1. Dissolve the yeast powder with 125 ml of warm water (as shown in the picture).

2. Pour the flour into the basin and make a well in the middle. Pour the yeast water from step 1 into the noodles, and then pour in the remaining 125 ml of water. If the flour is dry and the dough is too hard to knead, you can add a few dozen grams more water. (If you have a bread machine, pour the flour into the bread machine, and the other operations are the same.)

3. Start kneading the dough, mix the flour and water with your hands, and then knead it evenly and smoothly. Dough. Pay attention to a few actions when kneading the dough:

(1) Pick up the dough and wipe the basin to remove any dry flour or small dough lumps on the basin.

(2) Clench your fist and press down so that the surface on the back of your hand can be glued clean.

(3) Press the dough down with your palms so that the dough on your palms can be glued cleanly.

(4) Finally, knead repeatedly until the dough is smooth. Repeat these actions several times, and you will be able to knead the legendary "three cleans" dough of clean face, clean hands, and clean basin.

4. Dough fermentation. Keep the dough covered while fermenting to prevent the skin from drying out and hardening during the fermentation process. Generally, fermentation can be completed in 2 hours at natural room temperature in summer, but it takes longer in winter. There are two criteria for testing whether the dough has fermented well:

(1) The volume has doubled.

(2) When you peel off the middle of the dough, you can see that it has become a honeycomb shape inside. As long as these two standards are met, it proves that the dough has been fermented. No matter how long it takes, do not continue to ferment. Over-fermentation will cause the dough to become sour.

5. Knead the dough to release air. First sprinkle some dry flour on the panel (as shown in the picture), and dip your hands in some dry flour, then take the dough out of the basin and place it on the panel, so that the dough does not stick to the panel and your hands.

6. Knead hard with your hands (as shown in the picture). Knead until the dough is about to stick to the panel, and then sprinkle a thin layer of dry flour on it. Repeat this process and sprinkle a thin layer of flour on top. dry flour, repeat several times, use more force at this time, knead for a while, the steamed buns will be chewy and delicious.

7. Determine whether the dough is kneaded well: Use a knife to cut the dough. It will be good if no obvious honeycomb shape is visible on the cut surface (as shown in the picture). If there are obvious honeycombs inside, the steamed buns will not only taste bad, but also have wrinkled and ugly skin, and the buns may even crack and open their mouths.

8. After the dough is kneaded, use your hands to roll the dough into a long strip as thick as your wrist (as shown in the picture).

9. Then use a knife to cut evenly. When cutting, master the key to three words: fast, accurate, and ruthless! The steamed buns cut out in this way will be even in size and have a nice shape! (As shown in the picture)

10. After cutting, quickly separate each steamed bun dough. If you do not separate the two adjacent steamed buns, they will soon stick to each other. If you want to make knife-cut steamed buns, they have already been formed by this time.

11. If you want to make round steamed buns, roll the cut dough into a round ball, put the smoothest side on it, put the dough on the chopping board, and hold it with your hands while rolling it back and forth. Knead until they are all round, with the bottom smaller and the top larger, like a steamed bun. Regardless of whether the steamed buns are cut or rolled, they should be dipped in some dry flour and placed on a panel or other container to avoid sticking to the panel. The top needs to be covered with something, otherwise the skin will become hard.

The rolled steamed buns cannot be steamed immediately. The steamed buns should be left at room temperature for a while to allow the dough to relax. During this period, find something to cover the steamed buns to prevent the skin from getting hard. Generally, just leave it at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes. Boil water in a steamer, brush a layer of oil on the steamer tray, or wet the cage cloth and place it on it.

12. Place the rested steamed buns on the steamer one by one. When placing the steamed buns, leave half a bun between them (as shown in the picture), because the steamed buns are steaming It will increase in size during the process. Never steam it in a pot over boiling water, as it can be easily scalded to death due to sudden heat. You can use either warm or cold water. Steam on low heat for 5 minutes, then turn on maximum heat (make sure there is enough water in the pot).

13. From the time the pot is opened, steam the buns for about 15 to 25 minutes depending on their size. Standards for testing steamed buns: Open the pot lid and use your fingers to press the buns down into a pit. If they do not return to their original shape, the buns are not yet cooked. Quickly cover the pot lid and continue steaming. If it can return to its original state quickly, it proves that the steamed buns are cooked.