Steamed Buns

You can thank my sister-in-law, Tomomi, for teaching me how to make these delicious buns and letting me share the recipe with you. Steamed buns are quick and easy to make, freeze well, and can hold pretty much any filling your heart desires.

Sweet azuki bean buns

Tomomi’s Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup lukewarm water
• 1 tbsp sesame (or other) oil
• 1-2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1  tsp dry yeast

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients into a bread machine and run it on the dough setting.
2. While the bread machine is machining, make your filling (See below for filling ideas.)
3. Once the bread machine cycle is complete, preheat your oven to 105°F.  (My oven gives me the option of 0°F or 200°F, so I just preheat it at the lowest setting for a few minutes, then turn the heat off.)
4. Take your dough and divide in 6. Shape into buns and place on squares of baking parchment.
5. Let them rise inside the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
6. Flatten the rolls (I do this on a piece of parchment so I don’t have to worry about dusting the counter with flour), place a tsp to a tbsp of filling in the middle of your dough and bring the edges together until the tastiness is sealed inside. Return stuffed bun to its square of parchment.
7. Let buns rise in the oven another 10 minutes. While waiting start water boiling in a wok or pot large enough to accommodate your bamboo steamer.
8. At the end of the 10 minutes, transfer the buns into the steamer and cook them for 10 minutes over medium-high heat.
9. Enjoy.

Note: Buns freeze well and can be thawed in the fridge overnight. Microwave them for approximately 30 seconds for a warm and satisfying treat.

Heather’s Whole Wheat Version

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup lukewarm water
• 1 tbsp sesame (or other) oil
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1  tsp dry yeast

Directions as above.

Filling Ideas

• Sweet Azuki Bean Buns ~ fill with sweet azuki bean paste
• Tuna Melts ~ fill with a mixture of light flaked tuna, avocado, and old cheddar
• Pizza Pockets ~ fill with a mixture of tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella, and veggie pepperoni
• Lox Pockets ~ fill with a mixture of smoked salmon, cream cheese, and capers
• Taco Pockets ~ fill with a mixture of refried beans, salsa, and Monterey Jack cheese
• Samosa Buns ~ fill with samosa filling (I especially like the recipe in the Moosewood Cookbook)
• Apple Pie Pocket ~ will with a mixture of baked apple, pomegranate seeds, a pinch of cinnamon and clove, and Manchego cheese
• Spanokopita Buns ~ fill with a mixture of feta cheese, cooked chopped spinach, sautéed onion and chopped garlic
• Brocco-Buns ~ fill with a finely chopped mixture of cooked broccoli and cauliflower, and shredded jalapeño havarti
• Sweet Potato Buns ~ fill with mashed yams seasoned with a pinch of salt and some maple syrup

Have your own ideas for scrumptious fillings? We’d love to read about them in the comments!

 

Cheesy Jalapeño Cornbread

These mini cornbreads are especially delicious straight from the oven with a bit of melty cream cheese.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1¼ cups cornmeal
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• ½ cup plain yogourt
• 1¼ cups milk
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 drained can whole kernal corn (without added sodium; not creamed corn)
• 4 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely minced
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly oil 12-cup muffin tin.
2. In a bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, and baking powder. In a second bowl whisk together egg, yogourt, and milk. Pour liquid into dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until the dry ingredients are moist.
3. Add butter, corn, jalapeño, and half the cheese, then stir.
4. Spoon batter into muffin tin. Divide the rest of the cheese evenly and sprinkle over each cup. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. Let cool in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer muffins to cooling rack. These keep well in the freezer and can be thawed overnight or microwaved when you’re ready to eat them.

 

Golden Raisin Scones

These scones are really quick to make and are great when you wake up and realize you’ve no breakfast foods. I’ve substituted dried apricots and dried cranberries for the raisins, and I really love having them with a bit of cream cheese and some ginger-stem compote. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup golden raisins (or other dried fruit)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2/3 cup milk, approximately

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF and lightly grease baking sheet.
2. Blend the butter into the flour and baking powder, then stir in the sugar and raisins.
3. Make a well in the centre and pour in the beaten egg. Mix to a soft dough with the milk.
4. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth, then roll out until half an inch thick. Cut with a 2-inch cutter and place the scones on the prepared baking sheet.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, then cool slightly on a wire rack before serving.

From High-Fiber Cooking

Vegans or people like me, who forget to check that they have eggs in the house before they start making the scones, can replace the egg with flax eggs. Of course, vegans will also want to substitute nondairy milk or water for the milk.

 

Custardy Popovers

Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs
• 1¼ cups milk
• 1¼ cups flour
• ½ tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF
2. Beat 4 large eggs together with 1¼ c. of milk.
3. Add 1¼ c. flour and ½ tsp. salt to the wet mixture and beat until it is reasonably well mixed. It’s just fine if the mixture is a little lumpy.
4. Grease a 12 muffin tin & fill each cup about ½ full with the batter.
5. Bake for about 30 minutes. (Try not to open the oven while they’re baking.)
6. Remove the popovers from the tin, peirce each one once with a toothpick and place on a cooling rack until cool enough to eat.

Best served with good Earl Grey tea and mandarin oranges at 4pm in the winter.
From Moosewood Cookbook

 

No-Knead Bread

Time: About 1½ hours for preparation plus 14 to
20 hours for rising

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
• ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
• 1¼ teaspoons salt
• Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

Directions:

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is okay. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.
Published: New York Times, Nov. 8, 2006
Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery