Quick and Easy Steamed Mantou
Have the perfect comfort food at home with steamed mantou or steamed bun. This Chinese steamed bun is spongy and soft with a hint of sweetness.You can easily make this with pantry-friendly ingredients, including flour, sugar, yeast, and oil. Serve it for breakfast with your favorite sweet or savory sauce.
Equipment
- Steel or bamboo steamer with a cover
- Mixing bowl for the dough
- Stirrer
- A flat surface for kneading
- Clean wrap to cover the resting dough
- Rolling Pin
- Pastry brush
- Knife or dough cutter
- Parchment paper
- Kitchen weighing scale and thermometer (optional)
Ingredients
- 500 g of all-purpose flour
- 20 g of sugar for faster fermentation
- 5 g of yeast
- 1 teaspoon 5g of oil (for softer and more fragrant mantou)
- 260 g of water
- Extra flour and water for kneading
- Sweet or savory sauce for serving optional
Instructions
Mix The Ingredients
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and oil.
- Then, gradually pour the water and mix continuously.
- Afterward, knead the dough mixture until it forms a smooth dough.
- Dust the surface with a bit of flour and place the dough.
- Cover the dough with a clean wrap and let it rest for 5 minutes.
Shape The Dough
- Next, use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into a large rectangular sheet.
- Then, fold the dough in half multiple times to create rectangular folds.
- After creating a folded small rectangular dough, flatten it once more using a rolling pin to form a flat rectangular sheet.
- Brush a little water on the dough's surface.
- Then, roll the dough into a cylindrical shape, with the side of the brushed water inside.
- Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces using a knife or dough cutter.
- Next, cut the parchment paper into small squares that can fit a piece of dough.
- Place the parchment paper first on the steamer basket before putting the dough on top. Using parchment paper prevents the dough from sticking to the steamer basket.
- Proof the dough at room temperature until the edges and corners are rounded and it is significantly larger in size. This part is needed for the rapid fermentation and enlargement process, so do not skip it.
Steam The Dough
- After proofing, add cold water to the steamer if you haven't.
- Steam the dough in the cold water until it boils.
- Once the water in the steamer starts boiling, continue steaming the mantou for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and let it rest for an additional 5 minutes with the seam open to release heat. This part is needed to prevent shrinkage.
- Lastly, enjoy a soft steamed mantou with your favorite sauce. Alternatively, you can try my other recipe for more variation - Fried Mantou With Condensed Milk.
Nutrition
Calories: 390kcalCarbohydrates: 81gProtein: 11gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.004gSodium: 3mgPotassium: 117mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin C: 0.002mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 5mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!