Sweet Potato Mantou (Chinese Steamed Buns)

Submitted by Kate S.

"Mantou are filling Chinese buns, served for breakfast, or as part of a meal. Sweet potato mantou have more flavor and nutrition than plain mantou. They are colorful, and are easily formed into attractive shapes. This recipe should also work well with carrots or squash."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs
• Ingredients: 8
• Yields: 16 buns

ingredients

• 1⁄2 lb purple sweet potato or 1/2 lb orange sweet potato
• 1 cup water or 1 cup milk
• 1⁄2 cup sugar (I use 2 T sugar for a less sweet bun)
• 3 teaspoons yeast
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons lard or 4 tablespoons butter

directions

1. Peel and cook sweet potato.
2. Puree cooked sweet potato in blender with water or milk and sugar.
3. Pour sweet potato liquid into a bowl, sprinkle with yeast, and allow to dissolve.
4. Sift dry ingredients together.
5. Stir flour mixture into yeast mixture. Knead in 1 additional cup of flour as needed.
6. Melt butter or lard and knead into dough.
7. Let rise until double (60-90 min).
8. Roll dough into flat rectangle; starting from front edge, roll dough into log. Cut log into 16 equal segments. (See photos and instructions for more attractive ways to shape the buns here: http://wendyinkk.blogspot.sg/2009/08/steamed-sweet-potato-mantou.html and here: http://wendyinkk.blogspot.sg/2011/08/purple-sweet-potato-rose-mantou.html).
9. Place buns in steamer basket, on cheesecloth, about 1 inch apart.
10. Steam vigorously for 15-20 minutes.
11. (The buns can be cooked in the steamer basket of your rice cooker while the rice is cooking. They don't all fit at one time, so I freeze the the rest of the shaped, raw, buns on a flat baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag. I can pull them out a few at time to thaw and steam as needed.).