Judy's Gross Eats

This month I have the honor to be Kitchen of the Month for the Bread Baking Babes. I took a slightly different approach to the usual baking process, selecting a recipe for Chinese steamed buns, based on a recipe from Mooncakes and Milk Bread by Kristina Cho.

I experimented with two different fillings, although in my excitement I did forget to give the dough some pizazz. That’s okay, though, because I’m sure the other Babes had fun playing around.

I made two different versions of steamed buns.

The first one was filled with egg custard. I made the firm custard, formed it into small balls, then filled and steamed the wrappers.

For the second round, I made char siu pork,

cut it into small pieces, formed the balls, then filled and steamed the wrappers.

I did experiment by steaming one bun seam-side up. It did come apart a bit, which was useful information.

I used two steamers, pots with steamer inserts that I’ve had for years. Finally, I was able to put them to use! I placed the buns on pieces of parchment paper, and when the cooking time was up, I let them stay in the pot, lid on, for between 5 and 10 minutes, so there were no collapsed buns.

The flavor of both varieties was delicious, and I loved the taste of the bun itself. They also reheated well, especially the pork-filled bun.

If you wish to be a Buddy this month, and play along with us, send your story to me by June 29th to be included in any roundup. (jahunt22dotgmaildotcom)

Be sure to visit the other Babes to see what kind of steamed buns they chose to make this month.

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 overproofing.) 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.

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 so the steamed buns don’t stick!