How to Make Mantou (馒头,饅頭), Chinese Steamed Buns. The Simplest Recipe

In this particular video, I used the following ingredients. Usually, I use at least twice as much the amounts.

200g all-purpose flour
100g/ml tap water
2 tea spoons brown sugar
a quarter tea spoon dry yeast

This is as simple as it gets. Some people mix in some salt and oil. I tried to roll in many things, e.g. ground sweet potatoes, ground sesames, honey, etc. You can use white sugar or black sugar as well. Sugar is not optional because yeast needs sugar to take effect.

Knead the dough till it softens and becomes smooth. It usually takes me about 10-20 minutes. As always, I encourage people use a stand mixer or a bread machine for making the dough for consistency. I use my hands because I don't have either of the machines.

I let the buns rise in a conventional oven. I place the buns on pieces of parchment paper. I place a bowl of hot water in the middle of the buns so the oven gets the moisture and warmth required for the buns to rise. I usually let the buns rise for an hour. When it's really cold, mix in lukewarm water instead of tap water. Also, allow the buns to rise for 1.5 - 2.0 hours. When the buns are ready for steaming, you will see that it becomes larger but not by a lot. If the size doesn't change at all, it is too cold. The buns should not flatten at all. If that happens, it means you add way too much yeast.

Lastly, steam the buns for about 20-25 minutes. I leave the buns on the parchment paper when steaming them. If you don't want to eat them right away, let them cool and freeze them. The frozen buns can be steamed again and they still taste as good as fresh ones.