How to Make Soft Fluffy Asian Steamed Buns Every Time – You can now make soft fluffy Asian Steamed Buns at your very own kitchen every time. It is a more wholesome recipe and easier than you think.
Soft and fluffy steamed buns are favorite and well-loved food by many across Asia. The steamed buns can be filled with nothing (plain), sweet or savory filling. Before I started cooking at the kitchen, making steamed bao was never on my list. I could easily go out and got as many as I wanted. I can get soft fluffy steamed bao zi here in Minnesota too, but making them has been on the list for the longest time since I started this food blog and I finally decided to hop on it!
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WHAT MAKES SOFT AND FLUFFY STEAMED BUNS?
1. The flour you use
The recipe calls for all-purpose flour. All-purpose flour has a moderate amount of gluten in the flour, typically 9-12% depending on the brand. I’ve tested several different brands, and I like Gold Medal all-purpose flour the best for making Asian steamed buns.
2. Oil
Like in many cases, the oil helps to make the dough soft and not dried out (sort of like a moisturizer)
2. Yeast and baking powder
The yeast helps to leaven the bao. The addition of baking powder helps further with making the bao light and airy
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!
5. Proofing
The proofing part is the part where you have to wait. The first proofing in this recipe is to let the yeast to do its work by fermentation and leavening the bread. The second proofing is to punch out most of the air created by first fermentation and also to let the yeast does its work again. This will help the steamed buns to hold its structure later.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT HOMEMADE STEAMED BUNS
WHY DO 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. I usually use unbleached all-purpose (moderate gluten flour).
DOES ADDING VINEGAR TO THE STEAMING WATER HELP TO WHITEN THE 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 🙂
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.
MY STEAMED BUNS COME OUT WRINKLY
If you have a good dough, no.3 and no. 4 are less likely the problem. The main cause for wrinkly steamed buns is usually no.1 and no.2
1. Make sure you proof the dough TWICE. After few rounds of having wrinkled steamed buns, I finally realized that failing to let the dough proof again after shaping, caused the steamed buns to collapse and not holding its shape. That’s why you see them wrinkle all over. Usually the buns will have densed texture too. This is usually the number one cause
2. Overproofing
Yes, overproofing 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.
3. Sudden change in temperature
This is less likely the cause for severe wrinkles on the steamed buns, but 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 5-10 minutes after you turn off the steamer.
4. Another culprit usually is the filling inside the buns. Too much moisture in the filling will make the bun wrinkles too
I love tearing on those soft fluffy steamed buns
WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM THIS SOFT FLUFFY ASIAN STEAMED BUN RECIPE?
1. If you stick to the instructions, you should be able to recreate these soft fluffy steamed buns at home every time. The recipe is pretty foolproofed
2. The steamed buns are soft, fluffy, and also slightly chewy, which I like
3. This recipe can be used for other typed of steamed buns that are filled with savory or sweet fillings such as these:
PANDAN LIU SHA BAO (SALTED EGG YOLKS CUSTARD PANDAN STEAMED BUNS), STEAMED PORK SCALLION BUNS, PAN-FRIED PORK AND CHIVES BUNS. Just to mention a few!
So, yes you can still make soft fluffy steamed bao buns without any premixed flour and with just few basic ingredients you probably already have at home! They won’t be white, but you won’t be disappointed either!
How to Make Soft Fluffy Asian Steamed Buns Every Time
How to Make Soft Fluffy Asian Steamed Buns Every Time - You can now make soft fluffy Asian Steamed Buns at your very own kitchen every time. It is more wholesome recipe and easier than you think.
Ingredients
- 300 gr all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 30 gr sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil melted, or you may use shortening or regular cooking oil
- 180 ml warm water or warm milk
Instructions
Kneading:
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Place sugar, yeast, oil and warm water in a bowl. Give it a stir and let it sit for 10 minutes to activate the yeast. In another bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder
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Pour the yeast mixture into the dry ingredients
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Use a dough attachment hook and start kneading the dough until it forms a smooth non-sticky dough, about 2 minutes. If you are kneading by hands, you need to knead for around 10 minutes until the dough is really smooth and no longer sticky. The kneading part is very important in yielding that smooth steamed buns
1 st proofing:
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Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl to let it rest for about 1 hour in a warm place or longer in winter time. It will double in size
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If you press down with your finger, the dough will stay depressed
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You can even see those webs forming when you pull on the dough
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After that, punch the dough down to release any air bubbles and then fold and knead the dough several times and then reshape the dough back into a smooth dough ball
Shaping into round buns:
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Dust your working area with some flour. Cut the dough into two
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Keep the other one cover while working on one at a time. Roll the dough into a log
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Cut into 6 equal portions. Shape it into balls by pulling and tucking the dough underneath to give you a smooth surface. Place on a plate or bamboo basket lined with parchment paper. Repeat with another dough
Shaping into mantou:
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Same with the above steps where you divide the dough into two and work with one at a time. Roll the dough into flat rectangle about 10 x 8 inches. Just an approximate
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Roll from the long end near you to the other end
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Cut into an equal portion of 5-6 pieces. Repeat with another dough
2nd proofing (DO NOT SKIP THIS PART) :
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Prepare your steamer. Wrap the lid of your steamer (like wrapping a gift basically) with a clean kitchen towel and secure with rubber band/ string or whatever you have on the top. This is to prevent the condensation from the steam drops back to your bao and this will create "burn spots" later. When I steam with a bamboo basket, the condensation is not a problem
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Place the shaped buns in a large tray cover with lightly damped kitchen towel. They will expand when being steamed. Let them proof for 15 minutes or when you gently press the side of the bun, the indentation stays, you know it's done proofing for the second round
Steaming:
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10 minutes before the end of 2nd proofing, turn on the heat. The water will come to boil. Steam small bao for about 10 minutes. For a bigger one and especially with meat filling inside, you may need at least 20 minutes. If you use bamboo baskets, you can stack on top, but if your buns are big, they may not have enough room to expand, so you may not want to stack the basket and steam one basket at a time
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Turn off the heat. Do not open the lid of the steamer. Let the buns sit there for 10 minutes like this. The buns will not sink or wrinkle due to the sudden change in temperature
Storing:
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If you make extra and plan to store them, once the steamed buns have cooled down, individually wrap them with plastic wrappers and freeze. They can go straight from freezer to steamer when you ready to eat them
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 🙂
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! 😉
yumboo! I’ll eat it with pork belly for sure, dip them into the sauce. OMG! haha!!