Ever since I’ve made Kristina Cho’s Mó (from her cookbook Mooncakes and Milk Bread), we have been addicted. I usually double up the recipe and make a large batch every week or so and freeze them, so we could have them for breakfast. But making them requires careful planning around my routine. I have to be mindful of the timing when I mix a batch, then allow to proof, roll them out, and then proof a second time before cooking on the stove. It’s worth the effort and mental space, and I’ve always followed the recipe to a T.
Lately I’ve been trying to revive my sourdough starter and every time I throw away the “discard”, my heart breaks a little. This got my brain ticking. What if I use this discard to make mó? Will it completely replace my yeast, as it would a loaf of sourdough? And what will the process look like? As it turns out, you can use your sourdough discard for ANY kind of baked good.
But here was another challenge. What if I replace the bread flour with whole wheat flour? I’m new to baking, and I’ve always used bread flour or all purpose flour, so I’m heading into the unknown here. But there’s no way to find out, unless it’s tried. After some research and a few experiments, I’ve found that it’s possible! And not only that, the bonus is, there is no proofing needed (there is a ten minute rest time, just to be completely candid) to make these mó.
Mó is what the bun is called for 肉夹馍 (ròujiāmó), otherwise known as the Chinese hamburger. Other than protein being sandwiched between two pieces of bread, there really is no other similarity between ròujiāmó and a hamburger. Even the bun itself is different, mo has more structure which helps sop up all the sauce and flavor from the meat filling without getting soggy or falling apart. If you haven’t had ròujiāmó, Kristina’s Xi’an Style Lamb goes perfectly well with her mó. It is the perfect treat.
For everyday eating though, we’ve been reimagining the use of mó for our daily breakfast, fusing it with other flavors that we also love to create something new. We like it with refried beans (my MIL’s recipe) which is vegan, egg salad with chili crisp (my SIL’s recipe) which is vegetarian, and also with longganisa and egg. These mó provides the perfect backdrop for these fillings. They are nutty, and robust to fill it with anything you imagine.
Instant Whole Wheat Mo (Made with Sourdough Discard!)
Yield: 6 mó
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Wait TIme: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes (2 batches of 3-4)
Ingredients:
300 grams whole wheat flour
115 grams sourdough discard
50 grams sour cream
5 grams salt
5 grams baking powder
110 grams water
Instructions:
In a mixing bowl, combine wheat flour, salt, and baking powder. Whisk until well combined.
Add water, sour cream and sourdough discard to the bowl.
In a stand mixer, mix on low until ingredients are incorporated. Switch to medium speed for 2 minutes.
Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes.
Divide the dough into six pieces and tuck ends underneath to form a smooth ball.
With a rolling pin, roll dough into a long oval. Taking one end of the oval, start rolling the dough.
Stand the dough on its end and with your palm, flatten it. You will now see a visible swirl in the middle of your bun.
Use your rolling pin to flatten your bun further. Repeat with the other pieces of dough until you have six buns.
Heat your griddle or pan on high. You know your griddle is ready if you drop some water in it and beads form. Immediately turn the heat down to low and place 3-4 buns in your pan. Cover immediately and cook for five minutes. Flip over the buns, cover again and cook for five minutes.
These buns are freezer friendly.
Inspired by: https://makeitdough.com/sourdough-discard-flatbread/
Hey It's Jen Lou 