Steamed Buns

Description

Preparation: stir the yeast into warm water until it is completely melted.

 

1. Put the flour into a big bowl, add oil, salt, and sugar, mix evenly, and add the yeast water in, and make your dough from it.
2. Once your dough looks smooth, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place to let it rise for about 1-2 hours. Ideal rise temperatures are between 80°F – 90°F. you can place it into your oven and turn on the oven lights to keep it warm enough.
3. let it rise until the dough is about 2.5 times bigger than the original size. Which indicates that the dough has been ready.
4. Take it out and put it on the work surface sprinkled with dry flour, knead it evenly again by hands, until it becomes smooth, silky, and stretchy.
5. Divide the dough into 16-18 equal portion (depends on how small or big you want the steamed buns to be) Working with one piece at a time, roll each dough into a 6” round on a lightly floured surface, rotating the dough frequently and taking care to roll edges out thinner than the center of the dough.
6. Place a portioned filling ball or 2 tablespoons of filling in the middle of the round, then pleat edges together. Using your thumb, middle, and index finger of your dominant hand to hold all the pleats in one spot while the other hand “feeds” the dough into the fold: gather and pinch together ¾” of dough, repeating this motion all around the edge of the round, between 12 and 15 pleats total. Gently twist counterclockwise to create a swirl pattern with your pleats, then pinch to firmly seal the pleats together.

 

Notice: To pleat or not to pleat

For a classic savory steamed bun look, you’re going to want to pleat these buns. Truth be told, it’s a bit difficult to get the hang of it as a beginner! As with all things, practice makes perfect. The key is to roll out your portion dough so that the center of each round is thicker than the edges: thinner edges are easier to fold and pinch. Use one hand to fold and hold the pleats in place while the other supports the bottom of the bun and continuously pushes the filling into the dough to ensure enclosure.

 

But there’s absolutely no rule that states you have to pleat your steamed buns! If the idea of messily pleated buns gives you the kind of anxiety I experienced while making these, you can forgo the pleat attempt and simply cinch the edges together, flip the bun upside down so that the seams are on the bottom. Give the bun a gentle tuck and roll on your work surface to seal completely.

 

Steam your buns

Place the buns in a steamer; place over water once it is boiling. Steam for ~15 minutes and let cool down for 3-4 minutes before serving and enjoy it when it’s warm.