Steamed buns, or “man tou,” are a staple in the Beijinger’s diet. I see people buy them by the dozen, dainty Chinese girls eating huge, fluffy ones with their stir-fry for lunch at the local food courts, and plates of them served with various dishes in restaurants.
Man tou delivery guys, with bags and bags of man tou hanging off their electric mopeds and bicycle carts, can be see criss-crossing the streets of the city to deliver these warm buns to restaurants and markets. In their many shapes and varieties, people eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
In general, people from southern China often prefer rice as their primary starch, but people from Northern China often prefer noodles and man tou.
This man tou recipe is your basic, plain, and all-purpose steamed bun recipe, but it’s the gateway to so many varieties of tasty filled buns and snacks. We also now have a ‘Part 2’ recipe for scallion twists, or “hua juan” that is a delightful treat that uses this basic man tou dough.
Recipe Instructions
Mix the all purpose flour, instant yeast, baking powder, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the water, and knead until it forms a smooth dough.
Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rise for about 2 hours. Roll the dough ball into a log (the size depends on how large or small you want your man tou), and cut it into however many equal pieces you’d like.
Arrange them in a metal steamer lined with cheese cloth (a bamboo steamer works also), about 2 inches apart. See our post on how to set up a steamer if you’re not familiar with steaming foods in Chinese cooking.
Cover the steamer and let the buns rise for another 15 minutes. Turn on the heat to medium high and steam the buns for 20 minutes.
Serve! To re-heat, just steam them again for about 5 minutes. Don’t be tempted to use the microwave, because they’ll dry out!
That’s it! We’ll be referencing this recipe in the future, for other variations!
All-Purpose Chinese Steamed Bun Dough (Man Tou)
Ingredients
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 1/4 cup lukewarm water
Instructions
- Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the water, and knead until it forms a smooth dough. Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rise for about 2 hours. Roll the dough ball into a log (the size depends on how large or small you want your man tou), and cut it into however many equal pieces you’d like.
- Arrange them in a steamer lined with cheese cloth, about 2 inches apart. Cover the steamer and let the buns rise for another 15 minutes. Turn on the heat to medium high and steam the buns for 20 minutes. Serve! To re-heat, just steam them again for about 5 minutes. Don’t be tempted to use the microwave, because they’ll dry out!
Hi Judy thanks for the recipe. My dough was on the drier side and after steaming, the buns developed small dimples while cooling off. Is this normal? Did I over-knead or over-steam it? I used a kitchen towel wrapped around the lid to prevent condensation from dripping onto the buns while steaming. The taste is good, and the texture is soft but firm.
Hi Noreen, this means that you did not punch/roll out all the air bubbles from the proofed dough. I have been studying dough making, there is so much knowledge :-)
Wow…. I made both the red bean filling and the steamed bun recipe today.. Both turned out terrific. I made extra red bean paste which I will use to make 湯圓 next week for CNY. The next time I make the buns I will put a little more filling in. Thanks for the terrific recipe!
Thank you for sharing your success, Sophia. One note…try not to over stuff the buns. I did that, because I love red bean so much, but the buns were sagging because there is not enough dough.
Do you need to boil the water in the steamer first and then put the buns in and let it rise for 15 minutes and then turn on the head and cook for 20 minutes?
Hi Jennifer, start with cold water in the steamer first. I recently found that starting with lukewarm water is even better, aslukewarm water gives the buns just a little head start so they are extra fluffy.
When you put the buns in the steamer for 15 min and let it rise, is the steamer already hot? Do you need to boil the water in the steamer first and then put the buns in and let it rise for 15 minutes and then turn on the head and cook for 20 minutes?
I’ve made several of your boa recipes and they are all a hit!!! I am plannig to make the man tou boas and I was wondering can I freeze them? And if so what would you recommend the best way to freeze them?
Hi Jen, you can freeze them after they are steamed and cooled.
Can I use wheat flour? If I use a mixer, what setting should I use and for about how long? Thanks.
Hi Tan, I have a wheat mantou recipe.
Can you use this recipe to make fried man tou? I remember buying frozen ones that have “strands” wrapped inside the dough. If so, do you just deep fry them or would you recommend steaming them first?
Also, can you shape the dough by rolling them like the hua juan and then steam them? Looking forward to making them!
Hi Lisa, you can use this dough for fried man tou, but I believe this dough is a little too dense. I’d use the dough from Nai Wong Bao, because it’s lighter and still chewy.
Hi Lisa, here is our hua juan recipe.
Hi! Do you usually knead this dough by hand, or with the mixer?
With a mixer, Jen.
These are sensational. I Just made a batch – following your instructions exactly. we ate them lukewarm dipped in a quickly assembled cinammon syrup – with greedy mumbling. Am aLREADY PLANNING THE NEXT BATCH tomorrow – perhaps with chicken broth. Sofar all your recipes have worked- that is no accident you guys work hard! Thanks.
Yayyyyy! I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe :-)
How come my turned out hard ? Is it because I left it over 2 hours to rise ? Maybe around 4. Plus it was salty. Hmmm… I was sure i added sugar not salt.
Maybe I ll try again.
Hi Kath, this recipe does not ask for salt, so I’m not sure why your buns taste salty :-/. Also, did you use whole wheat flour or all purpose flour?