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–+ servings
chicken katsu bao

Chinese Steamed Bread (Mantou)

Print Recipe
This basic steamed bread recipe can be used for char siu bao, mantou, or cute character buns.
Course Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Asian American, Chinese
Prep Time 3 hours
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 4 buns

Equipment

  • bamboo steamer

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup warm water

Instructions

  • Dissolve yeast in water.
  • Whisk flour, salt, and sugar, in a mixing bowl.
  • Add yeast water to your dry ingredients and lightly mix by hand.
  • Knead by hand or use a dough hook in a stand mixer (I use a dough hook because this dough is fairly wet) until dough can be stretched thin without breaking and its surface is shiny and slightly tacky (not goopy or sticky).
  • Cover and let rise for 2 hours.
  • When dough is done rising, divide into four portions. You can customize your buns with food coloring or fillings as needed depending on what type of bun you are making.
  • Place each bun on a square of parchment paper and place in a bamboo steamer.
  • Steam for 15 minutes.