The Easiest Steamed Bun Recipe | Soft & Fluffy Cornmeal Mantou

Hi everyone, today we're making Chinese cornmeal mantou. These soft, fluffy, golden skin buns are surprisingly easy to make. Unlike traditional baozi, which requires lots of kneading, proving, and wrapping, this dough is wonderfully forgiving. It comes together in minutes, and it only needs one rise. So simple that it guarantees success, even if you're new to the kitchen. For the dry ingredients, we will use 300g of all-purpose flour and 200g of fine cornmeal. Do not use coarse cornmeal, or else your steamed buns will come out really rough. Give them a good whisk so everything is evenly distributed. In a measuring cup, we will add 170g of water, 1.5 tsp of yeast, 5 tbsp of sugar, and cracking 2 eggs. Whisk everything really well until you don't see any obvious egg white. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir at the same time to incorporate everything. Once the dough starts coming together, add 3 tbsp of melted butter. Switch to your hands and knead until all the dry flour has been absorbed. A dough made with partial cornmeal feels surprisingly pleasant to work with. It's extra soft and pliable, but not sticky at all. You can easily knead it smooth without that much force and time. That's one of the reasons I recommend it to beginners. In about 5 minutes, it's done and look how beautiful and elastic it is. Shape it into a long log, and cut it into 12 even pieces. You can use a scale if you want to be precise. I just go with my eyes. If you are in a rush, feel free to steam the dough cuts as they are, and you will get that classic knife cut mantou shape, or what we call dao qie mantou. If you want to make round steamed buns, simply shape each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Place each bun onto a small parchment paper to prevent it sticking. Then arrange them into the steamer, leaving a little space between each other because they will double in size. The good thing about this recipe is that you only need to proof it for once, so just wait for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until they are doubled in size. Since we have plenty of time to wait, let me introduce you to my cookbook. I carefully selected 168 Chinese recipes, featuring popular takeout dishes, easy family meals, and various traditional specialties. Every recipe comes with lots of photos, clear instructions, and a QR code to a demo video so you can watch exactly how it's made. If you want to cook better than takeout in your own kitchen, check the link in the pinned comment and grab a copy. Alright, let's check the buns. They have increased in size. Let's fill a pot with water and place the steamers on it. Turn the heat to high. As soon as the water comes to a boil and you see steam escaping from the lid, reduce the heat to medium and continue steaming for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, but don't open the lid right away. Let the buns rest inside the steamer for another 5 minutes before serving. And that's it! Freshly steamed cornmeal mantou are incredibly soft and fluffy with a delicate chew. My husband likes to enjoy them warm with a slice of salted butter. The traditional Chinese way is to serve them alongside a cup of soy milk. If you want, you can turn it into a bacon egg and cheese sandwich. I also like to stuff some Lao Gan Ma chili crisp in between. I hope you give this a try soon. As always, the printable recipe link is in the pinned comment. Go check it out. Don't forget to like and subscribe to my channel for more easy and delicious Chinese food. Thank you for watching and I'll see you next time. Bye!