Unsweetened Chinese steamed buns.
- 4 cups of all-purpose flour (500 g)
- 1 packet of dry active yeast (2.25 tsp)
- 1 tsp of granulated sugar
- 1.5 cups of warm water
Directions — (1) Activate or bloom yeast with sugar in 4 tbsp of warm to touch water for 5 minutes. Yeast becomes alive when bubbles surface. (2) Create a well in the flour bowl. (3) Pour yeast mixture plus one cup of water into well and stir flour in one single direction. Stir and slowly add remaining half cup of water as needed, until dough forms into ball. (4) Cover ball of dough in bowl and let it rest in warm place.
(5) Once dough doubles in size, turn dough onto floured surface. (6) Knead dough until smooth. [Pro tip: the more you knead the dough, the smoother the final steamed bun will be.] (7) Cut dough into smaller portions to form buns. Keep in mind the final steamed bun will be 130% the size of the dough.
(8) Prepare steamer basket by boiling water in steamer basket lined with cheese cloth. Turn off heat. (9) Place formed dough into steamer basket for 2nd rise. (10) Once dough double in size, turn stove on high heat for 5 minutes until roaring steam fills the steamer basket. (11) Reduce heat to medium and steam buns for 15 minutes. (12) Turn off heat and let dough rest in steamer for a few minutes before serving.
