Babes Steam Buns (with Fillings)

It's the 16th of the month...just barely...which is traditionally the day that the bodacious Bread Baking Babes, of which I am one, post the bread of the month. This month Judy of Judy's Gross Eats challenged us to make steamed yeasted buns...with or without fillings.

I chose to fill my buns with bbq pork since we had some left over pulled pork shoulder and that flavor has always been my favorite for this little bread (don't they look delicious?). We used to have them as part of a dim sum lunch when we lived in Berkeley. The Oakland China town area had several very good dim sum restaurants and I had a friend who worked in downtown Oakland for Kaiser, which wasn't too far away. These delicious fluffy buns bring back memories of good times with Sweetie, with my friend and with other friends and family.

Although I'm posting at the last minute practically, these buns are fairly quick to make. I started mine about noon and was sitting down with Sweetie enjoying the first batch out of the steamer at about 4:15. If you start earlier in the day you could have them for lunch. Another plus, especially in the summer, is that making these doesn't heat up the kitchen like oven baking does.

We were asked to roll out each of the 12 dough balls and then pleat them after adding the filling. I did this once and then gave up on it.  Although I admire people (like my talented daughter) who enjoy this kind of repetitive baking, it's really not my thing. I streamlined production by making a dough ball, flattening it a bit in my hand, with a fairly thick rim of dough,

adding the filling, 

then pulling the dough by the rim over the filling, going around the ball, until all had been covered and the dough pinched together.

Then I set the pinched side down on the parchment square. 

Probably not as pretty, but they looked round and shiny and tasted just as good.

It really helps to have a steamer for this recipe. I had a double stacked bamboo one, with a lid. I started with my wok, added water, set it to boil, turned it down to simmer, then set the filled bamboo steamer in the wok to steam for 10 minutes. Then I turned off the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes. That worked well. I was able to fit three buns in each level. the remaining 6 buns were kept in the fridge, lightly covered with oiled plastic wrap, until it was their turn in the steamer.

I encourage you to try this recipe. Judy has given us a wide range of suggested fillings, including custard! You can also just steam the plain balls. Sweetie liked the plain part of the bun, which was soft and fluffy and had a nice plain bread flavor. I liked dipping mine in soy sauce.

If you do make these and want to be a Buddy, just e-mail Judy with your URL, a photo and a short description of your bake. She'll send you a Buddy badge and will feature you in the round-up. Deadline to get your e-mail to her is June 29th.

Also be sure to visit the blogs of the other Bread Baking Babes to see how they did this month's steamy buns!

Fluffy Steamed Buns with Filling or without Filling

Makes 12

Dough:

300 g all-purpose flour

50 g sugar

1 tsp instant yeast

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp coarse salt

160 g warm water (about 110˚F)

Oil for greasing bowl

Place dry ingredients into a bowl of an electric mixer and whisk to combine.  Attach a dough hook, and, with the mixer on low, pour in the warm water and mix to form a shaggy dough.  Knead at medium-high speed about 8-9 minutes until the dough is very smooth and slightly tacky.  Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and form into a smooth ball.  Place into a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and proof in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours, or in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Once the dough has proofed, deflate the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface.  Form into a smooth ball.

Unstuffed buns:

Cut 12 4-inch squares of parchment paper.

Divide the dough into 12 equal portions, form each into a smooth ball, and place on a square of parchment paper.

Cover the buns with either a damp towel or lightly greased plastic wrap, and let them proof until they are about 1 ½ times larger, about 30-45 minutes.

Set up a steamer, bring water to a simmer, and arrange the buns on the steamer basket, about 2” apart. (If you have to work in batches, keep the remaining buns in the refrigerator to keep them from over-proofing.)  Steam over the simmering water for 10 minutes.  Turn off the heat, and leave the buns in the covered steamer for 5 more minutes to prevent them from collapsing.  Remove the buns and let them cool slightly before serving.

Stuffed buns:

Cut 12 4-inch squares of parchment paper.

Divide the dough into 12 equal portions, and form each into a smooth ball.  Roll each ball into a 4” circle, making sure the edges are thinner than the middle.  Fill with the desired filling and pleat the edges closed.  Place on a square of parchment paper, either pleat side up or pleat side down.

Place the buns on a baking sheet or cutting board, and cover with either a damp towel or lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow them to proof in a warm spot, until they are about 1 ½ times larger, about 30-45 minutes.

Set up a steamer, bring water to a simmer, and arrange the buns on the steamer basket, about 2” apart. (If you have to work in batches, keep the remaining buns in the refrigerator to keep them from over-proofing.)  Steam over the simmering water for 10 minutes.  Turn off the heat, and leave the buns in the covered steamer for 5 more minutes to prevent them from collapsing.  Remove the buns and let them cool slightly before serving.

Dough flavor variations:

Matcha dough:  Add 7 g food-grade matcha powder to the dry ingredients.

Spinach dough:  Puree 3 cups of spinach leaves with ¾ cup warm water.  Strain the puree through a sieve, keeping the water and discarding the pulp.  There should be about 160 g of warm spinach water.

Sweet Potato dough:  Reduce the warm water to 113 g, and add 120 g of sweet potato puree along with the dry ingredients.

Whole Wheat dough:  Reduce all-purpose flour to 225 g, and add 75 g of whole wheat flour.

 

Possible fillings:

Red bean paste

Black sesame paste

Char Siu, or BBQ pork

Chicken and vegetables (chopped rather finely)

Tofu

Minced, cooked mushrooms, sautéed with onions and seasoned with soy sauce, salt, and pepper

Egg custard

Egg Custard Filling:

2 large eggs

65g sugar

20g cornstarch

150g heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

In a small saucepan, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth.  In a measuring cup, whisk together the heavy cream, vanilla, and salt.  Whisk the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients until smooth, then place over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until the mixture starts to thicken.  It’s ready when it coats the back of a spoon.  Transfer the mixture to a bowl, cover the surface with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least two hours or overnight.  It should have a scoopable texture.

 

If you have a bamboo steamer, go ahead and use it, placing it above the simmering water in a metal pot.  Place squares of parchment, or cabbage leaves, on the surface so the buns don’t stick to the steamer.  If you don’t have a bamboo steamer, you can use steamer inserts that come with some pots, or create a steam environment with a steamer and a wok, or with a pot that’s slightly bigger than the steamer.  Remember to create that non-stick surface (parchment paper works well) so the steamed buns don’t stick!