductor manufacturing industry and other high technology industries, followed by a couple of stints in corporate events management and marketing.