Vegan Steamed Bao Buns Recipe - 2 Ways

Welcome to another episode. Today I'll be showing you how to make some plant-based bao buns. These are soft and delicious and I'll also be attempting to make an alkaline version too. Let's see how it goes. We'll be starting with the vegan version. In a bowl you want to add one cup of lukewarm water. Add a quarter ounce of active dry yeast to the water. Make sure your water is not too hot or you'll kill the yeast. To feed the yeast and to make it bloom, you want to add one tablespoon of sugar. Give it a good mix to dissolve the sugar and to combine. After mixing, let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes in a warm place. While that's resting, let's work on our dry ingredients. In a large bowl you want to add two cups of all-purpose flour. Next, you want to add one tablespoon of baking powder. While you add it, also add a sprinkle of the like button. Thank you. Add a quarter teaspoon of salt and feel free to adjust as needed. This is optional but you could add one more tablespoon of sugar then give it a good mix. You could add some plant-based milk if you want but I tried it and didn't like it so I'm skipping it. The yeast should be bloomed after 10 to 15 minutes of resting. Add it to the dry ingredients. Next, you want to add three to four tablespoons of avocado oil or any oil of your choice. Using a spatula, you want to give it a good mix to combine. There are several ways to make bao buns but this method works for me. If your dough is too sticky, add some flour. Mix until your dough comes together then generously flour a working surface. Place your dough on your floured working surface and start kneading. You want to knead for about seven to eight minutes or until your dough is relatively smooth. It'll help if you have some music playing in the background. Once you're done, shape your dough into a ball and let it rest for at least 30 to 90 minutes. Place your dough back in the bowl and cover with a kitchen towel then let it rest in a warm dry place. After about 30 to 90 minutes of resting, you'll notice your dough has doubled in size. That's a good sign that your yeast is alive and kicking. Deflate the dough using the tips of your fingers then go ahead and place it on a floured working surface. The next step is not really kneading but more of taking out one to two minutes to squeeze out any air bubbles that formed during the resting process. Next, flour a rolling pin and roll out your dough. While rolling, remember to move your dough around. Now you want to roll out your dough to a thickness of about half an inch. You can go thinner but I like my bar buns thick. Once you're done, grab something circular like a cookie cutter and cut your dough into circles. Hey, I just want to thank you all for believing in this channel and for getting us to 50k. I really appreciate you all. I've had a lot of trouble this year with some creators spreading falsehood and attacking the channel but we're fixing it. After cutting out the circles, peel off excess dough and repeat the process. You don't have to own a cookie cutter to achieve this. You can also use a circular bowl. I've been doing this for years. As you hopefully can see, it works just fine. If you have a small pot cover, this also doubles as a cookie cutter. I use this when I need to make larger buns. Once you're done cutting, lightly brush the tops of your dough with some oil. I'm using avocado oil. Doing this will stop the buns from sticking when folded. After oiling the surface of your dough, you want to cut some parchment paper into squares using a pair of kitchen scissors. Gently pick up all of the dough you cut into circles, then place them over the top of your parchment paper squares. Easy, right? The next step is to fold all of your circular dough in half. Lightly roll the top with a rolling pin, then repeat the process. Once you're done, you're going to need a steamer. Place your dough along with the parchment paper squares in a steamer. I'm using a bamboo steamer and I'll leave a link in the description box below. Let your dough rest for about 10 to 15 minutes. Once your dough is rested, you can cover your steamer and proceed to the next step. Place a wok or a pan on a stove set to high heat, then add two cups of water. Bring the water to a boil and be careful so you don't scald yourself. Once your water has come to a boil, grab your steamer and gently place it over the top of your wok, pan, or pot. Let it steam undisturbed for 10 to 12 minutes. Whatever you do, don't open it. Let's attempt to make the alkaline version. I'm making no promises. For the alkaline version, I'm using two cups of white camomile flour. You can also use spelt or einkorn flour. Add your flour to a large bowl, then add a quarter teaspoon of sea salt. Whisk it all together, then set it aside. Let's attempt to make a rising agent using some sea moss. Over here, I have a quarter cup of sea moss. To the sea moss, I'll be adding two tablespoons of agave syrup. Next, you want to add about one cup of sparkling water, then whisk to combine. Next, you want to add this bubbly mixture to your flour. I'm attempting this because people living the alkaline lifestyle don't eat yeast. Next, you want to add three to four tablespoons of avocado oil, then give it a good mix. After mixing with a spatula and bringing the dough together, you can go in with your hands. While kneading with your hands, you'll find out that this dough is really sticky. Feel free to add some flour to make it easier. Now, you want to knead this dough for about five to seven minutes. Once your dough has come together just like this, you want to let it rest. Place it back in the bowl, cover, and let it rest for about 30 minutes in a warm, dry place. When your dough is done resting, you want to flour a working surface, place your dough on it, and start kneading. This dough is way softer and way easier than the dough made from all-purpose flour, but let's see if we can make power buns out of it. Knead your dough for five minutes, and when you're done, form a ball and place it on a lightly floured working surface. Flour a rolling pin and roll out your dough to about a quarter or half an inch in thickness. This dough was also really easy to roll out. I guess it's because kamut flour is lower in gluten than all-purpose flour. Don't forget to move your dough around while rolling. Just like the previous dough, after rolling, go ahead and cut your dough into circles. Peel off excess dough and repeat the process with the excess dough. Brush the surface of your dough with some avocado oil. As you can see, the dough didn't rise much. Anyway, go ahead and fold your dough in half. Once you've folded your dough in half, gently roll over it with a rolling pin, then place it in a steamer. Our dough is ready to go, but first let's check on the power buns made of all-purpose flour. Beautiful! Let's set these aside to cool down. Replace the water and repeat the process with a kamut dough. Let it steam for 10 to 12 minutes. After 10 to 12 minutes, I was so excited to check on it, but this is what I got. Well, did you expect something different? That's what you get for not using yeast or baking powder. It's not too bad, but just like anything made without rising agents, it's dense. Here are the power buns with rising agents. They are not as smooth as I wanted them to be, but they are extremely fluffy. After lots of experimentation with these two power buns, I'm so tired that I just want to sleep on these. Check this out. If you enjoyed this video, please don't forget to hit the like button and don't forget to subscribe. I'm finally back from work travel and a brief vacation, and I'm ready to roll. Anyway, thanks a lot for watching. I'll keep working on the alkaline version, and I'll see you all next week.