Fluffy, soft steamed buns filled with sweet, warm black sesame paste, these Black Sesame Steamed Buns are one of my favourite cosy and satisfying Taiwanese food to enjoy.
Prep Time40 minutesmins
Cook Time12 minutesmins
Resting2 hourshrs5 minutesmins
Total Time2 hourshrs57 minutesmins
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: Chinese, 亞洲, 台灣料理
Keyword: Asian recipe, black sesame, dairy-free, steamed buns, vegan
Blend the black sesame seeds in a blender and blend until they turn powdery. (You can blend the black sesame for the dough part as well. Then reserve 10 g for the dough.)
Add the sugar and salt to the ground black sesame. Blend for another 5 seconds. Then add the rest ingredients. Use a spoon or small spatula to combine all ingredients evenly. It will look quite runny at this stage.
Refrigerate the sesame filling for 20 minutes to let it get slightly thicker. Line an 8” (20 cm) loaf tin with cling film. Pour the filling mixture into the tin and wrap it well. Place it in the freezer for at least an hour. In the meantime, let’s make the dough.
To make the bun dough
In a jar, add warm water, sugar, and yeast. Mix them together and let it sit for 5 minutes until you see some bubbles foaming on top.
In a large mixing bowl, add all-purpose flour, wholewheat flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Use chopsticks or wooden spoon to mix them together.
Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. Then pour in the yeast mixture. Mix together to form a dough. Then add the black sesame powder and oil. Knead the dough for 5 – 7 minutes.
Then cover and let it rest to proof until it has doubled in size. It usually takes about an hour, depending on the weather.
Shape the black sesame filling
Take out the wrapped sesame filling from the freezer. Use a knife to divide them into 10 even portions, around 20 g each.
Use your palms to roll them into balls. Make sure don’t roll them for too long. Otherwise, it might start getting soft, not easy to deal with. If the weather is warm, save half of the black sesame filling balls in the freezer until right before using them.
Assemble
Once the dough has doubled in size. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured, clean surface. Knead the dough for another 2 minutes. Then shape it into a long sausage-shape thick strip. Use a dough cutter or a knife to divide the dough into even 10 portions, about 42 g each.
Use a Chinese rolling pin to roll one of the bun dough into a disk shape, about 5 mm (1/5 inch) thick. Then use the rolling pin to roll around the edges of the dough to make them thinner. (Watch the video for clearer demonstration) While rolling out, cover the rest of the bun dough with cling film, so they won’t dry out.
Place one black sesame filling ball in the centre of the rolled out bun dough. Wrap it up by folding the edges towards the centrer and twist at the end to seal it. Flip it upside down and place it on the surface. Use your palm(s) to gently shape the dough into a more rounded shape. Then place it on a small square piece of baking paper (parchment paper), covered with cling film. Repeat to finish all the bun dough with the sesame fillings.
Once finish assembling and shaping the sesame buns, cover and let them sit for another 30 – 40 minutes for the second proofing. They should grow slightly bigger, around 1.5 times more. Alternatively, you can let them proof in the steamer, covered.
Steam
Boil the water first and keep it on medium-high heat. Place the buns with the baking paper underneath into steamer baskets and put the baskets over the boiling water to steam for 12 minutes, covered with a lid.
Once they’ve been steamed for 12 minutes, turn off the heat. Let it sit for another 5 minutes.
Uncover the steamer and carefully take out the buns (Be careful. The steam is really hot.) Let it sit for another 1 – 2 minutes, then dive in!
*Warm water: The water should be slightly warmer than body, around 38C°C/100°F. **Black sesame seeds: It’s better to use toasted sesame seeds for the best flavour. You can also use black sesame paste for the filling part if that’s what you have.
Storage: Store the leftover black sesame buns in airtight containers or bags in the fridge for 2 days, or 2 weeks in the freezer.