How to Make Mantou (Chinese Steamed Buns)

[douherxwb]

Can you show me the brand of the cake flour that you use?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

@douherxwb The brand I use here is called "Swans Down" :)

[Yukkidesu]

can i make them into balls instead of the way you made them?????

[tearz763]

Hi, I was just wondering about the dough starter. if you're only use one-fourth of the dough starter, what do you do with the excess dough starter? Since you're only using one-fourth of the dough starter, can I just divide your dough starter recipe by four and just make one forth of your recipe, that way I wont have any extra left over. If so, will the dough starter come out right even though I'm dividing all the ingredients by four.

[Thorralf83]

@AsianCookingmadeEasy At first thank you for your recipe, but let me ask you a few questions. There is absolutely no salt in it. Is that right? Where is the salt, did you missed it, or is it already part of that "dough starter", or the dip? My 2.problem is, that I do not know what a dough starter is. Is that an american thing for making the buns tender? Never heard of it before. Is this starter optional? Finally you are using milk, and milk is actually no chinese ingrediant. How about without?

[mimozibang92]

can you send to me a link through youtube mail on how to reuse the dought starter?? and daught stater it is only for make mantau? or we can use it for other cooking.?

[mrscedricspencer]

If I want to fry the mantou- do I need to steam it first?

[kings12800]

how can i store and reuse the rest of the dough starter?? thanks

[watsyurnayme]

Hi, I'm not very sure of what to do to keep feeding my dough starter and what to do when I want to use a portion of it to cook. :(

[1227adeline]

is it i have to add all the dough starter to make this mantou?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

@1227adeline Yes, in this recipe I use 1/4 cup of the dough starter :)

[Xtro2005]

@AsianCookingmadeEasy How about a mince meat stuffing.

[thaozzer]

Hi, These are wonderful!!! I have a request. When I went to china in 2006 I had some sugar glazed mantou buns. Can you put out a recipe for that? Thank you!!

[omfgalexgotmoves]

@thaozzer just add sugar and milk to it O_O

[maralouize]

After refrigerating my dough starter, if I'll use it again,can I use it even though it;s cold or it should be in room temperature again?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

@maralouize Hi - I'll send you a link through youtube mail on how to reuse the starter :)

[mmmmdonuts]

@AsianCookingmadeEasy can you send it to me too?

[chocomilkwinda]

how many pieces u made on this recipe?

[chocomilkwinda]

when do you use the dough starter in this recipe?

[drstitt]

Thank you for the recipe. Can i use electric mixer with dough attached instead of hand kneading?

[Gh4LVr]

I've usually seen these with a stuffing inside (usually meat), what would you do differently to add in stuffing to the buns?

[babygirl031185]

I just try your mantou recipe and I'm quite disappointed... Indeed, my active dry yeast didn't dissolve in my dough!! I folled step by step your recipe and it came that the active dry active remains!! How comes?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

@babygirl031185 I'm thinking that may be the yeast was bad. The yeast are actually living and feed on the flour and sugar. Somtimes if it is expired or stored improperly it does not activate. When you made the dough starter were there lots of bubbles at the top? The bubbling means that the yeast is active.

[Fitange]

Hi do you eat these plain with nothing inside? What could you serve them with?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

@Fitange I usually serve these like I would dinner rolls. I also like to put a little butter on mine even though that's not very traditional :) Also, as a dessert many people deep fry them and dip them in sweetened condensed milk :)

[Emmalicourice]

how do i make the pow more fluffly? thanks!

[1dumbgurl]

how come mine turns out to be brown when it is cooked?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

@1dumbgurl I'm thinking that It may be the flour you used. Make sure to use a white cake flour and bleached all purpose :)

[nisee]

@1dumbgurl next time, add some vinegar to the steaming water. this prevents the dough from turning brown.

[ShuyuKoukin]

@nisee does this really work? o_o

[LetMeSeeThis99]

I got the same steamer and I always put it inside the pot. But your way of putting it above seems to work way better. Thanks for shining new light!!!!

[2pmbangnee]

Approximately How much calories is in each bun? And can you let the bun steam longer if you want  it bigger?

[X3baking]

@2pmbangnee for the calories, you can go on calorie count's recipe analyzer. Just google it and type in the recipe's ingredients. The number of calories will depend on how big you make the buns and how many. For the steaming longer part, I think that won't make the buns bigger. Letting them rise longer will make them bigger. However, I'm not 100% sure. This is just what I think b/c my dad always make mantou and I watch him make it.

[superbang2pm]

WOW! Thankyou so Much ^-^ this really helps! I've been looking for a recipe for plain steam buns & horray I found this video :D How much steamed buns can you cook at once?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

@superbang2pm It depends on the size of your steamer. I can only fit 4 in my steamer at one time.  Just remember to leave a bit of room for them to rise :)

[chrisJongil]

lol just wanted to point out your prettyy and a good cook

[biesse92]

how many grams is it per roll?

[J0eCh0p]

... i would add, that placing the buns to rise in a two-tier vege steamer with the bottom filled with hot water keeps them where i want them; again, a damp towel to cover the steamer helps them to prove. Then all i have to do is switch the steamer on - again, cook with a damp cloth over the steamer.

i used a mixture of rice flour, wheat flour and cornflour - the cornflour gives a beautiful yellow colour to the buns!

[J0eCh0p]

thank you Lila, i love this - after a lifetime of baked bread this is such a revelation... i use a two-tier vegetable steamer, and as it's electric i am able to cover it with a towel which keeps the condensation in, causing the buns to grow to immense size \^-^/ xxx

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

@J0eCh0p Thank you - I'm so glad you liked it :)

[cceolivia]

when you said to keep the dough starter for 24 hrs in a warm place...do you mean like in my garage where there's no air conditioning...and it's probably like 108 F degrees in there? or do you mean more like room temperature (ex. anywhere on the kitchen countertop)?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

@cceolivia I mean on the countertop - in the warmest part of the kitchen. Definitely not in the garage :)

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

@ainakybitcho Hi- that is a bamboo steamer, and you can actually buy these online at Amazon :)

[PandaPandaKai]

the last time I tried to make mantou, the bread came out really strange, it was all crumbly and floury tasting kinda. I don't know what I did wrong, since I followed the instructions :s I'll try your version this time, hopefully it will come out right XD (maybe I'm cursed with cooking haha -.-)

[rockchickno01]

hey i love ur vids but can u jsut use entirely all purpose flour ???

[Jemnen009]

This would make a good show on the food channel :)

[scheng426]

How do you make them white? I followed your instructions and they are still off white in color :(

[X3baking]

@scheng426 I think it depends on the flour you use. Some flour like pau flour is specially for these type of steamed buns and they allow the buns to be really white because they are processed more. All purpose flour will make the baos "yellower".

[1986cherrelle]

can you freeze them? if so would you do it before or after you steam it?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

@1986cherrelle Yes - freeze them after you steam them :)

[chitsatchit]

Thank you, this is really great! i didn't do it successfully , but I will try again to make sure to get the wonderful result like yours!

[jncomstate]

Great, comprehensive!

[honeygerce]

hello..i've enjoyed watching your videos...your demnostration are really great...i have a question..where can i buy the dough starter? is it available in US? thanks

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

@honeygerce Hi- the dough starter is actually made in one of my other videos. I'll send u the link through youtube mail. Thank you for watching and writing :)

[myra4787]

would i just fry the dough to make zha mantou? I believe that is what it is called. the one served with condensed milk.

[Spirits1234]

Hi!

Thanks for the wonderful video.

I've never eaten "mantou" before, I noticed you added quite a lot of sugar, so does it taste a bit sweet or just like steamed buns?

What can I add to make it sweeter, for example before I roll it the paste, can I add melon sugar then roll it and steam it, to make it like a sort of dessert?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

@Spirits1234 I tastes just like steamed buns, not very sweet. There are many recipes out there for sweet versions - I'll send you a link through youtube mail to one of my favorites :)

[Minigirlful]

How do you make a dough starter then?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

@Minigirlful It's in my other video - I'll send u the link through youtube mail :)

[Minigirlful]

what is dough starter?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

@Minigirlful That is hard to explain; but basically it's a piece of dough that has been "grown" so that yeasts and bacteria are alive and in it to give bread flavor and rise :)

[especialisisisismo]

knows where to get apologize active dry yeast?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

@especialisisisismo Here in the US you can find it in most local grocery stores near the flour :)

[emilyxextreme]

Approx. how many does this recipe make?

I noticed in your video you said 1/4 cup of the dough starter.

We don't have to use all of it?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

@emilyxextreme This makes about 12 buns and yes you only use 1/4 cup of the starter. The rest of the starter can be saved, and I usually use it to make other types of bread as well :)

[especialisisisismo]

ok tanks :)

[especialisisisismo]

ok I speak in English I want to know if I could pass the recipe for steamed bread and if I could send in Spanish would be good and thank you very much

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

@especialisisisismo yes that is fine :)

[especialisisisismo]

hey you can speak in spanish ?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

No I can speak a little French, but that's all.  I saw your questions and I didn't really understand what you were asking.

[sapphirethecat001]

do i have to let stand the dough?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

Letting the dough stand allows the yeast to grow :)

[mCbLack4ever]

I saw your another video:How to Make a Basic Dough for Chinese Buns

can I just use it to make mantou as well?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

The dough for the buns is a little different - it's a bit firmer than the one for the mantou :)

[NancyyVoo]

i sort of know how to make steamed buns like my parents but... i dont like how it looks. mine is sort of a.. creamish white and the texture is not as smooth as i want it to be. i want it WHITE. yours look like the ones i like. i also like red bean paste in mine too. any suggestions? would that be an ok filling to put in my steamed buns.

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

You can put fillings in these buns, but they may be a bit too soft. The best thing to do would be to use the dough from the "How to make a basic dough for Chinese buns" video. For that recipe I used Gold Medal bleached all purpose flour. They do sell special flours especially for these buns, though it's sometimes hard to find. It's called bao flour, pau flour, or Hong Kong flour these will definitely make it white in color :)

[wccpy2004]

can I subsitute cake flour with bread flour?? or are they the same?? it is very hard for me to find package that actually says cake flour on it....do you have any suggestions??

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

Cake flour is finer than bread flour. You can use all purpose flour for this recipe, but it may be just slightly denser :)

[beanpaste2009]

You can use any type of flour.

[Migume2000]

i love watching your cooking style. easy, simple with written up ditection..thanks

[missychryssy]

Other way to serve them is to deep fry them and dip them in condensed milk! Yum

[sukimatsuura]

waaaaah~ i love mantou, it's delicious ^.^

but it's very hard to make. ='(

anyway, thank you ^__^

[vaskris123]

Having lived in China for 3 years, I can tell you that these buns are eaten here by every single local. Usually these buns with chives.

Actually, They are not that tasty for foreigners in China.

[Seancui283]

this is so different that my parents used to make mantous

[winterminter]

could u please tell me how to make pandan dough?

[foxyvixen19]

can i put fillings into the dough and steam them?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

You can put fillings in, but it may be a bit soft. The best thing to do would be to use the dough from the "How to make a basic dough for Chinese buns" video :)

[MaiPaKou]

ooo looking good i want to eat some!!!can u make me some lol!!!

[firstknigt]

can u please send me the link too for the baked Buns here.... ?thnks

[raytran168]

where can I find your bake bun recipe?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

I'll send u the link :)

[qiuyi4eva]

'Just like that' , haha cute sentence.

[iiHeartGDragon]

mm looks good! nice! thanks!

[firstknigt]

hi can i put these buns in the oven ?instead of steaming>?if so for how long?

[DRTMaverick]

You could, but then they wouldn't be Steamed buns. They'd be regular buns. :o

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

This dough is mainly for steaming. I have a recipe for a basic bun dough (like the pork filled) for baking to which I'll send u the link :)

[Uchihakid131]

I like mantous thanks for the video:)

[adrianhartanto23]

Thanks For the Video ! ;-)

[solemnsoul17]

did you brush oil on the unsteamed bun? ..cause it looked gleamy?..

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

no, I didn't brush any oil on it :)

[012629184]

can you tell me if I can use this type of dough to make chinese steam bun? I know how to make chinese steam bun but it is hard for me to make the right dough. When the bun is cook, I want the bun to be soft. But usually, my bun always elastic when it is cooked, and I don't want my bun to be elastic.

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

This dough is more soft and elastic, the dough for the buns can be found in my barbecue pork bun video :)

[solsolitary]

how can i make sweet dough im not sure whats it called but its sugar in it idk i have custard dumplings at my local china buffet and i would like the ingrediants for the dough and custard thanks.

anyone

[kryztle16]

what if i don't have yeast? can i use baking powder instead? please reply... :) i want to make this :)

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

Hi - you do need to use yeast in this recipe - it won't rise enough or be the right texture with just baking powder :)

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

Vegetable oil :)

[honeycookie131]

is it ok to use self raising flour?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

Self rising flour is not good for this recipe, simply b/c it usually has salt added in it which would cause the yeast to die and not work in this recipe :)

[celzhang]

Can I use instant yeast for the starter and the dough instead of active yeast?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

Yes, just use about 1 and 1/2 tsp in both the starter and the dough :)

[TW93AW]

What can i use to substitute cake flour, as i can't find any in the UK?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

For the cake flour you can just measure out about 3 tbsp of cornstarch and then add all purpose flour until you have 1 and 1/2 cups all together :)

[203948tag]

you could just sift regular white flour really well. cake flour is just a finer ground white flour which allows it to rise better for fluffier product, regular will give you basically the same results. I don't waste my money on cake flour.

[brisk10k]

Plenty in Asda, Tesco and other supermarkets...

[TW93AW]

Really? i've been to Tesco many any times and cannot find cake flour anywhere

[TW93AW]

If you were suppose to make a Pandan flavour Mantou, would you roll one plain and one pandan very thinly together to make it? just like how you make the plain one but with two different dough

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

Yes, you would roll both dough's out very thin, and then put the pandan dough on top of the plain dough and roll it up together so that the pandan is spiraled inside the plain :)

[reedrich4rds]

thank you for the recipe, very helpful and well explained

[hoopsx06]

thanks! :) going to try making them soon!

[hoopsx06]

i meant to leave a comment on this video but instead i left it on the other video. i mentioned that my sis in law have tried making it using a different way but the buns came out yellowish. How do restaurants make their buns so white? i can't really tell if the buns you have steamed came out pure white or not.

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

These did come out white. I had a few comments about this. I use "bleached all purpose flour" and the cake flour is white as well. You can also try adding a little white vinegar (about a teaspoon or 2) to the boiling water - this will make them white as well :)

[FancyEarings]

im in boston for summer school this year and its been two weeks...i swear to god, the very first thing im doing once i get back to shanghai is to grab myself a red bean bun with soy bean. :S im counting the days since ive last had a 馒头...

[thegrassisbluer09]

你不想小笼包吗？你是上海人吗？

It's been not even a week since I've come back from northern China to the US (after only two months no less!) and I can't stop thinking about how bad I want some baozi or chuanr. I feel your pain.

[FancyEarings]

heehee~

现在只要是中餐的东西......都想！^-^

No im not from shanghai, but i have been living there for ten years

[Babiixeleana]

How much yeast is in that packet?

I couldn't fine that brand of yeast you're using.

I only found a Chinese brand yeast in my local Asian supermarket.

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

Each packet is 1/4 of an ounce which is about 2 and 1/4 teaspoons :)

[nocturnalbears]

What do you typically eat along with Mantou? It looks really good and I'd love to try and make them sometime.

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

I usually serve it during dinner along side almost any meal. Just as you would regular dinner rolls :)

[sara46762]

mantou has milk? I did not know...

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

Yes I've always made it with milk :)

[utahash]

because it will add flavor and also will give the mantou a nicer white color. if u didn't add milk the color will be a bit yellowish. i really love to eat mantou with soy bean milk in the morning. especially in the winter.

[kingsix6878]

thanks very much, I'm from china but I didn't know how to make it!

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

Good looks come and go, but great recipes live on for generations :)

[reaction117]

:D i made this today for lunch it tasted great, thnx

[rayman168]

thanks for the recipe. I was wondering why you use the dough starter for Mantou and not for your basic dough? I have tried your basic dough; and I don't mind if that is more softer. How do you store the remaining dough starter?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

I like the flavor and texture of this bun dough recipe without the starter, and have been using it for a while now. I know there are several recipes out there that do use a starter in their bun dough. It just gives it a slight different flavor and texture.

I store my starter in a glass container in the refrigerator. If your going to use it for bread like sourdough, leave it out on the counter for about a week, "feeding" it with some flour and water every so often :)

[yasibag]

@AsianCookingmadeEasy i am a little confused... for the mantou the dough starter is a must or can i leave that one out and just make it with no dough starter?

[rayman168]

Can I substitute bread flour for all purpose flour? thanks for the recipe

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

It will change the texture a bit and will probably make it more "poofy and chewy" but it should still be good :)

[htped]

thanks 4 sharing ur recipe..today i have to do it..ha ha

[icebluefaery0707]

Hi,

How should I change this recipe if I want to make wheat mantou? Is it a one-to-one substitution of the white flour with whole wheat flour? Thanks a lot.

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

I wouldn't suggest using whole wheat flour because it will make it more dense. I've never tried it before, but I'm thinking you could probably use it in the same amounts. I would however sift the wheat flour so that it's not too dense :)

[ryleuy09]

Hi,great video recipe. I've tried making this but why is my result not very white like the ones sold in stores. The color is more off-white. Is it because I used instant dry yeast in in?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

It's not the yeast. It may be the flour - they make both bleached and unbleached - you should use the bleached flour for this. Also, the dough will oxidize if left to sit too long which also changes the color. To prevent this simply place a piece of plastic wrap or a damp towle over the dough or buns as they sit. Finally, there is a special flour that you can purchase at some oriental grocery stores specifically for these buns - it's very bleached to produce a white color :)

[Kr4zi4ur0mg]

Lol... The funny thing is that. I'm eating montou right now. Are you chinese? acuse you say montou weird... Well I'm a southern chinese type of person but i know cantonese well .

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

I am half Chinese (Mandarin) and my accent comes from the southern US.

[SushML]

is active dry yeast the same as instant yeast?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

No it's not; and this recipe is a bit odd b/c I put the active dry directly into the dry ingredients instead of in water first. The reason is b/c I don't want the dough to be too "puffy" and bread like; I want more of a "squishy" texture. I'm not sure what the equivalent here would be. Usually it is about 25% less, but the instant yeast works fast even when added to the dry ingredients. In this case I would definitly try to get the active dry yeast instead :)

[SushML]

ow oke,, Thank you very much! I think ill try both.

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

ok -let me know what u think of each of the results :)

[recoil53]

Instant yeast has more live yeast cells, so it responds faster when you use it.

Active yeast stores better under more conditions.

Both are granules of live yeast surrounded by dead yeast cells. There is some "growth medium" there too.

You can store either in the freezer and it will last a while.

Because instant yeast reacts so quickly, breads will often rise before good flavor is developed. Some prefer the slower rise of active yeast for this reason.

[bluesetsuna]

I have a question. Could you add meat into this mantou , of course it wont be called that anymore. But could you? or would it have to a bun?

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

You could, however, it's a bit softer and sweeter than the bun dough :)

[thess327]

hi. can you tell me what is dough starter please.  I really love your mantao recipe. thank you

[AsianCookingmadeEasy]

The dough starter recipe can be found in my other videos. Basically it is a generic commercialized yeast that is proofed and let to sit overnight : )