Hedgehog Black Sesame Steam Buns (Zhi Ma Bao)
Cooking in Chinglish recipe - Chinese
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 15 min
- Yield
- 5 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 25 g black sesame powder (3 tbsp)
- 15 g unsalted butter, softened (1 tbsp )
- 10 g powdered sugar (1 tbsp )
- 100 g all purpose flour (I use King Arthur) (¾ cup)
- ¼ tsp instant yeast (½ tsp if using active dry yeast (see note)½ )
- 10 g sugar (1 tbsp)
- 1 tsp vegetable oil (I use coconut oil)
- 60 g whole milk or milk alternative of your choice. (¼ cup)
- 1 tbsp black sesame powder
- Small handful of black sesame seeds
Instructions
- 1
Mix the ingredients for the filling together in a small bowl and store it in the fridge.
- 2
Mix all the dough ingredients together except for the sesame powder and knead for 1 minute until a rough ball is formed.
- 3
Separate the dough into two equal parts, cover one part with plastic wrap and mix the other part with sesame powder. Knead until the sesame powder is thoroughly and evenly incorporated in the dough. Cover the the dough with plastic wrap to rest.
- 4
Now cut the white dough into five equal pieces, take one piece and cover the rest.
- 5
Roll the small piece of dough into a long log, fold two sides in and roll it out to a long log again (see the picture in the main post). Repeat this step 2 more times before rolling the dough into a ball with smooth surface by tucking the edges to the center and pinching them together.
- 6
Separate the sesame paste into 5 equal portions and roll into balls.
- 7
Roll the white dough into a 3" diameter rough circle, wrap one portion of filling in the dough and then shape it into a tear drop shape. Repeat the same for the rest of the dough.
- 8
Cut the grey dough into 5 equal pieces, roll each piece into a ball.
- 9
Use a rolling pin to roll the ball into a 3" diameter rough circle. Fold the top part down a little bit to create a flat side that will join to the hedgehog's head.
- 10
Use your fingers to flatten the edge of the dough so that it would more easily stick to and wrap onto the "body".
- 11
Moisten the white dough with a bit of water before covering with the grey dough. Start from the "head" side first when covering the white dough with the grey, making sure to leave the head uncovered. Fold the excess grey dough under. (see the picture in the post). Repeat this step for the rest of the hedgehogs.
- 12
Gently squeeze two sides of the hedgehog to make it thinner and taller, as it will flatten down after cooking.
- 13
Use a small pair of scissors to make some small cuts on the back for the hedgehog spikes and place the hedgehog on a small piece of parchment paper or whatever you use to line the steamer.
- 14
moisten the head with a bit of water and stick two black sesame seeds on it as eyes. Stick the eyes on a bit higher and closer than you want it to be, as they will move apart and lower after cooking.
- 15
Place the buns in the steamer, spray each bun with some water, cover with the lid and let it rise in a warm place for about 40-50 minutes until it grows to be about 1.5 times the original size. One good way to check if it's ready is that when you lift the bun, it should feel pretty light, and when you slightly press on the bun, it will bounce back.
- 16
Place the steamer on top of a pot with 1⁄2" to 1" of water, turn the heat to medium. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 13 minutes.
- 17
Remove the steamer from the pot and let it sit for 2 minutes before open the lid.