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This steamed blueberry yeast bread is a fun take on mantou, a traditional Chinese steamed bread that’s typically shaped as buns.
I originally intended to make some plain white buns but changed my mind halfway through. For a twist, I turned my dough into a loaf and added blueberries, then drizzled over a sweet glaze!
Mantou is otherwise quite plain and usually served as a breakfast food.
When I grew up in Shanghai, many streest in my neighborhood had a few small shops that sold plain buns (馒头), buns stuffed with meat or vegetables or sweet fillings (包子), steamed dumplings (蒸饺), noodles, among other breakfast items — all at very cheap prices.
If I recall correctly, my uncle would buy me giant meat buns for only ¥1 each (around 14¢), and one bun was filling enough for a whole meal! Those were the good and innocent days (although, in hindsight, eating meat is not quite innocent — but that’s besides the point).
Anyhow, I omitted the instructions for plain mantou in this recipe because I’d like to post a separate recipe specifically dedicated to the traditional buns. (Coming soon!)
I used a 6.375 x 3.75 inch loaf pan to make a small loaf, as pictured. This smaller pan is fantastic because I’m usually the only person eating my own baked goods, so smaller batches are ideal.
This recipe should also work in an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan if you double the ingredients. However, may need a larger steaming pot / basket.
Another option is to divide the rolled up dough into separate buns, like cinnamon rolls. 🙂
For a different steamed bread variation, see my lemon yeast bread recipe!
Fluffy steamed blueberry yeast bread (vegan)
Ingredients
Dough
- 140 g all-purpose flour
- 80 g plant-based milk | lukewarm
- 10 g sugar | use up to 20g for sweetness
- 1 g instant or quick-rise yeast
Blueberries (optional)
- 60 g blueberries | fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Combine all the dough ingredients and knead until smooth and elastic; about 15 minutes by hand.
- Place the dough into a bowl, then cover and let rise for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in volume.
- Once the dough has risen, punch it down.
- For a loaf shape, flatten the dough into a large rectangle. Sprinkle over 1/2 cup blueberries, then roll the dough up into a tight log. Place into a baking pan of your choice; I used a 6.375 x 3.75 inch junior loaf pan.
- Let the dough rise, covered, for 30-45 minutes. Once risen 1.5x in volume, place onto a steamer basket into a pot filled with cold water.
- Cover the pot and turn the heat to high; once water is at a full boil, turn the heat down to medium-low. From this point, continue cooking for 30 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and wait 3 minutes before removing the lid of the pot, careful not to let any water drop onto the loaf. Let the loaf cool slightly before serving.
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