
This is the 19th time I make mantou. This is Chinese steam buns. When I first made bread, they were these Chinese mantou steam buns. I made them many times until I was successful before trying to make other breads. If you already know how to make bread, you can try making these Chinese steam buns if you have never made this bread before. The steam buns are very soft and delicious. I like it a lot. The only thing that took the longest was waiting for it to raise. If you like, you can make dough and have more to eat during the week.
Kids and adults would love these steam buns. The best combination that goes well with this steam bun would be milk or soya milk. These Chinese steam buns have nothing inside, and when you eat them, you might find them dry. If you like, you can cut it in half and put ham, sausages, chicken or butter on it to make it like a sandwich and taste better. You can just eat it like that. Whatever you choose as your desire.
You can leave some in a plastic container and eat it the next day, in the morning or afternoon snacks. If you make a lot and cannot finish it all, you can put it in an airtight container or bag and freeze it in the freezer. When you want to eat it, you can just take it out and put it in the steamer. Once you eat it, you will like it a lot. Try this recipe and enjoy.
Ingredients:
300g all-purpose flour
3g of instant yeast
30g of sugar
9g of oil
160g of cold milk
Add more milk if the dough is dry
A bit of dusting flour for kneading
Direction:
Kneading the dough:
- Use a scale and measure all your ingredients before starting and
Set it aside. - Use a clean bowl and add 300g of all-purpose flour, 3g of yeast, 30g of sugar, 9g of oil and add in 160g of milk.
- Use a spatula or a wooden spoon and stir in the middle to form dough as much as you can.
- Add a bit of milk on the crumble pieces. Continue to stir with a wooden spoon.
(Note: If there are still some crumble pieces, add some more a bit of milk and stir with a wooden spoon until no more pieces crumble lining around.) - Use a wooden spoon to scrape off all the side dough of the bowl very clean.
(Note: There should be no pieces left in the bowl to make a good and tasty mantou)
6 . Dust some flour on the working area so the dough will not stick and also your hands. Transfer the dough into a clean tray surface or a wooden cutting board surface.
- Use your hands in a bowl and knead the dough with your strength like you are washing your clothes by hand, until all combines in a form of a dough ball, and it is not sticky anymore for about 10-12 minutes.
(Note: if your hands are sticky, dust some flour on your hands and work surface, but make sure not to put too many at a time as needed.) - Form a dough ball and place it in a mixing bowl. Put some oil around the ball dough and the side bowl and bottom. Use a plastic wrapper or a cloth and cover the dough. Let it sit and raise for 10 minutes.
(Note: if you do not cover the dough to raise it, it will dry up and not good) - When the 10 minutes are up, take the dough out of the bowl and knead for another 2-3 minutes, like you would wash your clothes by hand.
Regular Mantou shape making:
- Form a dough ball and place it in a bowl. Put some oil around the ball dough. And the side bowl and bottom again. Use a plastic wrapper or a cloth and cover the dough again. Let it sit and raise for 1 and a half to 2 hours until it doubles in size.
- Dust some flour on the working area so the dough will not stick and also your hands. Transfer the dough into a clean tray surface or a wooden cutting board surface.
- Take the dough. Make a big hole in the middle. Pull the dough like rolling it out, squeeze the dough tight, when you see a fat spot, squeeze it back in tight.
- Cut the dough in half and place it in the bowl. Cover with a plastic wrapper.
(Note: if you do not cover the dough, it will become dry, and you will not be able to use it) - Use your hands and roll out your dough like a snake.
- Cut the dough in half and cut into 7-8 pieces.
- Use a plastic wrapper and cover the un-use dough pieces with a plastic wrapper so that it will not get dry.
- Dust a bit of flour on the work surface and take one piece of dough ball out of the bowl. You do not need to reshape the dough ball, you can keep it the way it is. All you need to do is just adjust the shape by the 4 corners and make sure it is nice.
- Repeat the same thing for the rest of the pieces.
- When the pieces are all done.
- Repeat the same thing with the other half of the dough.
Rise the Manotu a second time:
- In a cupboard, take out a steamer pot and place some cold water in it.
- Use steamer trays, a rack with a plate or a bamboo steamer. Heat the steamer to room temperature, not too hot. When you feel it is room temperature, turn off the heat immediately.
(Note: make sure the streamer is not too cold or hot, just room temperature.) - Cut out some square parchment or wax paper and place the
Mantou on top of each one of them. - Place all the mantou on the steamer and dap some milk on top of the mantou.
- Let it sit and rise for 10 minutes
Cooking process:
- When the time is ready, turn on the steamer and let it cook for 30 minutes. The time to take for boiling water and to cook it.
- Once 30 minutes is up when cooking. Turn the heat off and wait about 1 min. Put on a kitchen mitten. Before you open the lid, place a towel on the table with a bowl. Make sure you open it quickly and avoid the steam water dripping onto the steam buns. Place the lid on the sink quickly.
- Take it out and place all Mantou on the wire rack and let it cool,
Or if you like it hot, you can eat it right away. - Enjoy.