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Steamed Buns - Mantou '馒头'

Steamed Buns - Mantou '馒头'Steamed Buns - Mantou '馒头'Steamed Buns - Mantou '馒头'Steamed Buns - Mantou '馒头'

Steamed Bun - Mantou '馒头' is a soft and fluffy bun that is made from just a few simple pantry ingredients. They are delicious as-is or serve buns with jam, butter, or as an accompaniment to a savory dish.

Recipe by woonheng on July 12, 2020

Prep time: PT20M

Cook time: PT25M

Total time: PT75M

Rating

5 stars (4 reviews)

Keywords

Bao, Buns, comfortfood

Ingredients

Categories

Cuisine

Steps

  1. Place flour in a mound on a cleaned surface. Then create a well in the middle using your fingers or spoon to make it like a volcano.
  2. Add the yeast, a pinch of salt and sugar in the well. Gradually pour in the water while bringing the surrounding flour into the mixture. I find that a bench scraper is very helpful while mixing in this step.
  3. After about 10 - 12 minutes of continuing kneading, you'll get a very smooth dough. This is the most crucial step as you want to remove as many air bubbles as possible.
  4. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Mine came out to be about 48g each. Mold each dough into a ball and place it on a parchment paper. See TIP on Notes section.
  5. Let the buns rest for 30 minutes, uncovered. This will create a layer of outer skin after steaming that you can peel off easily. Alternatively, you can cover the buns with damp towel during proofing.
  6. Prepare a pot with water for steaming. Turn on the heat and bring the water to a rolling boil. Then, place buns in a bamboo steamer and steam over high heat for 12 minutes. Remove and serve warm or check the storage tips on 'How to store buns' section.

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