• Approximate Time: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
• Yields: 15 Beautiful Buns
• Ingredients
  • All-purpose flour
  • Yeast
  • Warm water
  • Sugar
  • Non-stick cooking spray
• Equipment
  • Multi-tier steam pot
  • Clear plastic wrap
  • Parchment paper

Prepare your dry ingredients. Make a dry mix with 5 cups of all-purpose flour.

In a separate bowl, add 2 cups of warm water, 1 tablespoon of yeast, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. The sugar is added for flavor, and also to assist in the fermentation process.

Allow the sugar and yeast mixture to sit for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

During this time, prepare your oven. Bring your oven to 100 degrees Fahrenheit and then turn it off. The warm oven will help with the fermentation of your dough. You can place the dough in a similar kind of warm environment to yield similar results.

Add warm water, yeast, and sugar mixture to the flour in increments until a dough is created. The consistency should be soft and sticky, but maintain its mass.

Let the dough sit for 60 minutes, covered, in the warm oven.

Prepare your multi-tier steam pot by adding a sheet of parchment paper to each rack and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Remove dough from the oven. It should be sticky when removed from the bowl.

Place dough on a clean surface or cutting board coated liberally with flour.

Knead the dough well, aiming to remove all air bubbles within, dusting the outside of the ball with flour as you knead. Much emphasis should be placed on the thorough kneading process. This step will require 10-20 minutes of notable effort. The final ball of dough should be lightly coated with flour, dense, and dry to the touch.

Roll the dough into a smooth long snake, roughly 3″ in diameter.

Cut the snake into three equidistant sections.

Each section should be subsequently cut evenly into 5 pieces.

As you work on kneading the pieces from your first snake section, cover the remaining sections with clear plastic wrap to prevent them from drying as you work on the first batch of buns.

Knead each individual piece (over flour to prevent sticking) for 10 minutes each. This will further remove air bubbles from the dough and create a bouncy, resilient, delightful bun with perfect chomping density. The reason for working the dough so much is to produce a final steamed bun that will literally “bounce back” when poked.

Fill the bottom-most level of your pot with water just 1″ deep.

Place the round buns on the parchment paper of each rack within your pot. Buns should be equidistant, approximately 2-3″ apart to allow for the rising of the dough.

Once all buns are in position, cover and position your pot over the stove (off). Cover the pot and allow unsteamed buns to sit, covered, for 5-10 minutes. This will finalize their form and prepare them for full steam ahead.

After this waiting period, set your stove to high, bringing the water to a boil. You’ll know the water is at a boil when steam begins to protrude from each level. From the point of full-steam boiling, your buns will be complete in 15 minutes.

Turn off the stove after 15 minutes and leave the pot covered for another 5 minutes. This will ensure that they maintain their shape. If the change in pressure and temperature is too sudden, the buns will deflate and lose their rotund appearance (although they’ll still probably taste delicious).

Remove the buns and enjoy immediately while steaming hot. If there are leftovers, remove from pot, cover overnight, and re-steam (or even microwave) to enjoy the following day. There will be no pinnacle of deliciousness like that of a first-time freshly-steamed bun, so keep that in mind. Long-term storage is not recommended – just make another batch when you’re craving!

Enjoy these classic Chinese steamed buns hot and fresh in a variety of delicious ways. Eat them plain, pulled apart, dipped in your favorite sauces, or make a ro jia mo, a man tou sandwich filled with succulent meats.

Serve with savory or sweet sides of your choosing. Pairs perfectly with flavorful beef and broccoli, or even peanut butter and sesame! There are endless possibilities when it comes to enjoying the versatile, simple, and undeniably delicious man tou.