Plain Chinese Steamed Buns

What you need

• 300 g (2 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
• 3 g active dry yeast, about 1 tsp
• 30 g (2 1/2 tbsp) sugar
• 165 ml (2/3 cup) whole milk, lukewarm
• 1 tbsp neutral oil

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Stir the yeast and sugar into the lukewarm milk. Leave it until foamy, 5-10 min.

2. 2

   Put the flour in a large bowl, add the yeast milk and the oil, and stir into a shaggy dough.

3. 3

   Knead on a clean surface until the dough is smooth and springy, about 10 min. It should be firm, not sticky.

4. 4

   Return the dough to the bowl, cover, and leave it in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

5. 5

   Punch down the dough and knead briefly for 1 min to push out the big air pockets.

6. 6

   Roll the dough into a log and cut it into 8 equal pieces.

7. 7

   Shape each piece into a smooth ball, tucking the edges underneath.

8. 8

   Give each bun its own square of parchment and space them apart in the steamer basket. Cover and let them rest for 30 min, until visibly larger and soft to the touch.

9. 9

   Bring water in the pot to a boil, then lower to medium so it keeps steaming steadily. Place the steamer over it.

10. 10

    Steam the buns, covered, for 15 min.

11. 11

    Turn off the heat and leave the lid on for 5 min. Lifting it right away makes the buns wrinkle and collapse.

12. 12

    Serve warm, plain or with braised dishes. Reheat leftovers by steaming for 5 min.

Imported from cookist.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.