Learn how to make soft fluffy Chinese Steamed Buns. All the tips you need to know and a step-by-step video to help you make smooth soft steamed buns with this recipe.
Soft Fluffy Chinese Steamed Buns Recipe (Mantou)
Are you getting tired of making steamed buns that come out wrinkly or collapse or simply just not smooth? I used to wonder why in the world a perfectly proofed buns come out horrible after steaming. As you read through the post below, you will find the reasons why. Making basic steamed buns is not complicated if you get the right tips and of course like they say practice makes perfect. Let’s get started guys!
WHAT MAKES SOFT AND FLUFFY STEAMED BUNS?
Basic plain steamed buns recipe only need 5 ingredients: flour (more in details on the type of flour), instant yeast, cooking oil, sugar, and salt. Simple as that.
1. The flour you use
Here are what I’ve tried and the family really like:
1. All-purpose flour + wheat starch
2. Cake flour
3. Premixed Hongkong/Vietnamese bao flour
If you don’t have any of the above, try this combination: all-purpose flour + cornstarch
2. Oil
Like in many cases, the oil helps to make the dough soft and not dried out (sort of like a moisturizer)
3. Yeast
The yeast helps to leaven the bao. I used to add baking powder to the recipe too, but I found that the texture of the buns are too spongy and I prefer the soft fluffy cake-like texture, besides, you have yeast, you don’t need the baking powder, it’s kinda an overkill IMHO. I recommend using instant yeast instead of active dry yeast because it saves times and the proof faster too. BUT, I understand that some people still prefer to use active dry yeast, which will work for this recipe too (refer to recipe card’s note). Some people said instant yeast gives a stronger yeasty flavor compared to active dry yeast. It’s really a matter of preference I suppose. I don’t feel like the steamed buns taste yeasty. You be the judge and follow your preference
4. Kneading
I remember back in my grandma days when stand mixer or bread maker wasn’t available yet, the big bulk of the task of making soft fluffy and smooth steamed buns lie on the kneading the dough. Lots of kneading! If you have a stand mixer to knead the dough for you, then that’s really good!
WHICH INSTANT YEAST TO USE
In general, any type of instant yeast will work. There are so many kinds out there and the naming can be quite confusing. I’m not going to elaborate about yeast here, but just to share with you what you need to know within the context of this post.
FOR THIS RECIPE (low sugar content): I like this SAF Instant Yeast (Red Label). This instant yeast can be used for all kind of doughs, from bread, steamed buns, to a refrigerated or frozen dough. It works very well. It’s suitable for dough that is not sweet. This recipe only calls for 3 teaspoons of sugar per 300 grams of flour.
IF YOU PLAN TO INCREASE SUGAR AMOUNT: Yeast can thrive with a bit of sugar, but too much sugar can inhibit their activities. If you plan to use the amount of sugar of 10% or more of the flour weight (10% of 300 grams is 30 grams of sugar or more), use this SAF Instant Yeast (Gold Label). It works so much better for sweet dough.
You can definitely use whatever instant yeast or even regular active dry yeast if you like, just know that once you increase that sugar amount, the yeast will work much slower and will take much longer to proof the dough.
Smooth like baby bottom š
SOFT FLUFFY CHINESE STEAMED BUNS (MANTOU) STEP-BY-STEP MAKING GUIDE
1. MAKE THE DOUGH
Place the flour, instant yeast, sugar, in a mixing bowl. If you are using a stand mixer, use a dough hook attachment. Add cold milk or room temperature water. Add cooking oil. You may need to add more milk/water if the dough is still a bit dry. Add more teaspoon by teaspoon until the dough comes together and continue to knead for 5 minutes.
Then add in the salt and continue to knead until the dough is smooth again
Wrap the dough with a plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 minutes before shaping
2. SHAPE AND SMOOTH THE DOUGH
Divide the dough into 10-12 equal portion (depends on how small or big you want the steamed buns to be)
Work with one dough at a time
Pull and tuck the dough from top to bottom so the seams are at the bottom and the surface is relatively smooth
Roll the dough into a smooth round ball in between the palm of your hand or as I did in the video. REALLY make sure the dough is smooth.
Cup the dough with both palms and move the dough in a circular motion to shape it taller. This part is important so your steamed buns come out tall instead of spreading to the side after steaming
Lightly dab the surface of the bun with some milk using your finger to smooth the surface.
Place on a piece of parchment paper.
3. PROOF ONLY ONCE
Let the dough rise at room temperature. If it’s winter where you are, you can use your oven “bread proof” function to let them proof in there, or simply turn on your oven to the lowest temperature and then turn off and after 15 minutes, place the shaped buns in there to let them proof until about 50% of the original size
Buns have risen to about 50% original size. Took about 15-20 minutes
4. STEAM THE BUNS OVER LOW HEAT
Bring the water in the steamer to a boil. Wrap the lid of the steamer with a cloth
LOWER THE HEAT TO LOW (Yes, I type this in caps so you don’t miss it!). Place the buns in there, leaving about 1-inch space in between and steamed on LOW heat for 5-8 minutes for medium to large buns with no filling, 12-15 minutes for larger buns with filling
After steaming, turn off the heat. DO NOT OPEN THE LID of the steamer. Let the buns sit there for 1 minute like this. The buns will not sink or wrinkle due to the sudden change in temperature
COOK’S TIPS TO MAKE SMOOTH STEAMED BUNS
I’ve been getting some questions from my readers that their steamed buns come out not smooth even after pushing out all the air. I have inconsistent results sometimes with the steamed buns being not smooth. Here are some tips I’ve learned after making LOTS of steamed buns:
1. USE ROOM TEMPERATURE OR COLD LIQUID
Instead of using warm liquid (milk or water), I start with room temperature liquid, such as cold milk or room temperature water. That way, the yeast doesn’t work immediately while you are trying to shape the buns. It helps a lot not to have all those air bubbles while shaping
2. SMOOTH AND SHAPE IT TALL
Please refer to the video in the recipe card below to see how few simple steps can help you to make the buns smooth, round, and tall
Look at how nice and tall the buns after proofing
3. ONLY PROOF ONCE
It takes about 10-15 minutes (usually not longer than that, but don’t go by time) for the dough to rise to about 50% of its original size and they are ready to be steamed. How do you know if the buns are done proofing? They won’t increase in size by much, but when you lift it up, it’s light and airy, no longer dense like a dough, then they are ready to be steamed
HOW TO PREVENT OVERPROOFING THE BUNS? Most likely your steamer won’t be able to accommodate all at one go. You may need to steam in 2-3 batches, which means, the rest of the batches will sit longer and continue to proof while waiting for the steamer. Not good for the buns! Here’s what you can do: Make sure the cover them with plastic wrap and then place them in the refrigerator to slow down the yeast activity or halt it all together until they are ready to be steamed
4. WRAP THE LID OF STEAMER WITH A CLOTH
The condensation collected on the lid will drip back to the steamed buns and create burn spots. By wrapping the lid with a cloth, you easily preventing this from happening
5. STEAM THE BUNS OVER LOW HEAT
Medium and High heat will make the buns not smooth and expand to the side. I set the fire to low now. I used to do Medium heat and the results weren’t consistent, sometimes I got smooth buns, sometimes I didn’t. But I always get smooth buns when I steam on LOW heat
6. DON’T RUSH TO OPEN THE LID AFTER STEAMING
Let the steamed buns rest in the steamer for 1 minute before opening the lid so your steamed buns won’t collapse and shrink due to the sudden change in temperature
The steamed buns are so soft and fluffy
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT CHINESE STEAMED BUNSĀ
I have made steamed buns for A LOT in the past few months and I’ve learned from some of the flops to share with you and hopefully, you don’t have to go through the same.
1. WHAT TO SUBSTITUTE FOR CAKE FLOUR?
Here in the U.S., cake flour is widely available, but it has brought to my attention that cake flour is not available or any bleached flour is banned in Europe and Australia. You can use regular plain flour (we call it all-purpose flour in the U.S.) and add cornstarch to it. Here’s how to make homemade cake flour: For every 1 cup of plain flour (about 115 gr) add 2 Tbsp of cornstarch. This will help to soften the steamed buns compared to just using all plain flour. DO NOT SUBSTITUTE CAKE FLOUR WITH SPONGE MIX (Cake flour is not available in Europe and sponge mix is more common).
2. WHY HOMEMADE STEAMED BUNS ARE YELLOWISH IN COLOR?
This is the question I was asked often when it comes to making steamed buns at home. If you use the premixed steamed buns flour that you bought from the store, the result usually is white in color. The answer is because of the flour. The flour has been treated or bleached to give you that white result. You don’t have to use bleached flour. Regular unbleached flour will still give you great steamed buns.
3. DOES VINEGAR HELP TO WHITEN STEAMED BUNS?
I tried that before several times and the answer is No. I thought it would work some magic, but it didn’t happen.
4. DO WHITE STEAMED BUNS TASTE BETTER?
Not necessarily. Don’t let the color fools you. Just because you produce some yellow buns, they can still be soft, fluffy and delicious! The color doesn’t really affect the taste.
5. STEAMED BUNS COLLAPSE OR COME OUT WRINKLY
-Make sure the liquid is not warm
You want to start the dough “cold” by using cold milk or at least room temperature water. So the yeast is not active while you are shaping the dough, which creates lots of air bubbles and hence, unsmooth surface.
-Overproofing
Yes, over proofing is a problem too. When you let it proof for too long, it will weaken the dough and when you steam it, it will collapse and cause that wrinkle and the buns will spread to the side making them look wide and flat.
-Air bubbles and not shaping them smooth
Make sure you push all the air bubbles out after the first rise. Re-knead the though few times and then shape the buns. Make sure the surface of the buns are smooth or they will come out well..not smooth after steaming.
-Steaming over medium-high heat
When I steam the buns over medium-high heat, they always come out bumpy and simply not smooth. But once I adjust the heat to low, the buns come out smooth.
-A sudden change in temperature
This is less likely the cause for severe wrinkles on the steamed buns, but the sudden change in temperature may sometimes cause the steamed buns to retract and sometimes even collapse and shrink causing the wrinkles once they cool down completely. Let them stay in the steamer for 3 minutes after you turn off the steamer.
-Another culprit usually is the filling inside the buns. Too much moisture in the filling will make the bun wrinkles and collapse too.
6. HOW TO STEAM BUNS WITHOUT A STEAMER OR BAMBOO BASKET
You don’t need actual food steamer or bamboo basket to steam food. I don’t have any food steamer. You can set up by using:
– Large wok/large pot with a lid
– Metal trivet or wide and low heat-proof glass jar: this is to put a plate/tray on top for the food you want to steam
– A heat-proof plate or tray (that can fit into your wok or pot) to sit on top of the trivet: this is where you put the buns to be steamed
7. HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT STEAMED BUNS
Storing: If you make extra and plan to store them, let the already steamed buns cool down completely and then place them on a baking sheet, not touching each other, and then put the entire tray inside the freezer for about 1 hour. They will harden, but not completely frozen yet. Transfer to a freezer bag and they will not stick to each other anymore. Try not to keep for more than 1 month.
Reheating: They can go straight from the freezer to steamer. Steam on medium-high heat for 5 minutes
THIS RECIPE CAN BE USED FOR OTHER STEAMED BUNS WITH FILLINGS
This recipe can be used for other typed of steamed buns that are filled with savory or sweet fillings such as these:
Dou Sha Bao
Char Siu Bao
Pumpkin Flower Steamed Buns
Momofuku Steamed Pork Buns
Easy Sweet Piggy Steamed Buns
Scallion Steamed Buns (Hua Juan)-2 ways
Spiral Mantou Recipe
Pandan Liu Sha Bao
So, yes you can still make soft fluffy steamed bao buns without any premixed flour and with just a few basic ingredients you probably already have at home! They won’t be as white as the ones in dim sum restaurants, but you won’t be disappointed either!
Soft Fluffy Chinese Steamed Buns Recipe (Mantou)
Ingredients
- 300 gr all-purpose flour About 3 cups, plus more for dusting. See note 2
- 60 gr Wheat starch or use cornstarch
- 4 gr Instant yeast About 1 1/4 tsp, see note 1
- 3 tsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil
- 1/4 tsp salt optional
- Start with 150 ml (about 1/2 cup) to 185 ml of milk or water (room temperature) You may need more if you add more sugar, plus more to dab the buns later
Instructions
- Place the flour, instant yeast, sugar in a mixing bowl. If you are using a stand mixer, use a dough hook attachment. Add cold milk or room temperature water. Add cooking oil. You may need to add more milk/water if the dough is still a bit dry. Add more teaspoon by teaspoon until the dough comes together and continue to knead for 5 minutes. If you are kneading by hands, about 10 minutes until the dough is no longer sticky and smooth. Then add in the salt and continue to knead until the dough is smooth again
- Wrap the dough with a plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 minutes before shaping. This rest is not to let the dough rise. It's just a rest so the gluten relaxes and easier to shape the buns.
Shaping into ultra smooth round buns:
- Lightly dust your work surface with all-purpose flour. Not too much. If you use a silicon pastry mat, you may not even need to dust with flour. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Keeping the dough covered and work with one dough at a time
- Pull and tuck the dough from top to bottom so the seams are at the bottom and the surface is relatively smooth
If you are going to make steamed buns with filling:
- Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Lightly dust the work surface with some flour. Flatten the dough with your palm and then use a rolling pin to roll it out to form a circle about 4-5 inches, with a slightly thicker middle part. This is to support the weight of the filling. Don't roll the dough too thin. If you roll the dough too thin, the filling might make the steamed buns "wrinkle" later when you steam. Place the filling at the center and then gather the sides to enclose the bun and pinch to seal. Flip the bun so the seam side is down now
- Cup the dough with both palms and move the dough in a circular motion to shape it taller. This part is important so your steamed buns come out tall instead of spreading to the side after steaming. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and proceed to proofing
If you are just making plain steamed buns with no filling:
- Roll the dough into a smooth round ball in between the palm of your hand or as I did in the video. REALLY make sure the dough is smooth.
- Cup the dough with both palms and move the dough in a circular motion to shape it taller. This part is important so your steamed buns come out tall instead of spreading to the side after steaming
- Place on a piece of parchment paper. Lightly dab the surface of the bun with some milk using your finger to smooth the surface. Loosely cover with clean kitchen towel to prevent drying. Work with another dough and do the same. Proceed to proofing after that
Proofing:
- Let the dough rise at room temperature.Ā If it's winter where you are, you can use your oven "bread proof" function to let them proof in there, or simply turn on your oven to lowest temperature and then turn off and after 15 minutes, place the shaped buns in there to let them proof. They won't necessarily double in size, but at least puff up to about 50% of original size. This may take about 10-15 mins at warm temperature. Do not overproof your dough
Steaming:
- Most likely your steamer won't be able to accommodate steaming all buns at one go. You may need to steam in 2-3 batches, which means, the rest of the batches will sit longer and continue to proof while waiting for the steamer. Not good for the buns! Here's what you can do: Make sure the cover them with plastic wrap and then place them in the refrigerator to slow down the yeast activity or halt it all together until they are ready to be steamed
- Bring the water in your steamer to a boil. Wrap the lid of your steamer with a kitchen towel to prevent moisture dripping back on the steamed buns as this will create "burn" spots
- LOWER THE HEAT TO LOW (Yes, I type this in caps so you don't miss it!). Place the buns in there, leaving about 1-inch space in between and steamed on LOW heat for 5-5 minutes for plain medium-large buns with no filling, 10-12 minutes for large buns with filling
- After steaming, turn off the heat. DO NOT OPEN THE LID of the steamer. Let the buns sit there for 1 minute like this. The buns will not sink or wrinkle due to the sudden change in temperature
Cooling:
- Remove the buns to wire rack to let them cool down. This is to ensure the bottom of the steamed buns will not be wet and soggy
Storing:
- If you make extra and plan to store them, let the already steamed buns cooled down completely and then place them on a baking sheet, not touching each other, and then put the entire tray inside the freezer for about 1 hour. They will harden, but not completely frozen yet.Ā Transfer to a freezer bag and they will not stick to each other anymore. Try not to keep for more than 1 month
Reheating:
- They can go straight from freezer to steamer when you ready to eat them. Steam on high heat for 5 minutes and they are as good as new
Video
Notes
- You can use active dry yeast, but make sure to rehydrate the yeast in water or milk with 1 tsp of sugar. It will dissolves and be all foamy, about 10 minutes. If it's not, your yeast is not longer good. You can add the rest of the sugar into the dough later
- You can also replace all 300 gr of all-purpose flour with cake flour or premixed Hongkong/Vietnamese bao flour and omit the wheat starch/corn starch.
RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS:
CHECK OUT THIS SOFT AND FLUFFY WHOLE WHEAT (WHOLEMEAL) STEAMED BUNS! THEY ARE REALLY GOOD!
DID YOU MAKE THIS SOFT FLUFFY STEAMED BUNS RECIPE?
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61 comments
love making steamed buns I haven’t added baking powder
It has been a long time since I make bao. Your post makes me want to make it again soon!
Steamed buns are my favorite! and i loved the designs you have tried out with them- pure fun!
i love the crab shape pao!! you’re so skillful š
LOL! I watched the video on youtube on how to make that one! ;b
Thanks for this pao recipe. Will definately give it a try! I’m thinking this pao served with sticky pork belly.. Yum! š
yumboo! I’ll eat it with pork belly for sure, dip them into the sauce. OMG! haha!!
This is a great recipe, thanks so much! My only issue: The skin of the finished bao (after steaming that means) always shows tiny bubbles although I make sure to knead the dough very well after the first proofing. The skin also looks absolutely smooth before I steam the bao. Do you have any idea what could cause those bubbles?
Hi Tadaima,
Do you remember if you steam the buns over high heat probably? or if any water or condensation dropped on the bun during steaming?
I’m more than a little obsessed with perfecting this recipe. I fell in love with Bao about 5 or 6 years ago and have made at least 20 batches. My wife says I need Baozi Anonymous to deal with my addiction. Lol.
I have tried many different combinations of dough and fillings and I would love to compare notes!
-Chef Chris in Iowa
Hi Chef, Ha..ha…Baozi anonymous! That’s a good one! You know…I’m also still continuing to perfect this recipe too. I’d love to hear what’s your favorite combination of dough so far š I haven’t tried a combination of all-purpose flour and Chinese wheat starch. I’ve seen someone uses it and plan to try it when I get a hold of wheat starch. Then there’s also Hongkong Bao flour that I’ve yet to try too.
I changed the flour to Cake flour after reading this recipe. It was indeed soft. Although, I still had some issues with the dough having this glossy outside with some air bubbles. I might have to try again.
Hi Ariel, try the shaping technique I share in the post (if you haven’t already) and make sure to start with room temperature water when you make the dough so the yeast doesn’t work too quickly while you are shaping the dough.
Hi!
I’m curious if I’m just missing the actual combining of ingredients for this recipe? Does the 3 tsp of divided sugar get added all at once? Is there a specific order and way to add the ingredients together? From what I see the method just starts at kneading the dough.
I made these the other day and just combined everything at once–they came out quite dry, so I’m trying to troubleshoot.
Thank you!
Hi Tess, somehow that part of the instruction was missing after I updated the post. It must have accidentally got deleted or something, sorry for the inconvenience. I’ve updated the recipe. Basically with instant yeast, you don’t have to dissolve it in water, so you can put everything in a mixing bowl and then gradually add in liquid (milk or water), I stated 150 ml to start with, you may need to add more until the dough come together and continue to knead for 5 minutes with stand mixer or 10 minutes by hands until the dough is really smooth.
Hi, I love the finished look of your buns! I just recently made my first steamed buns and would love to practice with filling. I looked at your other steamed bun recipes with fillings but wasnāt sure how this recipe would affect those. Should I proof the buns only after I added the filling? Please advise! Thanks
Hi Vinni, yes you proof the buns only after you added the filling. You follow the basic recipe until the shaping into smooth bun part no.7 and then flatten the dough with your palm and then use a rolling pin to roll the sides thinner to form a circle with a thicker middle part. This is to support the weight of the filling. I hope this helps.
Very good post., will definatetly try it. I have few questions.
1). You have to wait for 1-2 min before removing them. Mmm… sound like I have to turn off the heat and then turn it back on for the next batch. Am I right? Is there a better way to do it?
2). Regarding the storage, do I need to bake them first?
Thanks.
Hi Hajjar,
1. Yes, you need to turn off the heat and then turn it back on for the next batch. It does sound a bit inconvenient to be honest, but I haven’t found a better way to do this š
2. You steam all of them first, let them cool down, and then you can either store in the refrigerator or in the freezer for longer storage. If you are going to store in the freezer, place them on a baking sheet not touching each other and let them freeze for about 1 hour then after that you can transfer to freezer bag (save more space) and they won’t stick to each other anymore
Hi Marv,
I tried the recipe with red bean paste. The result I get is not fluffy like yours. Mine seem stiff and doesn’t seem as smooth as yours. https://imgur.com/iokLoQr
Not sure what I did wrong.
Hi Hajjar,
What kind of flour you use and did the buns puff up a bit (proof) before you steam them?
I am using cake flour, and yes it look a bit bigger than original before I steam it.
Okay, so at least we know the yeast is working. But you mentioned “stiff”, did the bun have a tough texture? Now I’m also wondering about the level of heat when you steamed this. It has happened to me several times when I steamed on medium heat, they come out not as smooth like the ones you show on your photos, but when I lower the heat close to low, they come out smooth.
Hi! Made these tonight. Absolutely lovely. Is there no salt in the recipe? Thank you!
I also let the dough proof as I went to the gym for an hour. After an hour I shaped them and let them proof for 15 minutes. Steamed for 15 min. took them out and ate them. The buns were super smooth, soft and pillowy. Next time I’ll add a little salt to the dough for boost in flavor.
Hello there, there’s no salt in the recipe, but you can definitely add it if you want too. Thank you for letting me know. Glad to know that you still have smooth buns after proofing the buns twice!
Mmm..it was a bit stiff and not fluffy.
Thank you for the excellent tips! I have 2 questions, please:
1. I want to make the buns which are sort of folded over with a gap where to insert filling after steaming – do you think I should shape as you instructed and then perhaps push a chopstick through one side to make a gap or just flatten the dough slightly into an oval and gently fold it?
2. I need to prepare the buns ahead of a dinner party – do I understand correctly that should I prepare and proof the buns and stick them in the refrigerator in the morning, the proofing will be halted? Should I then steam them directly from the fridge or allow them to come to room temperature first?
Thank you very much!!
Hi Katya,
1. You can use a chopstick or insert a parchment paper in between. Actually, I have tried it without either one and just fold over after roll into oval shape, and I can still open up the buns to sandwich a filling in between after. It’s up to you.
2. Make sure when you put them in the fridge to halt the proofing, you cover it well with plastic wrap or they will dry out and develop a “crust”. Let the buns come to room temperature before you steam them. What good questions you have!
Good luck with the party! Please let me know how they turn out for you if you have the chance to do so.
Hi! Can I have the measurements in cups and tea/tablespoon, please?
Hi Sharon, I’ve updated the recipe accordingly. Hope it helps!
Hi!i make my method it have baking powder and my surface some smooth and some crack how to make to smooth all and how many time to steam a big steamedbuns?
Hi Vinny, I don’t use baking powder in my steamed buns recipe. I don’t think it’s necessary because the yeast is already doing what it supposed to do, leavening the steamed buns. You can watch the short video in this post on how I smooth the buns and my tips on how not to overproof the buns and to steam the buns on low heat. All these will help to have steamed buns with smooth surface. If I may recommend you read the post if you haven’t already,it will help a lot I think!
If I were to fill these buns with custard, when would I do it? Should I fill them then proof or proof then fill?
Hi! I want to fill my buns with custard, but Iām not sure when I should do that. Should I proof then fill or fill then proof?
Hi Jenny, You will fill the buns and then proof them. Only one proofing needed, and then next step would be steaming.
How long does it take to proof the buns until they are 50% bigger in size? You mention how to proof them but not how long?
I would say about 15-20 minutes, but don’t go by just the time too because it also depends on how warm it is, etc. But roughly about that time frame
I only have active dry yeast available. Could you elaborate what extra steps is necessary when using active dry yeast instead of instant yeast?
Thanks.
Hi Nils, you can rehydrate the yeast in water or milk with 1 tsp of sugar. It will dissolve and be all foamy, about 10 minutes. If it’s not, your yeast is not longer good. You can add the rest of the sugar into the dough later. I hope this helps.
Hi, can we use an electric steamer ? If yes, what temperature would you recommend (max is 100c). Thanks
Hi Sabrina, I don’t have an electric steamer or use one before. You should be able to use an electric steamer to steam the buns, I just can’t tell you for sure the temperature setting though. I know at 100 C the water is rolling boil, so I would imagine if you can try steaming at the medium heat and see how it goes. Sorry I can’t tell you for sure since I’ve never tried it with an electric steamer before.
Hi, Ms. Marvellina just wanna ask about storing. Do you store the buns in the freezer, unsteamed or already steamed? Thank you.
Hi Julia,
I store the buns in the freezer already steamed. once the buns have cooled down, I place them on a baking sheet or a tray, not touching each other and then put in the freezer for one hour and then transfer to a freezer bag, they won’t stick to each other anymore and save freezer space. You can reheat straight from freezer to steamer for about 10 minutes (depending on how big the buns are). Hope this helps š
Hello Ms. Marvelina, will the same freezing/storing method work if I were to make baos that are folded in half? I plan to make them in advance and serve at a big get together.
Hello there, yes, the freezing/storing method is exactly the same š
Hi when you mention about freezing the buns, is the process before or after you have already steamed them? š
Hi Darelle, it’s after you steamed the buns. Sorry if I forgot to clarify that in my post. Hope this helps!
Hiay Marvellina
Thx for all the tips.
Isnt cake flour made up of all purpose flour n constarch?
It it because your former recipe did not have the right proportion of all purpose flour ( plain flour) and cornstarch (that makes up cakeflour) that you now find using cake flour yield softer results?
J
Hi,
From what I’ve read and told, cake flour has lower gluten content compared to regular all-purpose flour. It is milled much finer too. We can make our “own” cake flour by combining AP flour with cornstarch, but from what I’ve seen, it’s not exactly the same with the store-bought cake flour. Perhaps if I can find the “right” ratio of AP : cornstarch might help like you mentioned. That’s why I found that using the cake flour is still much softer than my own homemade cake flour (though the homemade cake flour is still much better compared to if you use straight AP flour!)
Hi, i have come accross your recipe and would really like to give it a go, however i am from the UK and we dont have Cake Flour, we do have a Sponge Mix? would that be ok to use? https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/301661678
Hi Rebecca, the sponge flour should not be used as a substitute for cake flour. I see the ingredients in the sponge flour and it has raising agents, which we don’t need in this steamed buns recipe. If I may suggest you to just use regular plain flour and add cornstarch to it, this will make it similar to cake flour. You can use 255 gr plain flour (about 2 1/2 cups) + 45 gr (3/8 cups) cornstarch. The texture won’t be exactly the same with cake flour, but it will definitely be softer than just using plain flour. I hope this helps!
hi Marvellina,
How long to knead the dough if using stand mixer?
Hi Jin Woon,
Roughly about 5 minutes or might be less until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky. Hope this helps!
I made these for the first time tonight. It was actually the first time I’ve ever had steamed buns also. They were AMAZING! I didn’t even have cake flour, I just used the substitute you suggested, and theywere still so light and fluffy. I also filled mine with a lentil zucchini filling I made and it made for the perfect meal. I’ll be making this recipe again for sure, especially when we have company!
Hi Hope, I’m so delighted to read you like how the steamed buns turned out. And you made steamed buns for the first time too!!! wow!! impressive! I failed many times before I could even make it perfect ha..ha..! Yum….love the idea of lentil zucchini filling!!! Thank you so much for letting me know š
Can I steam the buns using a pressure cooker, if yes, high or low pressure and for how long?
Hi wM, yes you can steam the buns using Instant pot pressure cooker (that’s what I have). You can pour about 1 cup of water in the inner pot. Set the trivet in there and place the steamed buns on top of the trivet or you can put them in a bamboo steamer that will fit in your instant pot. Pressure cook on high for 3 minutes. The steamed buns may not come out as smooth but it should work. Let me know how it turns out if you will.
I tried your recipe but no matter what I try the bao always come out extremely soft and gooey, almost like bubble gum. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Gary, may I know what kind of flour you use? From your description it may be the buns are probably not cooked through? If you can provide me with more info, hopefully I can help to troubleshoot.
Thanks for the troubleshooting tips. However, there are few things I would like to address after trying your recipe.
1) The liquid is way too little. You ask for 1/2 cup of milk/water. I think it should be about 1-1/2 cup instead. Probably you made a typo in the recipe.
2) Since I used cold milk for the liquid, I had to rest for about 30 minutes instead of 15 minutes for the first rise.
3) Adding salt is good for savory filling, but better not adding it for plain buns or sweet fillings like red bean paste.
Overall, good tips and fast bun recipe. Just needs to adjust a little bit for better result. Thanks.
Hi Pansy,
Thank you for trying and for taking time to share your experience. I usually like to suggest people start with half of the liquid and then gradually adds more because the amount of liquid needed may vary slightly, depending on the type of flour being used. I forgot to mention that the 15 minutes rest, is not to rise the dough, in fact, you don’t want the dough to rise (not at this point). The rest is only to relax the gluten so it’s easier to shape the buns after that. I’ve added this into the recipe. Appreciate you bring this point up. And yes, I agree, adding salt or not is really a personal preference, some people like to add just a tiny pinch of salt to bring out flavor, though not necessarily alter the taste entirely š Thank you so much for letting me know. I’m glad you find it “fast” too.