I had been craving steamed buns for a while now and I finally got around to making some from scratch! The recipe is incredibly easy to make, but I wanted to make something that would set these steamed buns apart from all the others, so I tried my hand at braiding in two tea flavors.
I combined matcha and hojicha to create a steamed bun with two complementary flavors. These buns combine the earthy quality of matcha with the roasty toasty flavors of hojicha.
I’m not too good at describing in words how to make them so check out the pics below to learn how to braid the buns!
I decided to decorate my buns with some black and white sesame seeds, but this step is totally optional. After braiding the buns, I wet a tiny section of the bun’s top with water and then attach the sesame seeds that way. Afterwards, I let it rest a bit with the sesame seeds on top as I’m steaming the other buns!
Ingredients
Matcha steamed bun
- 1.5 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon of instant yeast
- 1/2 cup and 2 tbsp of whole milk
- 2 tbsp matcha powder
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp oil
Hojicha steamed bun
- 1.5 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon of instant yeast
- 1/2 cup and 2 tbsp of whole milk
- 2 tbsp hojicha powder
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp oil
Instructions
Matcha Steamed bun
- Combine the flour, granulated sugar, yeast, and matcha powder in a bowl
- Pour in the milk and oil into the above bowl
- Mix and knead the dough until all the ingredients are combined and the dough is soft/pillowy and no longer sticky
- Cover and allow to proof for 1 hour or until doubled in size
Hojicha Steamed bun
- Combine the flour, granulated sugar, yeast, and hojicha powder in a bowl
- Pour in the milk and oil into the above bowl
- Mix and knead the dough until all the ingredients are combined and the dough is soft/pillowy and no longer sticky
- Cover and allow to proof for 1 hour or until doubled in size
Assembly
- Divide each of the dough balls into 12 pieces each (so that you end up with 12 matcha balls and 12 hojicha balls)
- Take two of each dough ball and roll them out into long thin strips (so that you end up with 2 strips of matcha dough and 2 strips of hojicha dough)
- In order to create the swirl shape, follow the pictures provided above!
- Place the dough in the steamer with about 2 inches of room between one dough ball and the other (since these buns will expand) and steam for 15 minute - 20 minutes each
- Remove from the steamer and allow to cool on a wire rack so that the bottoms don't get soggy, then enjoy!
