Carrot Steamed Buns

I’m still hereeeeee! I’m slowly crawling out of a dark hole of cookbook release prep, taking too much melatonin, and bingeing Twilight (because I’m an old millennial now). It’s been a strange few weeks because my productively level has been at an all time low but yet the length of my to-do list has been getting exceedingly longer. Is this… the feeling… of… burnout? Maybe… But I think I’m finally reaching the end of it and itching to get back into the kitchen to test more recipes. A good break filled with vampire teen drama is much needed every once in a while!

A very carrot-y carrot bun!

So I don’t really know how to transition from Twilight to these carrot buns… oh, there’s a lot of garlic in here so the Cullens wouldn’t like it (wait they don’t eat food in general… stop talking about Twilight, Kristina!). There’s a lot of garlic but there’s also a lot of carrots in these buns! I wanted to make a bright and color steamed bun filled with veggies and punchy aromatics. Carrot puree gives the buns a gorgeous orange color and somehow makes the buns even softer (if that was possible). Then some par boiled carrots (because I don’t like a mushy texture filling) are tucked away in the filling with some shiitake mushrooms, garlic, garlic chives (they smell SO GOOD), and a bunch of seasoning. The buns are soft and squishy, but the filling has the perfect hearty texture. I easily ate 4 of them without even thinking about it.

They make an excellent handy snack or a filling lunch. We ate a bunch for lunch with chili oil! I highly recommend toasting the buns for a little extra texture and toasty flavor, it’s so good!

Perky buns

The steam bun dough is based on the recipe I have in my cookbook! The base steamed bun recipe is in the book, but I modified it a little here to incorporate carrots for color and flavor. It took me a very long time to develop a bun recipe that was easy to handle and didn’t deflate all the time. Wrinkly, deflated buns are just sort of sad… but still tasty.

The important things to keep in mind when making this dough is:

1. Use good flour, like Bob’s Red Mill!

2. Knead the dough until very smooth and tacky.

3. Don’t over proof the dough!

4. After the buns steam for 10 minutes. Turn off the burner and allow the buns to sit in the steamer, while still covered, for about 5 minutes. If you immediately remove the cover, the shock in temperature will cause the buns to deflate!

A few dimples here and there on the buns is perfectly normal, but with some practice you’ll be able to get perky, smooth buns all the time!

Carrot Steamed Buns

Makes 12

Dough:

300g (2 1/2 cups) Bob’s Red Mill All-purpose Flour

50g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon instant yeast

1/2 teaspoon Bob’s Red Mill Baking Powder

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

120g (1/2 cup) carrot puree

113g (1/2 cup) warm water (about 110°F)

1 teaspoon canola or other neutral flavored oil, for bowl 

Filling: 

8oz (3 large) carrots, chopped

7 (1oz) dried shiitake mushrooms

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup garlic chives, chopped

1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp granulated sugar

1/2 tsp coarse salt

1/2 tsp white pepper

2 tbsp Bob’s Red Mill Cornstarch

Make the carrot puree: 

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the carrots and boil until very tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Strain out the carrots and mash into a puree or blend in a food processor.

Make the dough:

1. In the bowl of a standmixer fitted with a dough hook, combine flour, sugar, yeast, baking powder, salt, and carrot puree. With the mixer on low, pour in the warm water and mix to form a shaggy dough. Increase the speed to medium-high and knead until the dough is tacky and very smooth, 8 to 9 minutes. (Alternatively, you can knead this dough by hand until smooth, 10 to 12 minutes.) Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Pinch and pull the ends of the dough into a smooth ball.

2. Brush a large bowl with the oil and add the dough to the bowl. Gently turn the dough in the oil to coat, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to proof in a warm spot until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or up to overnight.

Prepare the filling:

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Par boil the carrots, about 6 to 7 minutes. They should not be super soft. Strain out the carrots and rinse under cold water. Transfer the carrots into a large mixing bowl to cool.

2. Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in hot, just boiled water until tender, about 30 minutes (save the mushroom broth for soup or another recipe). Remove the mushrooms from the water and press out any excess water and chop into 1/4” pieces. Add the mushrooms to the bowl of carrots.

3. To the mixing bowl, add garlic, garlic chives, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar, salt, white pepper, and cornstarch. Mix with a flexible spatula until evenly combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge until ready to assemble the buns.

Assemble the buns:

1. Cut twelve 4-inch squares of parchment paper.

2. Once the dough has proofed, punch down to deflate the dough and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Pinch and pull the ends of the dough into a smooth ball. 

3. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions with a bench scraper (for accuracy, weigh with a digital scale if you have one). Working with one piece at a time, pinch and pull the ends of the dough under to form a smooth ball. Using a dowel rolling pin, roll the dough into a 4-inch round, making sure the edges are thinner than the middle. Fill the dough with about 2 tablespoons of filling and pleat the edges closed. Place on a 4-inch square of parchment paper (either pleat side up or pleat side down).

4. Place formed buns on a large rimmed baking sheet or cutting board. Cover the buns with a damp, clean kitchen towel and allow them to proof in a warm spot until they are 1 1/2 times larger, 30 to 45 minutes.

5. Set up your steamer and bring water to a boil. Arrange the buns in the bamboo steamer baskets, spacing 2 inches apart. If you can’t fit them all, work in batches and keep the remaining buns in the fridge to prevent overproofing. Steam the buns over boiling water for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the buns in the covered steamer for 5 more minutes to prevent collapsing. Remove the buns from the steamer and let cool slightly before serving. 

Toasting buns:

1. For extra texture, toast the buns in a nonstick pan (no oil needed) over medium heat until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes.

thank you, Bob’s Red Mill, for sponsoring this post!