Kitchen Recipe Collection
Red Bean Buns (Dou Sha Bao)
A classic, comforting steamed bun. The dough is stark white, incredibly soft and fluffy, encasing a generous center of sweet, rich red bean paste.
- Prep
- 90 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 105 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- medium
- Cuisine
- Chinese
Ingredients
Scaled for 8 servings
- Dough: 2.5 cups Bao flour (or low-protein all-purpose flour)
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/4 cup warm milk
- 1 tbsp cooking oil or lard
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Filling: 1.5 cups sweetened red bean paste (store-bought or homemade)
Equipment
- Large bamboo steamer
- Parchment paper squares
Instructions
- 1
Activate Yeast
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and milk. Let sit for 5 minutes until frothy.
- 2
Make Dough
Mix the flour and baking powder. Add the yeast liquid and oil. Knead for 10 minutes until perfectly smooth and elastic.
- 3
First Proof
Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour until doubled in size.
- 4
Prepare Filling
Divide the red bean paste into 8 equal balls (about 2 tablespoons each).
- 5
Divide Dough
Punch down the dough to remove all air bubbles. Divide into 8 equal pieces and roll into balls.
- 6
Flatten Dough
Use a rolling pin to roll each dough ball into a flat circle. Roll the edges thinner than the center.
- 7
Wrap Filling
Place a ball of red bean paste in the center. Gather the edges of the dough and pleat them together to seal the bun tightly.
- 8
Shape
Place the bun seam-side down (so it is smooth on top) onto a small square of parchment paper.
- 9
Second Proof
Place the buns in the steamer (do not turn on heat). Cover and let them rest for 20-30 minutes until they look slightly puffy and lighter.
- 10
Steam
Turn the heat to high and bring water to a boil. Steam the buns for exactly 12 minutes.
- 11
Crucial Resting Step
Turn off the heat. DO NOT open the lid immediately, or the sudden cold air will cause the buns to collapse and wrinkle. Wait 5 minutes.
- 12
Serve
Open the lid slowly. Serve the fluffy white buns warm.
Cooking Tips
- Special 'Bao flour' is highly bleached and low in protein, which is why restaurant buns are blindingly white and cotton-soft. Regular flour works but will be slightly cream-colored and chewier.
- The baking powder added to the yeast dough ensures the buns puff up significantly during steaming.
Variations
- Lotus Seed Buns (Lian Rong Bao): Exactly the same recipe, but filled with sweet lotus seed paste instead of red bean.
Nutrition Estimate
210 calories · 5g protein · 42g carbs · 3g fat · 3g fiber per serving
