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.

📝 Ingredients

• 240 g all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon Instant dry yeast
• a pinch of salt
• 133 g water

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Place 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. 2Add 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. 3After 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. 4Divide 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. 5Let 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. 6Prepare 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.