Steamed Bun Dough

Ingredients

• 2T sugar
• 1 tsp active dry yeast (活性幹酵母)
• 0.4 cup hot water
• 0.4 cup cold water
• 2 cups unbleached high protein bread flour (高蛋白麵粉) plus additional for kneading
• ½ tsp salt
• 1T + 1 tsp canola oil
• 1½ tsp baking powder

To Prepare

1. Proof the yeast by dissolve the sugar in hot water. Add cold water to make a warm solution (105 – 115°F). Dissolve the yeast in the sugar solution. Stir lightly, and let stand in a warm place until mixture develops a creamy foam, about 7 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)
2. Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the middle, and add yeast mixture and oil and stir to incorporate the flour until dough holds together and just come away from side of bowl. Add a little more water if needed.
3. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead. Lightly flour your hands if necessary. Knead (by using the heels of your hands and your body weight to push away from you, pull it back and fold in the sides of the dough towards the center. Turn the dough right angle every few kneads) until dough is smooth, soft, and elastic, about 10 minutes. Form into a ball.
4. Very lightly oil a large bowl, put the dough into the bowl and turn the dough so that all sides are coated. Cover the bowl tightly with a plastic wrap/damp tea cloth and let dough rise in a warm (75-80°F), draft-free place until doubled in bulk, 1-3 hours. The dough is ready when it does not spring back when poked with a finger. Alternately, you can place the covered dough in the refrigerator overnight to rise slowly (if you do this, remove from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before moving to the next step).
5. Uncover the dough, punch it down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
6. Flatten it and make a well in the center. Sprinkle baking powder in the well, gather up the sides and fold to the center to incorporate the baking powder. Knead lightly for a few minutes till it becomes a ball again.
7. Continuously divide the dough into halves until you have 8 pieces (if you want smaller buns, divide into 10 or 12 pieces). Cover dough with a damp tea cloth as you work.
8. If you want to fill the buns, take a dough portion, work into a round ball about 1 inch in diameter. Flatten it into a 4-inch round with a rolling pin about ¼ inch thick. Try to make sure the edges are half as thin as the center. Place 1 heaping Tablespoon of filling (if you want filling) into dough. Pull the sides to meet at the center, making a ruffled fold as you work. Pinch the top together and give it a twist to seal. Pinch off any extra dough at the top.
9. Place each bun on a piece of waxed or parchment paper. Arrange buns in steamer about 2 inches apart and cover. Allow buns to rise in a draft-free place for about 20 minutes.
10. Place steamer over simmering water for 10 minutes, or until bun is well risen. Add water if necessary so that wok is not dried out.