Rou Jia Mo Buns

1. To a medium bowl or large cup, add cane juice and yeast. Gently stir in 1 cup lukewarm water. Set aside and allow yeast to proof for about 10 minutes, until foamy.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Once yeast is foamy, add yeast mixture to flour mixture. Gently fold together with a spatula until a ragged dough forms. Working with your hands, knead dough until it forms a smooth ball, about 5 minutes. Lift dough from bowl, mist bowl and dough ball lightly with cooking spray and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Place in a warm spot and allow to rest until dough has doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.
3. Transfer dough to a clean surface. Gently roll into a 12-inch log, cut log in half crosswise and cut each half into 6 pieces crosswise to form 12 balls total. Roll each piece in your palm to form into balls. Place balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
4. Starting with 1 piece of dough, use a rolling pin to flatten into a 3 x 4-inch rectangle. Roll up into a tightly spiraled cylinder from the short end to get a 4-inch long tube. Using your hands, roll (or pinch) the ends to seal each one; your cylinder should now have 2 narrow ends and a thicker center. Turn cylinder so that one of the narrow ends is closest to you, and roll into a 12-inch-long, 1/4-inch-thick strip using the rolling pin, flipping once while rolling so that dough doesn’t stick to counter. Starting at the narrow tip furthest away from you, roll into a cylinder again. Stand cylinder on its end and flatten into a circle with your palm. Roll into a 3 1/2-inch circle. Transfer bun onto a parchment-lined tray; mist lightly with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining dough balls and let to rest, covered loosely with plastic wrap or a clean towel for 30 minutes.
5. Heat a large nonstick skillet on medium-low. Working in batches, place buns, oiled side down, into a pan. Cook for 3 minutes, until golden brown, then flip and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Transfer to a tray and cover with foil or a clean dry towel to keep warm if serving immediately. Carefully cut into and open like an English muffin with a small serrated knife, leaving 1 edge intact.

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