• Mix the flour, cornflour, yeast, caster sugar and baking powder in a bowl of your stand mixer.
• Mix warm water with vegetable oil and pour it into the dry ingredients.
• Run your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment on slow-medium speed for about 10-12 minutes until you have a smooth and elastic dough.
• Tip the dough onto a work surface and shape a tight ball. Place it in a large clean bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm spot to proof for 1-1.5 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
• Once doubled, scrape the dough onto a kitchen surface and knock the air out using the bottom of your palm. Knead it gently for a few minutes, then roll it out into a large rectangle, approx 0.5 cm in thickness.
• Brush the whole surface of the dough with vegetable oil. Then use a 7-8cm pastry cutter to stamp out disks of dough. Reroll any scraps. We get 18-22 rounds of bao dough.
• Cut 18-22 squares of baking parchment and arrange them on a large baking sheet. Brush each square of parchment lightly with vegetable oil. Place the stamped-out rounds on the sheets. Fold each round over and press down (the oiled dough will ensure the buns open up slightly when being steamed).
• Losely cover the buns with a lightly oiled cling film and leave in a warm spot to prove again for 30-45 minutes. The buns will puff up, but they shouldn't double in size.

Cook in a Metal Steamer Pan:

• Pour boiling water into a large metal pan that fits a steamer/colander. You will need the steamer sitting above the water level, so make sure your pan is not too large. Bring the water to a gentle simmer.
• Place 3-4 buns (still on the baking parchment squares) in the colander/ steamer and lower them down. Make sure the bottom is at least 2 cm away from water. Steam the buns in batches for 10-12 minutes per batch. Be careful when taking the lid off so that the condensation doesn't drip down on the bao buns. The bao should cook all the way through and be all soft and fluffy.

Cook in an Electric Vegetable Steamer:

• Preheat the water in a water compartment of the steamer. Place the buns in the second tear of the steamer still on the baking parchment. Cover and steam for 10-12 minutes. Be careful when taking the lid off so that the condensation doesn't drip down on the bao buns.