# Roti Canai **Chef:** Zahra Khan **Cookbook:** Breaking Bao: 88 Bakes and Snacks from Asia and Beyond **Potluck Date:** January 17, 2026 --- ## Recipe Roti Canai (page 60); or use it for tacos, fried rice, or omelets. Pork Floss and Scallion Focaccia Yuk sung, or pork floss, has a light and fluffy texture similar to cotton candy. It might sound odd, but trust me, it’s delicious. It is used as a topping or filling in countless dishes and is also a popular ingredient in baked goods. Go to any Chinese bakery and you will see an array of buns and pastries either filled or topped with it. If you want a more traditional yuk sung bao, you can bake Shokupan (page 35) buns, lather some Kewpie on top, and then dunk it like a donut into pork floss. However, in this recipe, I bake it into focaccia with some scallions. It has a crispy exterior and chewy, springy interior with a nice open crumb, and the result is the most addictive umami bite. YIELD: Makes 6 to 8 servings 2½ cups [375 g] bread flour 1 tsp instant yeast ½ cup [120 ml] extra-virgin olive oil 1½ tsp kosher salt ¾ cup [30 g] pork floss 4 scallions, finely chopped 2 tsp Maldon salt 1In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the flour, 1 cup [240 ml] of tepid water, and the yeast. Mix on low speed until combined, 1 minute. 2Add ¼ cup [60 ml] of tepid water and 1 Tbsp of the olive oil. Start on medium-low speed and mix until it stops splashing around, about 3 minutes. Add the salt, increase the speed to medium, and mix until smooth and silky, 7 minutes more. Grease an 8 in [20 cm] square baking pan with 1 Tbsp of the olive oil. Turn the dough out into the pan, cover it with a tea towel, and let it rest for 1 hour. 3Sprinkle about 2 Tbsp of the pork floss on top of the dough. Make a coil fold: Wet your hands and reach under the dough from the middle and pull it upward until it releases from the pan. Then roll it forward, folding it on top of itself. Rotate the pan 90 degrees and repeat. Wet your hands as needed if the dough sticks. Cover with the towel and let it rest for 30 minutes. 4Repeat step 3 two more times. By now, the dough should have rested for a total of 2½ hours with three sets of coil folds. Add ¼ cup [60 ml] of the olive oil to a 9½ by 13 in [24 by 33 cm] baking pan. Use your fingertips to spread the olive oil around, making sure the bottom of the pan is evenly coated. Wet your hands and carefully transfer the dough to the oiled pan. 5Wet your hands again and pick up the dough, gently pulling and stretching, forming it to the shape of the pan. Use your fingertips to press and dimple the dough all over, making sure the dough gets into all the edges and corners of the pan. Let it proof until puffy and doubled in size (1 in [2.5 cm] high), about 1 hour. Drizzle 1 Tbsp of the olive oil over the top, then sprinkle with the rest of the pork floss and the scallions. 6Wet your fingertips and then gently press and dimple the dough. It should create different-sized bubbles and the dough should jiggle. Allow it to rest for 30 minutes. 7Preheat the oven to 475°F [245°C]. Drizzle the dough with the remaining 1 Tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle with the Maldon salt. Wet your fingertips, and flick and splash some water over the top. Bake until deep amber brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely in the pan at room temperature. Pro Tips & Storage •The focaccia can be kept in zip-top bags or double plastic wrapped for up to 3 days at room temperature, 1 week refrigerated, or 3 months in the freezer. If refrigerated, bring the bread to room temperature for half an hour or warm in the toaster oven. If frozen, transfer to the refrigerator the night before, then warm as above, or heat in the microwave at 60 percent power for 20 seconds, then transfer to the toaster oven to bake until toasted on top and warmed through, 3 to 4 minutes. •The focaccia dough can be made up to 2 days in advance. As a bonus, aging the dough allows it to develop a deeper flavor. To do so, make the recipe up to step 5. Drizzle the top with more olive oil and use your fingers to smear it around. Double wrap the entire baking pan in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. When you are ready to bake, remove the plastic wrap and let the dough come to room temperature for about 2 hours. At this point the dough should be loose enough to continue to step 6. If the dough is not stretchy enough yet, allow it to sit for another half hour or so before proceeding. •You can treat this like any focaccia recipe. Try topping it with dollops of the corn mixture from Kimchi–Corn Cheese Filling (page 55) or Char Siu Carnitas (page 40) or with more traditional toppings like rosemary, tomatoes, caramelized onions, cheese, and so on. •Make a delicious breakfast sandwich by slicing a piece of focaccia in half, toasting it, and adding fried or scrambled eggs. •Serve a piece of focaccia with spaghetti and Hong Kong Bolognese (page 51). Dan Dan Sheng Jian Bao Pan-Fried Dan Dan Bao Sheng jian bao are small pan-fried buns hailing from Shanghai, usually filled with juicy pork. It’s not considered a dumpling because it uses mantou, the same kind of dough as steamed bao, creating a fluffy exterior that balances out the crispy fried bottom. Because the exterior is so durable, a saucy filling is welcome. Dan dan noodles are an iconic staple of Sichuan cuisine and, coincidentally, my partner’s favorite. The first time I introduced him to creamy, spicy, and uber umami dan dan noods, I thought his head was going to explode from excitement. There are many ways to make and serve these noodles, but the main ingredients remain the same: crispy ground pork with a sauce made of sesame paste and chili oil over a bed of freshly boiled noodles. This recipe marries the two beloved dishes. YIELD: Makes sixteen ¾ oz [20 g] bao BASIC MANTOU 1½ cups [190 g] cake flour ¼ cup + 3 Tbsp [105 ml] whole milk 1 Tbsp granulated sugar 2 tsp vegetable oil 1 tsp instant yeast ¼ tsp kosher salt DAN DAN FILLING 1 Tbsp vegetable oil 1 tsp sesame oil 8 oz [230 g] ground pork 3 Tbsp Chinese sesame paste or tahini 3 Tbsp soy sauce 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 tsp hoisin sauce 2 tsp Shaoxing wine ½ tsp granulated sugar ½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder ¼ tsp ground white pepper 1 Tbsp preserved mustard greens 2 Tbsp Chili Crisp (page 76) or store-bought chili crisp, plus more for garnish (optional) 2 to 4 Tbsp [30 to 60 ml] vegetable oil 2 scallions, green and white parts finely chopped (optional) 1 Tbsp roasted black sesame seeds (optional) 1To make the mantou, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the flour, milk, sugar, oil, yeast, and salt. Knead on low speed until it comes together, about 1 minute, then increase to medium speed for 9 minutes more. The dough should look very smooth. 2Lightly grease a medium mixing bowl with some vegetable oil. Turn the dough out into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to proof until doubled in size, about 1 hour. 3Meanwhile, make the dan dan filling. In a medium sauté pan, heat the vegetable oil and sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork to the pan and fry, breaking it up as it cooks, until lightly browned and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. 4In a small bowl, whisk together the sesame paste, soy sauce, garlic, 1 Tbsp of water, the hoisin sauce, Shaoxing wine, and sugar. 5When the pork is cooked through, lower the heat to medium, add the five-spice powder, white pepper, and preserved mustard greens to the pork, and stir to combine. Pour in the sauce mixture and stir until all the meat is coated and the sauce has thickened. 6Transfer to a bowl and stir in the chili crisp. Set aside to cool on the counter for 15 minutes before covering with plastic wrap and placing in the refrigerator to chill. 7Punch the dough down and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Roll it into a log and portion it into sixteen equal [20 g] pieces. Cover the pieces with plastic wrap so they don’t dry out. 8On a lightly floured work surface, shape a piece of dough into a ba --- *Downloaded from BCBCBath Cookbook Club* *https://bcbcbath.com*