Sweet Potato Oat Steamed Buns

Taste: Original; Cooking Method: Steaming; Time: One hour; Difficulty: Moderate.

Detailed Steps for Cooking Sweet Potato Oat Steamed Buns

Steam the sweet potato until it is easily pierced with a chopstick.

Mash the sweet potato and add a suitable amount of water (or milk, which has higher calories but better taste). When the temperature of the sweet potato mash reaches around 38 degrees Celsius (similar to body temperature, not hot to the touch), add the yeast.

Add baking powder and sugar to the flour, then add the sweet potato mash. Start the bread machine and kneading program. It is recommended to keep an eye on the bread machine for the first three minutes. If the dough is too dry, add water as needed.

Place the dough in a bowl and let it ferment for two to three hours. If in a hurry, you can choose the fermentation program of the bread machine or oven, or place the bowl on an electric blanket or in a larger bowl with warm water to speed up the fermentation process.

When the dough is poked with a chopstick and doesn’t bounce back, it is ready.

Add 50g of dry flour and knead the dough to release the air. After releasing the air, add the oats and knead until they are well incorporated into the dough.

Roll out the dough and fold it three times. After rolling it into a rectangle, fold it twice. Rotate it 90 degrees and repeat. Rotate it another 90 degrees and repeat. This process of rolling and folding three times helps to stretch the gluten in the dough, resulting in a better texture.

Cut the dough into equal pieces. I used 50g for each bun, which is a bit small, but I have always had a preference for small buns and dumplings since I was young. You can use a larger amount of dough if you prefer.

Shape the dough into round buns and place them in a steamer. To prevent sticking, you can use parchment paper or cloth. To shape the buns: flatten the dough, fold in the four corners, then fold in the new corners, pressing until the edges are smooth. Swap the position of the buns and use the outer sides of both palms to roll them up and down, shaping them into round buns.

There are exactly 14 buns. Cover them and let them ferment for another 25 minutes.

Steam the buns over high heat, then reduce to low heat after the water boils. After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and let them sit for three minutes before removing from the steamer.

You can see that the texture inside the buns is very soft. The addition of sweet potato gives them a slightly sweet taste, and using oats prevents them from becoming too hard like coarse grains. Perfect!