Does anyone love buns with sweet fillings? I am a big fan of all types of sweet bao buns. Today, are are making pillow-soft steamed red bean buns- also called Dou Sha Bao in Chinese, with a super easy, simple one-time proofing method.
If you are bun lovers, we have shared lots of interesting buns either savory or sweet previously, like the basic mantou, black sesame buns, golden mantou, and custard buns.
Steamed buns can be always satisfying and comforting because of their fine and soft texture. You can also change the filling and make the buns with other flavors with the same dough.
Filling for today- red bean paste
You can buy red bean paste from Asian stores usually packaged in plastic bags or we have detailed guidelines about how to make red bean paste at home. Usually, I make a larger batch each time because it can be used to make other desserts or make a lovely instant red bean soup.
I use rock sugar and simmer it together with the red beans. You can replace it with your favorite sweetener.
The sweet level for this filling is the middle. If you want a sweeter taste, increase to 3/4 cup.
Instructions
Make red bean paste
Add water, sugar, and soaked red beans into an instant pot, and cook with the bean procedure. Then transfer to a non-stick pan, and melt in butter (optional, you can use vegetable cooking oil too). Stir fry until the paste can stick together.
Wrapper dough
Once the paste is ready for wrapping, we start to make the dough. Add yeast and sugar in cold water or chilled water. Mix well.
Add flour and yeast water to a stand mixer and mix for around 1 minute at low speed. Add vegetable oil (optional) and continue kneading for at least 10 minutes until the dough is super smooth and elastic.
Assemble dou sha bao
Take the dough out, slightly dust the operating board and then divide the dough into 8 portions.
Take one portion out, to get a smooth surface, knead the small for a couple of minutes, and then shape it into a ball. If you are not good at kneading dough, a beginner-friendly way is to roll out the wrapper and then roll it up, rotate it, and then roll it out again. With this method, you can make red bean buns with a smooth surface.
Press down and then roll out slightly to a larger wrapper, then turn the wrapper over (so the smooth surface on the outside) and roll like dumpling wrappers to get a thick bottom.
Place a red bean filling in the center, gather the dough slowly using the space between your thumb and forefinger, and then tear off the excess dough. With this method, we can make cute round red bean buns.
Turn the bun over and shape it into a dome (a little bit higher because it will flat a little bit ). Repeat to finish the remaining buns. You can achieve this by rolling the dough with two hands on the operating board.
Finish all of the buns, and transfer them to a lined steamer. I make 8 this time. Line your steamer and place the buns one by one, with space among each other. If you prefer smaller ones, you can make 10 red bean buns with those ingredients.
My steamer is around 30cm. Place them in two different ones if you are using a smaller steamer.
One time proofing
Cover the lid and now let them start one-time proofing. The time depends on lots of factors, including the room temperature and then the moisture. All we need to do is to watch the size of the dough. Your buns will be ready to steam when they are 1.5 times in size.
For a better look, we don’t suggest waiting until they are 2 times in size because when the yeast starts to work, it produces small bubbles inside that beautiful and smooth skin and thus causes some small bubbles and bumps on the surface.
Steaming
When the buns are ready to steam, add the wok or steamer with cold water and steam for around 13 minutes (on middle slow heat after the water starts to boil). Then remove from heat and let it stand for 5 minutes. Pillow soft and sweet red bean buns are ready.
The one-time-proofing method is easy and super friendly to beginners, but your red bean buns might turn harder after cooling down. Re-heat to soften it back.
Homemade Red Beans Buns
Ingredients
Red bean paste (need 120g this time)
- 1/2 cup red beans pre-soaked
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 400 ml water
- 1 tbsp. butter or vegetable oil. , optional
Dough
- 300 g all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 1.5 tsp. instant yeast
- 150 ml cold water or even chilled water (see note) or 180ml milk.
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil ,corn oil
Instructions
Make red bean paste
- Since we will use one-time proofing dough, which means there is only one proofing process needed. So the first step of this red bean bun recipe is to make the paste. Add water, sugar, and soaked red beans into an instant pot, and cook with the bean procedure. Then transfer to a non-stick pan, and melt in butter (optional, you can use vegetable cooking oil too). Stir fry until the paste can stick together.
Wrapper dough
- Once the paste is ready for wrapping, we start to make the dough. Add yeast and sugar in cold water or chilled water. Mix well.
- Add flour and yeast water to a stand mixer and mix for around 1 minute at low speed. Add vegetable oil (optional) and continue kneading for at least 10 minutes until the dough is super smooth and elastic.
Roll out wrapper and assemble
- Take the dough out, slightly dust the operating board and then divide the dough into 8 portions.
- Take one portion out, to get a smooth surface, knead the small for a couple of minutes, and then shape it into a ball. If you are not good at kneading dough, a beginner-friendly way is to roll out the wrapper and then roll it up, rotate it, and then roll it out again. With this method, you can make red bean buns with a smooth surface.
- Press down and then roll out slightly to a larger wrapper, then turn the wrapper over (so the smooth surface on the outside) and roll like dumpling wrappers to get a thick bottom.
- Place a red bean filling in the center, gather the dough slowly using the space between your thumb and forefinger, and then tear off the excess dough. With this method, we can make cute round red bean buns.
- Turn the bun over and shape it into a dome (a little bit higher because it will flat a little bit ). Repeat to finish the remaining buns. You can achieve this by rolling the dough with two hands on the operating board.
- Finish all of the buns, and transfer them to a lined steamer. I make 8 this time. Line your steamer and place the buns one by one, with space among each other. If you prefer smaller ones, you can make 10 red bean buns with those ingredients.
One time proofing
- Cover the lid and now let them start one-time proofing. The time depends on lots of factors, including the room temperature and then the moisture. All we need to do is to watch the size of the dough. Your buns will be ready to steam when they are 1.5 times in size.
- For a better look, we don’t suggest waiting until they are 2 times in size because when the yeast starts to work, it produces small bubbles inside that beautiful and smooth skin and thus causes some small bubbles and bumps on the surface.
Steaming
- When the buns are ready to steam, add the wok or steamer with cold water and steam for around 13 minutes (on middle slow heat after the water starts to boil). Then remove from heat and let it stand for 5 minutes. Pillow soft and sweet red bean buns are ready.
Notes
Nutrition
How to store leftovers
If you have leftovers, transfer those red bean buns into a plastic bag, seal them well, and place them in the fridge. It can be fridge for 3 days or freeze up for 1 month.
Tips for assembling the bao buns
- You can make the red bean paste into smaller balls and then wash your hands before assembling. Or use a scoop to transfer the filling to keep the hand clean and consequently, the wrapper won’t be colored.
- Use your tiger’s mouth to shape the bun to get a perfectly round shape. Then seal the bottom completely. Watch the video for the detailed process.
- Then roll the assembled dough with your hands to perfect the shape.
Tips for making the filling
- Make sure there is enough liquid in the filling to avoid drying. But I don’t pursue a running filling because I don’t want the filling running everywhere.
- Don’t freeze the filling. The hard and cold filling will slow down the fermentation of the wrapper.
- Don’t wrap too much filling at one time. A thin wrapper influences the fermentation and shape.
What to serve with
I love to serve it with soy milk, regular milk, or congee. This is a lovely serving way of Chinese breakfast.
With this dough, you can also make other sweet buns like black sesame buns, and sugar buns.
I’m so excited to have found this recipe! I love red bean anything. <3
Hi Elyse,
I am so glad that you like it. I love those lovely and yummy red beans too.
Is there anyway to make these without special steamer? Like I have a metal veggie steamer but I don’t know if that will work? I really want to make these!
Hi Lisa,
You can make it with metal steamer.Just make sure that the steamer can be covered completely. Besides you need to place a oil pepper or some leaves firstly on the steamer.
do you have to use a steamer???
plsss tel me
They really need to be steamed. This is what I did the first time I made these as I didn’t have a steamer. Buy two disposable pie tins(the metal kind) poke holes in the bottom of both of them. Place one upside down inside a large pot and put some water in it(not enough to go over the top of the pie tin) in the other pie tin, line the bottom with parchment paper and load with buns as normal. Place this pie tin right side up on top of the one in side the pot. And steam as normal. To try and describe it better, the empty tin on the bottom will have the time against the pot(so that it is upside down) and the other one will be the normal way pie tins are used. To be able to use more space, I flattened the top tin so that I could fit more buns on it but if your pot is not wide enough don’t worry about trying to flatten it.
Just made these! For anyone wondering, I used about 2-1/2 cups flour (used 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 unbleached), and about 2/3 cup warm water (and a few more tablespoons, just to get a dough). The dough is chewy and would be great for breakfast!
Hi Kathy,
Thanks for the feedback. The water needed for a dough sometimes is differ from the flour.
If I wanted to could I use a different dough recipe and still steam them or is this dough specifically for this and for steaming ?
Hi Alex,
This is a really general dough Chinese steamed buns. So you can change the filling to make pork bun,chicken bun or custard bun etc. Go ahead to https://www.chinasichuanfood.com/?s=steamed+buns. I hope it can be inspirational.
I tried your recipe but the bun didn’t rise to the fullest after steamed. Can you tell me any possible reasons to this? Thank you!
Hi Ainaa,
If the bun did not rise, the most possible reason is the proofing process. The process may fail especially in winter when the room temperature is quite low. You will need to increase yeast amount, lengthen the proofing process or place the dough in a warmer place (around 30 degree C).
Do we have to use a steamer plss tel meeeeeeeeeeeeee ☺?
I dont have a steamer thats why
You could try putting a pot of water in your oven and letting that steam, and then adding the buns
That’s a great idea, Kaitlyn. Thanks for sharing.
Love this recipe! However can I use canned beans instead of the bean paste? It would be easier to make 🙂
Hi Ana,
Yes canned sweet beans can be used here as a filling. That’s a nice shortcut!
In my local bakery, they sell a red bean loaf that’s not made with paste, but just with the beans sprinkled through it. If I want to make this bread, do I need to cook the beans beforehand?
Yes, the beans should be pre-cooked with water, sugar(or honey) until quite soft. We call that sugared red beans.
Going to try and make this today~ I have been drooling over the thought all day at work – Thank you so much for this recipe 😀
Do I need a steamer basket like the one pictured, or will a metal steamer pan work? Would I need to coat it with oil or anything like that?
Hi,
Both bamboo steamer and metal steamer can work and there is no need to coat it with anything. That’s how we steam traditional Chinese buns.
I just finished a batch. They came out excellently. The flavor is REALLY nice.
I made mine by pureeing the cooked beans (skin on) for the paste in the food processor, and just adding the sugar and butter to the food processor as it pureed.
I think next time I make a batch, I’ll double the recipe, and once I get to the point where I’m ready to steam them, I’ll freeze half of the buns. That way I can just pull them out of the freezer, let them thaw, and have ready to steam buns.
From Italg..tx!