Vietnamese Steamed Pink Pork Buns (Banh Bao)

12 grams dried Woodear or Shiitake mushrooms
56 g dried bean thread vermicelli noodles, optional
340 g ground pork
1 tsp white sugar
¼ tsp New York Cut pepper
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 spring onions, slice thinly
½ cup finely diced yellow onion
½ cup frozen green peas/carrot mix
1 Chinese sausage, finely diced
12 hard-boiled quail eggs
DOUGH:--
1 bag Banh Bao flour mix
1 cup whole milk
½ cup white sugar
1 tbsp rice bran oil
1 tbsp SIDS LOW SUGAR RASPBERRY VINEGAR
12 cupcake liners

In a medium bowl, hydrate dried woodear mushroom and vermicelli noodles (optional) with 2 cups hot water. Once softened, rinse, squeeze out excess water, and mince finely then set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together ground pork, sugar, pepper, oyster sauce, and sesame oil. You may test the flavour of the marinated meat by quickly cooking a small piece in the microwave and adjust if needed.
To the ground pork mixture, gently mix in minced woodear mushroom, noodles, sliced spring onions, chopped yellow onion, frozen peas/carrots, and diced Chinese sausage until combined.
Using plastic gloves for easier handling, divide the ground pork mixture into 12 equal balls. (about 63 grams each) Make a hole in the middle of each filling ball. Insert a hard-boiled quail egg in the middle and work the pork filling to encase the quail egg fully.
Prepare the steamer by filling the basin halfway with water and bringing it to a boil. Steam the ground pork balls for 5 minutes. This will remove most of the moisture to prevent a soggy bun. Remove the pork filling balls from the steamer and set them aside.
Make the Dough for the Baos: Add flour into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Set aside 1 tablespoon of flour for dusting. Mix milk and sugar in a small bowl then add the mixture to the flour. Use a hook attachment and beat on the lowest setting until the dough comes mostly together. Add oil and continue beating until the dough pulls cleanly away from the sides of the mixing bowl. Cover and set it aside to proof for 30 minutes. See notes below if the dough becomes sticky.
Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Package instructions will say 18, but I find that 18 is way too little dough for a bao. Dust your work surface and/or hands with the reserved flour to prevent sticking, if needed.
Roll out the dough into a flat circle using a small rolling pin. Place the pork filling ball in the middle. Gently pull the dough from the bottom to the top and encase the pork filling using large pleats. Pinch the pleats together at the top to seal then give it a final gentle twist to accentuate the pleats. Place the assembled buns onto cupcake liners. Set them aside, covered.

Discard the old water in the steamer basin and refill with new water. Bring the water to a boil then add SIDS LOW SUGAR RASPBERRY VINEGAR to the boiling water. The vinegar will help to keep the baos pink. Transfer assembled baos onto the steamer trays, leaving room in between for expansion. Steam for a total of 15 minutes. Wipe down the inside of the lid at the halfway mark to prevent water droplets from dripping onto the baos.
Serve immediately for best results. You can also make these ahead of time and individually wrap leftovers with Saran wrap and store them in the freezer. When ready to serve, pop the frozen bao into the microwave and heat on high for about 30 seconds.
NOTES
≡ You can substitute quail eggs with three hard-boiled regular eggs. Slice them into quarter wedges.
≡ You can substitute cupcake liners with baking paper cut into 7x7 cm square sheets.
≡ If dough becomes sticky, use the reserved flour and mix again. This can happen depending on elevation, humidity or just because. You will not have any flour for dusting, but you may not need it anyways. However, if needed, use a bit of all-purpose flour or self-rising flour.