Sweet Potato Steamed Buns - “番薯包”

I make this “番薯包”- Sweet Potato Steamed Buns last night. Apart for praying my Buddha, I can have it as breakfast today. As a devoted buddhist, on every 1st and 15th day of the Chinese Lunar Calendar I will eat only vegetarian food, so no meat for me today☻ Today is WESAK DAY, it's known as Buddha's Birthday - a meaningful day for all the buddhist people. I bring my kids to pray at several temple around here.

I love to learn making my kid's favourite food. By making our own, it's way cheaper than buying it outside and one more thing that I concern is, it's more healthy and hygiene. I will make sure the ingredients I use are the fresh one and without any colouring or preservatives. This “番薯包”are one of my daughters favourite. They just love it. My son and my father they like"Char Siu Bao". So, each time when I make the dough for "baos" I will divided them into several portion. I'll make few of each "baos" at one time - "Char Siu Bao, Kaya Bao and Tau Sa Bao"☻

I use the basic bao's skin recipe for this Sweet Potato Steamed Buns but added in mashed sweet potatoes and reduce the amount of water for making this delicious buns. You can refer the Basic Bao's Skin Recipe - HERE

Ingredients :

120 g Warm Water
5 g Instant Yeast (about 1 tbsp)
1 tbsp Icing Sugar

150 g Sweet Potato (steamed and mashed finely)

200 g Flour/Cake flour (I use Bluekey's "Bao" Flour)
100 g Self-raising flour
80 g Icing sugar
30 g Corn Oil/Sun Flower Oil

some 3"x3" papers for lining the buns

Method:


In a big mixing bowl, mix the yeast with warm water and a tablespoon of icing sugar. Cover it with a big wet cloth. Set aside and let it prove for 45mins.

Meanwhile, sieve the flour and icing sugar together into another bowl.

After 45 mins of proofing. Stir and pour the yeast mixture into the sieve flour and add in oil. Use a wooden spoon to mix it to crumble and start kneading the dough with hand. The dough will be a bit sticky at first, knead until it's soft and smooth (**the dough will be a bit sticky to compare with the basic bao's skin - if you find it too sticky to knead, dust your hand with some flour before you start working on it)

It takes approximately 20 - 25mins depend on how you knead it. Cover the bowl with wet cloth or cling wrap and let the dough rest for 15 - 20 mins. When the dough are ready (it shall expand a bit by now), dust your work place with some flour roll the dough and divided it into 12 small balls.

Dust with flour again and roll the small ball into 4" x 2" rectangle piece and roll it up like springroll. Place it on the 3" x 3" lining paper. Continue to finished up all the dough. Make sure you cover the finished buns with a wet cloth to prevent it from dries up. Let the buns rest for 10 - 15 mins before you steamed it in high heat. **Water in the steamer must be boiling before you put the buns to steam.


Notes: Please take note, over proofing the bao dough will cause the "wrinkled" skin on the baos. You can always replace the oil with the "same amount" of shortening (just in case you still have it at home) but, I prefer just using corn oil. The texture of the skin are very much depend on how you knead the dough, make sure you knead it the right way by fold and push down the dough with your wrist, repeat this action till the dough are smooth. It's not press the dough with our palm actually !!!☻

Makes: 12 buns