Steamed buns are the main food for many people in the morning, and steamed buns also have a significant position in the history of Chinese cuisine. Nowadays, there are many methods for steaming buns, and they have unique flavors. Steamed buns emphasize fermentation and kneading, and attention must also be paid to the amount of each ingredient. Steamed buns can be big or small, but they cannot do without the fermentation of yeast. The softness of the steamed buns depends entirely on this. The shaping of the steamed buns can be created with your own imagination to make various shapes. When steaming buns with yeast, you can add a little less sugar, which can effectively prevent the steamed buns from going sour. At the same time, to steam delicious buns, the most critical factor is to control the timing of the fermentation. Once the dough is well proofed, half of the bun is done.

Ingredients:

Yeast 5 grams, all-purpose flour 600 grams, sugar 10 grams, warm water 300 milliliters

How to make yeast steamed buns

Pour 600 grams of all-purpose flour into the bowl.

Pour 10 grams of sugar into 300 milliliters of 30°-40° warm water, mix well to dissolve, and then add 5 grams of yeast, waiting for the granular yeast to start foaming.

Pour the sugar syrup with bubbles into the all-purpose flour bowl and stir with chopsticks.

After mixing the all-purpose flour into a sheet-like texture, roll up your sleeves and use your hands to knead the dough vigorously.

Fully mix the all-purpose flour vigorously and achieve the ‘three shine’ standard, that is, the bowl is shiny, the hands are shiny, and the dough is shiny.

Cover the bowl with a semi-wet towel and wait for the dough to proof. In summer, the temperature is high and the time is shorter, and in winter, the temperature is low and the time is longer. This step must be patient.

The dough should be proofed to twice its size, or when a finger is inserted into the dough and pulled out, the finger holes formed in the dough do not rebound, which also proves that the dough has fermented well.

When the proofed dough is torn apart, it can be clearly seen that it is filled with honeycomb-like structures.

Place the proofed dough on the countertop and knead it vigorously. The purpose is to exhaust the air in the dough as much as possible until the dough is kneaded back to the size before proofing, and then distribute the dough as needed, rolling it into strips.

Cut the distributed noodles with a knife into uniformly sized steamed bun dough, or shape them into round steamed bun dough, and then set them aside.

Place the steamed bun dough into the steamer and let it stand for 15-30 minutes. The specific time depends on the environmental temperature.

Steam for 15 minutes after the water boils and the steam rises strongly.

After steaming, let it stand for 5 minutes before opening the lid to eat.

Reminders:

In winter, the yeast must be allowed to bubble in warm water before being added to the flour. In summer, you can directly pour sugar and yeast into the all-purpose flour, mix them evenly, and then add water.

When mixing the dough, it must be done to the ‘three shine’ standard, and the dough should not be too soft.

When proofing the dough, attention must be paid to the changes in the volume of the dough. First, the volume should reach twice its original size, and secondly, the honeycomb-like structure in the dough should be numerous and uniform.

When kneading the dough again, it is necessary to exhaust the air in the dough as much as possible to lay a foundation for the second proofing. At the same time, if the dough is too soft, you can add an appropriate amount of all-purpose flour and knead it evenly into the dough to adjust the softness and hardness of the dough, making it easier to shape the steamed bun dough.

After the shaping is completed, the dough must be proofed again to make the steamed bun dough larger before steaming. If using a cloth, it must be in a semi-wet state.