How to ferment steamed buns

1. One-time fermentation: Put the kneaded dough into a basin, cover it with a lid or plastic wrap, and conduct one-time fermentation. Dough ferments easily when the weather is hot. Generally, it is enough to ferment until it is twice the size of the original dough.

2. Shaping: Pour out the dough and place it on the board. Knead it for a while to expel more air inside. The smaller the holes in the cross section of the dough after cutting, the better. Knead in this way. The smoother the steamed buns will be when they come out, and the surface of the steamed buns will be smoother after steaming; the same is true for stuffed buns. Then, you can make steamed buns or steamed buns while placing them in the steamer.

3. Secondary fermentation: Before steaming, it is best to carry out secondary fermentation. Let the green body stand in the steamer for about 20 to 30 minutes. It is recommended not to ignore this step. Steamed buns or steamed buns that have undergone secondary fermentation will definitely be better than those that lack this step. When the weather is hot, the steamer is filled with cold water, because high temperatures facilitate fermentation; when the weather is cold, the steamer is filled with hot water, which is more conducive to secondary fermentation.

Extended information

Steamed stuffed bun is an ancient traditional pasta. It is usually made of bread and stuffing. The main ingredients are flour and stuffing. It originated in Sichuan. According to legend, it was invented by Zhuge Liang during the Three Kingdoms period (more than 1,800 years ago).

The use of the name steamed buns began in the Song Dynasty. "Yan Yi Yi Mou Lu" states: "On Renzong's birthday, steamed buns were given to ministers." The note after the steamed buns said: "That is another name for steamed buns." Steamed buns with fillings are called steamed buns by northerners (which means steamed buns without fillings, but steamed buns with fillings). Steamed buns are generally made from fermented flour, and their sizes vary according to the size of the fillings. The smallest ones can be called small steamed buns, and the others are called medium steamed buns and large steamed buns. Commonly used fillings are pork, mutton, beef, vermicelli, mushrooms, bean paste, celery, eggplant, cabbage, leeks, tofu, fungus, dried vegetable meat, egg yolk, sesame, etc.