[ Equipment: steamer. For more information about the terminology in this recipe, see Low Temperature Baking: A Journey of 3 Paths ].
Revised: September 24, 2010.
These steamed buns get their tang from the long fermentation of the yeast, like a sourdough, but without the fuss of attending to a starter. The basic dough process comes from the recipe for no-knead bread first reported by Mark Bittman of the New York Times and adapted from a recipe by Jim Lahey of the Sullivan Street Bakery in New York City. When I first read about no-knead bread, I fell into a depression because I did not have a high-temperature (450°F) oven to bake a loaf. At the time, I was making steamed buns with a sourdough starter. It had not occurred to me to use the no-knead dough for buns. Buns are shaped. No-knead bread dough is too wet to be shaped. The loaf is baked free-form in a dutch oven. An internet search back then didn't turn up any recipes for no-knead rolls either, baked or steamed.
After I moved to a new apartment, I never got round to reconstituting the sourdough starter. I had resolved to make steamed buns the convenient way, with packets of commercial yeast. Before I could tear open a packet, the idea popped into my head: make the buns by steaming the no-knead dough in muffin molds. The shape would not be traditional, but I would have the great flavor from long fermentation. (This idea will work for baked buns or rolls too.) The steamed no-knead buns turned out so well that I now make them at least twice a week.
In Lahey's original recipe, the proportion of water to flour by weight was almost 1 to 1 (98% hydration). My recipe stays close to that formula, perhaps a little less at 93% hydration. Hydration is important. If the dough is too dry, the buns will be dry. If the dough is too wet, the buns will need more cooking time and excessive exposure to moisture could affect the texture (coarser bread).
The yeast must be fresh. I make a batch of buns at least twice a week and a single packet of active dry or rapid rise yeast can last over a year, sealed and stored in the freezer. However, once the yeast packet (or jar) is opened and exposed to air (especially if the air is humid), the granules will lose potency over time. Buns leavened with weakened yeast may rise very slowly (more than a day) or not rise at all.
The "pinch" of yeast in the ingredients list is just that; no need to measure out any of the granules. For those who want precise measurements, I have had great success with 1/16 teaspoon of yeast granules. Both active dry yeast and rapid rise yeast will work in this recipe. Rapid rise yeast is faster, but active dry yeast is more flavorful (more sour). The first rise for doughs with rapid rise yeast should be from 12 to 18 hours and active dry yeast doughs can go for a full 24 hours. The minimum rise time for either type of dough should be 12 hours to develop the gluten and flavor. I do not recommend longer first rises than specifed, because the dough can take on a yeasty smell and could collapse. Collapsed doughs do poorly in the second rise.
Although the dough contains yeast, it also contains baking powder or baking soda. The purpose of the baking powder or soda is to neutralize acidity (Chinese steamed buns are typically not sour) and give a chewier texture to the finished bun that is characteristic of Chinese steamed buns. They can also boost the second rise, if the reaction hasn't been exhausted in the first rise. I recommend adding baking powder to doughs with rapid rise yeast and baking soda to doughs with active dry yeast. Active dry yeast doughs tend to be more acidic, and baking soda is excellent at neutralizing the acid.
In some steamed bun recipes, the baking powder or baking soda is kneaded into the dough after the first rise, but I have found that doing so can cause dark streaks in the cooked buns. My experience has been that mixing them into the dry ingredients at the beginning works just as well. If desired, the baking powder or baking soda can be omitted at the expense of a little coarsening in the texture.
Chinese steamed buns can have a variety of fillings from savory to sweet. They can be prepared in any way (steamed, fried, baked, microwaved), so long as they are fully cooked and solid, and can be divided into 6 portions. I give the recipe for my favorite egg filling. It is very simple to make from scratch, especially in the microwave. Although the pictures show a stir-fry vegetable mix (broccoli, snow peas, green beans, peppers, water chestnuts), any chopped vegetable mix should work fine, so long as the egg mixture solidifies when cooked.
The plum-bean paste filling is the same one in my mooncake recipe and must be doubled to make 6 buns.
The mini sausages in the pictures are Vienna sausages from a can. They measured just under 2 inches and fit perfectly in the muffin molds. Any other COOKED sausage of similar size should be a good substitute. Other tasty fillings include: small meatballs, vegetarian protein nuggets and sweet pastes (like peanut butter or red bean paste).
The muffin molds in the pictures were part of a silicone muffin pan. The original pan was too large to fit in my steamer, so I cut the cups out individually with scissors. Each muffin cup can has a 1/2 cup capacity. Small teacups should work too, if they will fit in the steamer. For larger buns, try putting the dough in 3/4-cup-capacity mini loaf pans.
Makes 6 buns
- 150 calories per bun with egg filling
- Oven Temperature: steaming
Bun Dough:
- 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour (7.5 oz)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch active dry yeast or rapid rise yeast
- 3/4 to 1 cup warm water (see text)
- 1/2 teaspoon double acting baking powder or 1/8 teaspoon baking soda (optional, see text)
- 1 recipe egg filling (below) or 2 recipes plum-bean paste or 6 mini sausages (see text)
- 6 potato nuggets (such as Ore-Ida Tater Tots) or cooked bite-size potatoes
- 1 large egg
- 1/8 cup water
- 1/4 cup chopped stir-fry vegetables (see text)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1. Evenly arrange potato nuggets or cooked potatoes in a small bowl. The potatoes will later serve as markers for dividing the filling.
2. In a measuring cup, whisk egg, salt, chili powder and water until frothy. Add chopped vegetables to reach the 1/2 cup mark and mix.
3. Pour egg mixture over potatoes.
4. Microwave, bake or steam the filling until cooked. Cool. Slice the filling into 6 wedges.
Buns Method:
1. In a bowl, whisk flour, salt, yeast and the optional baking powder (for rapid rise yeast) or baking soda (for active dry yeast) until well combined. Although the recipe lists the weight of the flour, the actual amount of flour is less important than the hydration (see text above and steps 3 and 4 below). I used a 2-quart plastic bowl with a lid. This bowl has straight, almost perpendicular sides, which can be marked to measure the rising height of the dough.
2. Mix 3/4 cup of warm water into flour to form a sticky dough.
3. Then add rest of water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to form a wet dough that can be easily spread out with the back of a spoon. For 7.5 oz of flour, I mixed in a total of 7/8 cup water (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons). Dough that is too dry will produce dry buns. If the dough is adequately hydrated, it should have a slightly wet sheen.
In the picture above, I spread the dough out to cover the bottom of the bowl, so that it will be easier to determine when the dough has risen double height.
4. Cover the bowl and set in a warm place to rise until at least double height. With rapid rise yeast, I recommend a rise time between 12 and 18 hours. With active dry yeast, I recommend a rise time of 12 to 24 hours.
As I said in step 3, the hydration level of the dough is important to get moist, fluffy buns. The dough's moistness can be judged from the bubbles in the risen dough. In the picture above, the top bowl contains dough that is too dry. The bubbles are bigger and more concentrated in the lower half of the dough. The dough in the bottom bowl is correctly hydrated and the bubbles are smaller and evenly distributed throughout the dough.
5. When the first rise is done, deflate the dough by gently stirring it with a spoon a few times.
6. Grease 6 muffin cups or molds. The muffin cups should be 1/2 cup capacity.
7. Half of the dough will line the bottom of the muffin cups. Dip a spoon in warm water and scoop a rounded tablespoon of dough into each cup to start and add more dough until all cups have about a 1/4 inch layer. The warm water stops the dough from sticking to the spoon.
8. Press or spoon a portion of the filling into center of each mold. The picture above shows 3 types of filling: egg, plum-bean paste and mini sausages. For the plum-bean paste, I deposited 1 tablespoon of paste per bun.
9. Cover the fillings with the remaining dough. Holding a spoon in each hand (or fork or butter knife), press and pull the dough in each mold until the top layer completely covers the filling and is merged with the bottom layer (it doesn't have to be perfect; some filling can show through).
12. Put the molds in a deep pan or bowl and cover. Place in a warm area and let rise until higher than top of mold (no more than 2 hours if the filling is perishable). I do the second rising in the steamer over WARM water with the heat turned OFF. The water vapor helps the dough stay moist.
13. Bring steamer water to a rolling boil, reduce to a medium boil and steam the buns for 15 minutes. If the buns were risen in the steamer (as I like to do), remove them before boiling the water and put them back in when the water is boiling. When ready the buns should spring back when lightly pressed.
14. Cool the buns in the molds for 10 minutes. Unmold and continue cooling on a rack. If they are not eaten within a few hours, put buns in a plastic bag and refrigerate or freeze.
Below are pictures of the buns with the different fillings: egg, plum-bean paste and sausage.
No comments:
Post a Comment