Man Tou Recipe

A lot of my childhood memories of breakfast and late night snacks surround these fluffy, sweet, steamed breads that would accompany rice porridge and all sorts of salty pickles and other cured fare. We’d dip them in spicy doufuru (fermented tofu) drizzled in sesame oil with a dusting of freshly ground szechuan peppercorn. Or they’d be eaten with pork sung (pork floss), douchi (fermented soybeans), preserved bamboo shoots, soy sauce cucumber pickles, and salted duck egg. We’d use it to soak up soup, or cut in half as a makeshift guabao bun. 

I now live about an hour away from the Chinese grocery store, and while much of the pickles and fermented foods I still keep in my fridge, I don’t often have reason to eat or use them. But today the craving for freshly steamed man tou overtook me, and I dedicated the morning to making them. It’s real easy with a bread machine that has the dough function, but mixing it by hand isn’t an issue either. It came out delicious and punched me in my nostalgic gut. You’ll have about 10 – 12 total, and they freeze well–just microwave wrapped in a wet paper towel and voila!

The dough is also suitable for making steamed buns, with both sweet and savory fillings.

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1.25 cup warm milk
• 1 package yeast
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon baking powder

1. Combine the warm milk and yeast and allow to sit for 5 minutes while yeast proofs.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients and then mix in the vegetable oil and milk and yeast mixture.
3. Knead until the dough is well combined and smooth. Allow to rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
4. Flatten dough and then roll the dough into a log shape. Cut into 2 inch wide pieces. Optionally place into cupcake wrappers.
5. Steam for about 15 minutes, or until dough has been cooked through.