Chinese Steamed Buns (Mantou) 饅頭

After having enjoyed quite a few potato dinner rolls and other baked goods the past few months, I had a craving for a lighter roll and steamed buns or mantou seemed like the perfect solution. Mantou are unfilled, so you really get to appreciate the flavor of the bun itself. While I can pretty easily get mantou in my area, they don't always compare to the light, fluffy, coconut-scented mantou of my childhood and the only bakery that comes closest to that memory is a bit of a trek away. So, I decided to try making my own and now after a few tries, I think these are pretty darn good.

The recipe is adapted from a Chinese cookbook that my mom bought many years ago and other sources. The recipe should be pretty easily adapted to make other variations of mantou such as matcha and chocolate. I'll have another post when I try those out. So far, I've made them plain and with coconut milk. While both are great, I just have a place in my heart for coconut-flavored things and what's even better about making my own is that I can make them as coconutty as I want. The plain version of these can be used to make other types of buns such as barbecue pork buns or flower rolls and I've done that in the past, but I haven't tried it out recently.


Coconut milk mantou

Mantou made with milk

While these buns are pretty fluffy, they may not be quite as fluffy as steamed buns you'll find outside which could be made using a sponge starter method. I'm also going to try that method soon. I've used a lower protein all-purpose flour here rather than a Chinese flour specifically for steamed buns as well as organic unbleached sugar, so the buns are not super white. I might try using cake flour to see how they come out, but I'm quite happy with the recipe as it is. If you like your buns a little less sweet, take out some of the sugar though I personally think mantou need to have a slight sweetness to taste right.

It's important that your dough doesn't sit out rising for too long and also to give it enough time to rise. The time your dough needs may be more or less than the times I've included here, so just keep an eye on it and go on to the next step when it has risen to the right size.

Mantou
Recipe adapted from The Food of China by Deh-Ta Hsiung and Nina Simonds
Makes 24 buns

5 1/2 cups (700 g) all purpose flour, plus more for kneading and shaping
2 cups milk, whole or reduced fat or coconut milk
6 tbsp (75 g) granulated sugar
3 tsp (13 g) active dry yeast
3 tbsp (45 g) coconut oil or vegetable oil
3 tsp (12 g) baking powder

Sift the flour into a large bowl. Reserve about half a cup of the flour on the side. In a small saucepan, add the sugar and coconut oil to the milk and heat over medium until the sugar is dissolved and the coconut oil has melted. Let cool to 110-115 deg F.

Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and let sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy. Gradually pour the milk mixture into the sifted flour and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to come together.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes adding in the remaining half cup of flour as needed. Use a little more flour if your dough is very sticky. The dough should be smooth and able to be handled, but still sticky.

Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for about 2 hours until at least doubled in size. After the dough has doubled, turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Flatten the dough slightly into a rectangle. Sprinkle the baking powder over the dough, fold up the edges of the dough sealing the baking powder and knead the dough for a few minutes to incorporate the baking powder. Cut the dough in half.

With one half of the dough, roll the dough out into a rectangle about 18 inches by 12 inches, fold into thirds along the long edge so that you end up with a rectangle that is about 6 inches by 12 inches. Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 18 inches by 12 inches again. Lightly dampen the surface of the dough with water and tightly roll up the dough on the long edge into a log. Pinch the edge to seal. Cut the log into 12 pieces and place each one on a piece of wax paper. Place in a steamer about 1-2 inches apart.

Repeat rolling and shaping with the other half of the dough. Let the buns rise, covered, for 30-40 minutes until they are at least 1.5 times their original size.

When ready to steam, heat water in a pot and steam the buns in a single layer in batches for 15 minutes on high heat. After 15 minutes, turn the heat off and lift the lid slightly leaving a small gap. Let the buns sit for another 2-3 minutes before removing them from the steamer to serve.

To reheat, steam the buns over high heat for 5 minutes or microwave for 15-20 seconds. They can also be frozen and reheated as desired.

For a visual of how to shape the mantou, check out this youtube video: Chinese steamed bun

Milk Bar's Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies

I've been meaning to make these for a long while now. Although I've never been to Momofuku or Milk Bar, I'm a huge longtime fan of David Chang and Christina Tosi simply because everything they do just seems so dang cool. (I know, very uncool of me to use the word "cool".) Back in one of my earliest posts several years ago, I mentioned that I had wanted to make Christina Tosi's Banana Hazelnut cake and I'm sad to say I haven't done that yet. It's definitely still on my ever-growing list of things to make, but I have to blame the discovery of blogs and my daily blog reading for adding to the list. Sometimes, you just need an occasion to kick start your baking and my sister's holiday office cookie swap was just the kick I needed to try these cookies out.

As I thumbed through the Milk Bar cookbook recently, most of the stuff did seem a bit more time consuming though I'm sure it's all worth it in the end. This recipe in comparison seemed relatively tame and as it might be obvious to you already, I'm always up for a chocolate chip type cookie. This one is thin, crunchy, caramelly in flavor, and chewy. Some of the mini marshmallows melt and caramelize a bit into toffee-like chewy bits while the cornflake crunch adds just that, crunch. It is a sweeter cookie than most with all the awesome add-ins, but I can't imagine it any other way. I'm sure it's the perfect accompaniment to a bottle of Milk Bar's famous cereal milk.

Be sure to follow the instructions closely for these and keep them in the fridge for at least the minimum amount of time, they really do flatten out tremendously.

Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies
Recipe adapted from Momofuku Milk Bar
Makes 15 to 20 cookies

Cornflake Crunch - Makes about 4 cups
5 cups (6 oz) cornflakes
1/2 cup milk powder
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
9 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 275 deg F. Crush the cornflakes to about a quarter of their original size. Mix with the milk powder, salt, and sugar. Mix in the melted butter. Spread mixture on a lined baking sheet, bake for 20 min. Let cool completely before using.

Cookies
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt (half the amount of fine salt)
3 cups cornflake crunch
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups mini marshmallows

In a standing mixer with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugars on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides with a spatula. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Beat for another 7-8 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, mix in the dry ingredients until the dough just comes together. Mix in the cornflake crunch, chocolate chips, and mini marshmallows until just combined.

With a 2 3/4 oz ice cream scoop or a 1/3 cup measure, scoop out mounds of dough onto a lined baking sheet. Pat the tops of the dough to flatten slightly. Wrap the pan in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, up to a week.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 deg F. Place the mounds of dough on a baking sheet spaced at least 4 inches apart. Bake for 13-15 min until golden brown on the edges and starting to brown in the center.

Cool cookies on the sheet pan completely. Store in an airtight container at room temp for up to 5 days.

Potato Dinner Rolls

These are seriously the fluffiest rolls ever and that is no exaggeration. I've made rolls a few times, but there's just something about the mashed potato in these that makes them suuuuper soft. If you need a dinner roll recipe, this is the one to try.

 

I first made these this past Thanksgiving and made them again around Christmas because they're just that good. Besides being superbly tasty, these are also pretty easy to put together because you can make the dough the day before, let it rise overnight in the fridge, and then bake them the next day. An overnight rise should also contribute to better overall flavor in the rolls. The recipe is meant to be no-knead, but I make it in a stand mixer and knead it a bit anyways so that it's soft, but still has some texture. It's up to you to decide how to make it, but as with most bread, it's better to err on the side of less flour so your bread doesn't come out too dense. 

To make the rolls all in one day, follow the directions over at Completely Delicious.

Potato Dinner Rolls

Recipe adapted from Red Star Yeast via Completely Delicious

Makes 18 rolls

1/2 cup (1 stick/113 g) unsalted butter
1/2 cup water
1 cup whole milk
1 cup (213 g) mashed potato
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1 tsp kosher salt (1/2 tsp fine salt)
2 large eggs
4 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (2 packages, 14 g)
5 - 6 1/2 cups (600-780 g) bread flour
Egg wash, for brushing before baking
Honey butter, for brushing after

Heat milk and butter over medium low heat in a small saucepan until the butter is melted, add water, set aside to cool until it reaches 110-115 deg F.

In the bowl of a standing mixer with a dough hook, mix the milk mixture with the mashed potato. Add the sugar, salt, and eggs. Mix until combined. Sprinkle the yeast over the mixture. Add the flour slowly, 1 cup at a time. (I used about 700 g) Knead on medium speed for 5 min.

Sprinkle a bit of flour over the dough and with the help of a rubber spatula, gather the dough into a slightly sticky ball and place in a well-oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. After one hour in the fridge, punch down the dough and let it continue to rise in the fridge overnight.

The next day, at least an hour before you want to bake the rolls, take the dough out of the fridge to warm up. Shape the dough into 18 rolls and place in a baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place such as a slightly warm oven for 30-45 minutes until the rolls have doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 400 deg F. Brush with egg wash and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Melt some honey butter as the rolls are baking. When the rolls come out, brush with honey butter. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Caramel Matzoh Crunch

Pardon the pics as I didn't have the best lighting when I made these. I'm also not a very good photographer, but hopefully that will improve. Anyway, I was introduced to Chocolate Matzoh Crunch at our extended family gatherings that take place about twice a year. There is never a shortage of good food at family gatherings, in my opinion anyway. These are a favorite whenever they make an appearance and though they are delicious and quite impressive I think, they are super simple to make. The recipe comes from David Lebovitz who adapted it from Marcy Goldman and the recipe can easily be scaled up or down. The hardest part here is making a caramel and melting chocolate.

The sweetness level can also be easily adjusted by spreading more or less caramel and chocolate on each matzoh. If you're using less, then you can just make several more sheets of matzoh.You could also use a darker or sweeter chocolate depending on your preference. I normally have to wait until Christmas to have these, but now that I know how easy they are to make, it'll be no problem to have them all year round.

Chocolate Caramel Matzoh Crunch
Recipe adapted from David Lebovitz who adapted it from Marcy Goldman

6-8 sheets unsalted matzoh
1 cup(230 g) unsalted butter
1 cup(215 g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
large pinch of salt
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup(160 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate
1 cup(80 g) toasted sliced almonds

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Preheat the oven to 375 deg F. Line the baking sheet with your matzoh, breaking it into pieces to fit if necessary.

In a medium heavy duty saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and brown sugar together. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and add the salt and vanilla. Pour the sugar mixture over the matzoh spreading it out with a  heatproof spatula.

Reduce the oven to 350 deg F. Bake the matzoh for about 15 minutes. Keep an eye on it to make sure the sugar is not burning. If the sugar is not caramelizing evenly, remove the pan from the oven and reduce the temp to 325 deg F.

Once the matzoh have been removed from the oven. Cover them with the chocolate chips and let it sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, spread out the chocolate chips with an offset spatula. Top with toasted almonds.

Let cool completely, then break into smaller pieces. Store matzoh crunch in an airtight container at room temp for up to a week.

Sweet Potato Pie

One of my favorite desserts during the holiday season and probably of all time is sweet potato pie. Pumpkin pie is a very close second followed by apple pie. Pumpkin tends to be more popular around this time of year, but sweet potato actually makes a sweeter, richer, more luxurious pie in my opinion. If you love one, you'll most likely love the other. I always like to make one or the other for Thanksgiving although in recent years, it seems less popular with my family compared to some of the other glitzier holiday desserts I make. I have a kabocha squash pie posted on this blog that is basically a take on the classic Libby's pumpkin pie that most of us know and love if you want to make a pumpkin pie. This year, I decided to try out this sweet potato pie from Joy the Baker and boy, am I glad I did.

I thought the spice profile and overall flavor of this pie was spot on, maybe the best I've ever had. Coriander is not something I normally put in my fall pies, but I really think it brought everything together nicely. The filling has quite a lot of sweet potato in it, so it's not as custardy as a typical pumpkin pie, but that's fine with me and it should be fine with you too I presume.

As Joy says, you definitely need a deep dish pie plate for this if you're making a 9 inch pie. I used a 9.5 inch pie plate and it was filled right to the top. This time, I used my standard pie crust recipe from Martha Stewart, but I'm sure Joy's buttermilk version is also fantastic.

Sweet Potato Pie
Pie Crust from Martha Stewart, Filling slightly adapted from Joy the Baker
Makes one 9 inch pie

Pie Crust
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 stick cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp fine salt
1/8-1/4 cup iced water

Pulse the butter, sugar, salt, and flour in a food processor until the butter is the size of peas. Gradually add just enough iced water as the processor is running until the dough just holds together when squeezed in the palm of your hand. Dump out onto a piece of plastic wrap and form into a round disk. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days or freeze up to a month and thaw in the fridge overnight.

When ready to use, roll out the pie dough to a round big enough for a 9 inch pie plate. Fit into the pie plate, crimp, dock with a fork, then freeze for 10 minutes. Line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or beans. Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for 30-35 minutes removing the parchment and pie weights halfway through so that the crust can begin to brown. Remove when the crust starts to color nicely. Let cool while you make the filling.

Filling
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes, about 2 medium sweet potatoes
3/4 cup packed brown sugar, light or dark
1 1/4 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup (4 tbsp.) unsalted butter
10 ounces evaporated milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

In a medium-large pot, add the mashed sweet potatoes, brown sugar, spices, salt, butter, and 5 ounces of the evaporated milk. Bring to a simmer over low heat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring thoroughly and frequently. Set aside and let cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla, and the remaining evaporated milk making sure everything is well combined. Add the egg mixture to the sweet potato mixture and combine thoroughly.

Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust. Bake on the middle rack for 10 min at 375 deg F, then reduce the oven to 325 deg F and bake for another 45-50 min until there is a slight jiggle in the center. Let cool completely before cutting. Pie will keep for a few days at a cool room temp. Refrigerate up to several days.

Julia's Banana Bread

I've been to Hawaii exactly one time, specifically the island of Oahu. If I had known about the several well known banana bread places on Maui at the time, I would've stayed there a few days just to try it out. Since I knew I wouldn't be making it back to Hawaii anytime soon, I thought I would give this banana bread from Julia's a try. I got the recipe from the March issue of Bon Appetit and the author describes this banana bread perfectly as a "sultry night, dark in color and sticky-moist". My sister and I agreed it's the best banana bread we've ever had. It's a rich, dark, stick to your fingers type of banana bread. However, it's quite different from what you might typically think of banana bread and so, if that's what you're looking for, you might be disappointed with this.

Nevertheless, I highly urge you to give it a try because it's super simple to make and you can try a little piece of Hawaii without leaving your kitchen, assuming you have the few basic ingredients this recipe requires.

 

Julia's Banana Bread
Recipe from Julia's Banana Bread Treehouse via Bon Appetit
Makes One 9 by 5 inch Loaf

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp kosher salt or 3/8 tsp fine salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 large bananas)
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Line a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan with parchment or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, you may also sift the dry ingredients into a bowl.

Whisk the eggs, sugar, bananas, and oil in a large bowl until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Scrape the batter into the loaf pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 60-70 minutes until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the pan on a wire rack for 15 min. Then take the bread out of the pan and let cool completely on the rack. Store airtight at room temp up to 3 days.