Chinese PastryDessert

Scallion, Ham & Pork Floss Layered Buns — This Is SO Good

Name: Scallion, Ham & Pork Floss Layered Buns
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 2 large or 4 small buns
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1⅔ cups (200 g) all-purpose flour; ¼ cup + 3 tbsp (100 ml) water; ¾ tsp (2 g) instant yeast; pork floss, as needed; 1 ham sausage (or a frankfurter); scallions, as needed

2026-06-16

By Vivian

This is SO good — absolutely loaded. Please, you have to make these!!!

Why You'll Love It

I saw it online: people queueing two hours for this? Eight dollars for one?
I watched the video and just sat there… it's a steamed bun!
But looking closer, it really is far more tempting than a plain bun — layer after layer, all of it packed with filling…
Two hours in line, though? Eight dollars? Fine. I'll make my own.

So here's my version of those scallion, ham and pork floss layered buns. Easier than bread by a mile, and the flavor loses nothing.
Fluffy dough wrapped around heaps of pork floss and diced ham, every layer loaded when you pull it apart, with a big scallion aroma. Every bite is satisfying. If you're a pork floss person, this is your bun.

And it costs maybe thirty cents each — far cheaper than the shop, and you know exactly what went into it.
Pork floss fans, try it once and you'll be hooked.

Ingredients

Dough
1⅔ cups (200 g) all-purpose flour	¼ cup + 3 tbsp (100 ml) water
¾ tsp (2 g) instant yeast

Filling
pork floss, as needed	1 ham sausage (or a frankfurter)
scallions, as needed

Ingredient Notes

Use plain pork floss with long fibers — the very fine kind soaks up oil and clumps.
Pick a sausage with a high meat content, and dice it rather than slicing so it spreads evenly.
Lard smells best here; corn oil or butter works if that's what you have.
Use only the green part of the scallion, and brush it on with the oil it fried in — don't carry much water into the bun.
Mayonnaise, soy sauce, and oyster sauce all bring salt, so go light on salt or skip it.

Instructions

1

Cut the scallions into short pieces. Heat a spoonful of lard in a pan and fry the scallions until fragrant.
Add 1 spoonful each of soy sauce and oyster sauce with a pinch of salt, stir through, and take it off the heat.
2

Put the flour and yeast in a bowl and add the water slowly, stirring until shaggy.
3

Knead by hand into a smooth dough, cover, and relax it for 10 minutes.
4

Turn the dough out onto a floured board and divide it evenly in two.
5

Roll one half into a long thin sheet, dusting with flour as you go — the thinner you roll, the more layers you get.
6

Brush the sheet with scallion oil, scatter over a generous layer of pork floss, then add a layer of diced ham.
I use an old brand from Fuzhou I've eaten since childhood; it really is fragrant and good. I use the plain version, and I'd say add plenty — a solid amount of filling makes them better.
7

Roll it up tightly from one end and pinch the seam closed.
Do the same with the second piece, pinching the seams firmly.
8

Roll both up the same way, pinching the seams tightly as you go.
9

Fold the two ends of each roll in toward the middle and shape it into a round bun — it gives you more layers and looks better once steamed.
10

Put them in the steamer and let them rise to 1½ times, roughly 40 minutes to an hour.
11

Steam over boiling water for 18 minutes, then turn off the heat and wait 3 minutes before opening.
12

The moment you bite in, it's a revelation!!
Soft, airy, layered — pull it apart and every layer is full of filling!
Big scallion aroma, savory pork floss, little bursts of juice from the ham. So much better than a plain bun.
13

It's not greasy or heavy: lightly savory-sweet overall, with a bun that's fluffy but still has chew. A small bun like this ended up being exactly what I wanted.
14

Quick tip: lard tastes best here, but corn oil or butter works too.

Recipe Notes