How to shape steamed buns part 1

A visual tutorial on shaping a steamed bun, part 1.

This tutorial is split into two parts for easier reading, part 2 is here: [link]

I've loved these buns since the first time I had them in a chinese restaurant. I've tried to make them on many occasions, but it is only recently that I've found a good recipe and learned how to make the cute peach shape.

Peaches are a symbol of longevity in Chinese culture, so steamed buns in a peach shape are often served on birthdays to wish the birthday boy/girl long life. You don't necessarily have to wait for someone's birthday to enjoy them, though!


I don't take any credit at all for the recipe, I found it here:[link]


The recipe uses a red bean paste, but you can fill your buns with any type of paste you like. I have tried custard, lotus and buttercream fillings instead of red bean. This dough would probably be great with a savory filling as well. I personally like a much sweeter bread, so I used about a half cup of sugar in my dough, rather than two tablespoons. It still was not overly sweet, although it was enough to place the buns squarely in the dessert category.

My dough turned out yellow-ish, although that may have been due to the oil I used. I kneaded a few drops of red food coloring into the dough to brighten it up. I also set aside a small portion of dough and kneaded some green into it for making leaves.To improve coloring, you can also add a
tablespoon or two of vinegar into your boiling water before you steam the buns.

Please pardon the quality of the pictures, and the large size of the file. The lighting in our kitchen is exceptionally poor for picture taking. (At least for my camera.)

As for typos or poor wording, it's 3:00 in the morning, best I can do at this hour.



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