Black Sesame Knife-Cut Steamed Buns
Steaming buns may seem tricky at first, but with the right techniques it's actually quite simple. Traditionally in northern Chinese households, dough was leavened with starter and balanced with baking soda to neutralize the fermentation sourness — a ratio many home cooks find tricky to gauge. Even with yeast, the buns can plump up beautifully while steaming only to shrink the moment the lid is lifted. You're only one step away from getting it right; follow the detailed steps below to make soft, chewy steamed buns. This batch is flavored with black sesame — usually enjoyed as a paste — but steamed into buns, it fills the kitchen with aroma. They're so good on their own that you can polish off several in just a few bites, no accompaniment needed.
Ingredients
wheat flour
300 g
black sesame seeds
35 g
white sugar
30 g
yeast
3 g
warm water
170 g
Instructions
1
Step 1
Prepare the ingredients.
2
Step 2
Place the black sesame seeds in a pan and stir-fry until the seeds puff up, then immediately turn off the heat and let them cool. Grind into a powder using a food processor.
3
Step 3
Prepare the yeast, add it to the warm water, stir well, and let it sit for 5 minutes before using.
4
Step 4
Add the black sesame powder and sugar to the flour, and mix the three ingredients evenly.
5
Step 5
Pour in the yeast water and form a dough. There's no need to knead it too smooth; just forming a dough is fine.
6
Step 6
Cover the surface with a pot lid or plastic wrap, and place in a warm spot to proof until doubled in size. If you poke a hole with your finger and it doesn't spring back, the proofing is complete.
7
Step 7
Once doubled in size, deflate the dough, knead until smooth, and cut open to check there are no large air pockets and the texture is even. Then let it rest for 10 minutes.
8
Step 8
Place the rested dough on the board, knead until smooth again, then roll out into a rectangular sheet about 6-7 mm thick.
9
Step 9
Then roll up from one edge, pinching the seam tightly to seal.
10
Step 10
Cut into evenly sized pieces.
11
Step 11
Place the buns on the rack of a folding hot pot steamer (this type of hot pot can also be used as a steamer). Pour a bowl of hot water into the bottom, cover with the lid, and start the second proofing. This step is very important—many people don't realize that yeast-steamed buns need a second proofing, which is why buns often collapse as soon as the lid is lifted after steaming, one of the common reasons for failure.
12
Step 12
This is what they look like after the second proofing—very fluffy.
13
Step 13
Add an appropriate amount of water to the pot, turn on the switch, and use the steam function: medium heat for 5 minutes, then high heat for 10 minutes, until done. Turn off the heat.
14
Step 14
Fragrant and fluffy, out of the pot!
