Plain Steamed Buns Food

PLAIN STEAMED BUNS

Steps:

• Sift together flower and baking powder.
• Stir in water.
• Knead 10 times and divide into 15 balls.
• Steam for 20 min until tender.

STEAMED BUNS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix the sugar and salt in the water, and then mix in the yeast. Let it rest for about 15 mins, or till the surface is covered in frothy yeast.
• Add the oil to the mixture and stir it in to combine.
• In a large bowl, add the flour and make a hole in the center. Add the liquid to the hole and gradually incorporate the flour till you have a sticky mass.
• Oil your bench top with a little olive or vegetable oil, them knead the dough on the oiled surface until it forms into an elastic and smooth ball, which takes about 15 minutes. The dough should be elastic and slightly tacky but not so that it sticks to your hands.
• Roll out the dough into a tube that's about 5cm in diameter.
• Slice the tube into 16 loafs. Lay each of the loafs on its cylindrical edge, not the face, on top of a square of parchment paper, and leave for about 20-30mins to rise (or till the surface has become slightly puffy).
• Shape your buns - if at this time you wish to make filled buns, roll them into a circle, add the filling to the middle then pinch the sides together and give it a slight twist so it doesn't come undone as it steams. Leave to rest for another 30 minutes.
• Arrange the loafs in a steamer. They will expand quite a fair bit so try and leave about 3-5cm around each bun. Cover the steamer and steam over high heat for 15 minutes.
• Immediately remove from the steamer and place on a plate to cool enough so they can be handled.

STEAMED BAO BUNS

Steps:

• Mix together the flour, caster sugar and ½ tsp salt in a large bowl (see tip). Dissolve the yeast and a pinch of sugar in 1 tbsp warm water, then add it to the flour with the milk, sunflower oil, rice vinegar and 200ml water. Mix into a dough, adding a little extra water if needed.
• Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10-15 mins, or until smooth. Put in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise for 2 hrs, or until doubled in size.
• Tip the dough out onto a clean work surface and punch it down. Flatten the dough with your hands, then sprinkle over the baking powder and knead for 5 mins.
• Roll out the dough into a long sausage shape, about 3cm thick, then cut into pieces that are about 3cm wide - you should have 18. In the palm of your hand, roll each piece of dough into a ball and leave to rest for 2-3 mins.
• Use a rolling pin to roll out each ball, one by one, into an oval shape about 3-4mm thick. Rub the surface of the dough ovals with oil and brush a little oil over a chopstick. Place the oiled chopstick in the centre of each oval. Fold the dough over the chopstick, then slowly pull out the chopstick.
• Cut 18 squares of baking parchment and put a bun on each. Transfer to a baking tray, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to prove in a warm place for 1 hr 30 mins, or until doubled in size.
• Heat a large steamer over a medium-high heat. Steam the buns for 8 mins until puffed up (you'll need to do this in batches). Prise open each bun and fill with our barbecue pork and pickled carrot & mooli. Eat while they're still warm.

SHORTCUT PLAIN STEAMED BUNS

Steps:

• Fill the steamer pan halfway with water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Line the steamer tray with parchment paper, leaving a few holes uncovered for heat circulation.
• Unwrap the package of biscuit dough. Take 1 round of dough and use your fingers to stretch it gently until the center is about half of its original thickness. Fold the dough in half and place in the steamer tray. It will look like giant smiling lips. Repeat with the remaining dough rounds, spacing them a generous 1/2 inch apart and 1 inch away from the edge of the tray where condensation collects.
• Place the tray in the steamer, cover, and steam the buns for 10 minutes, or until they have nearly doubled in size and look dry. Turn off the heat and wait for the steam to subside before lifting the lid, and then lift it away from you carefully to avoid condensation dripping onto the buns. Remove the tray and use a metal spatula to transfer the buns to a wire rack. If the buns are left to cool completely, transfer them to a plate and cover with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out. (The buns may be steamed up to 4 hours in advance of serving and kept at room temperature. To serve warm, reheat in the steamer or microwave oven.)
• Serve the buns warm or at room temperature. They are not served hot because the meats that they accompany are not served hot.