Purple Sweet Potato Steamed Flower Buns: Chinese Mantou Buns With A Twist
Purple Sweet Potato Steamed Flower Bun is basically steamed Chinese bun or Chinese Mantou with a twist. The only difference is mashed purple sweet potato is used in combination with the white flour dough to give the steamed bun a more distinguished outlook.
If you love the bright elegant colour in purple sweet potato, then this is the bun for you. They are easy to make and extremely appealing both to the taste buds and the eyes. These buns are soft and fluffy, lightly sweetened and are naturally-hued, with no added colouring but only naturally purple.
Purple Sweet Potato Recipes and Benefits
As the colour implies, purple sweet potatoes are packed with antioxidants and especially rich in anthocyanins. They are highly nutritious and a great source of potassium, vitamin C and fiber. So of course, we love recipes with purple sweet potatoes!
Here are some of our other Purple Sweet Potato Recipes that you may enjoy too:
Purple Sweet Potato Kuih Seri Muka Recipe 紫薯双色糯米糕食谱
Steamed Purple Rice Cake Recipe 紫薯蒸糖糕食谱
Taro, Purple Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Glutinous Rice Balls Recipe 芋头紫薯金瓜汤圆食谱
Purple Sweet Potato Onde Onde Recipe (Buah Melaka) 紫薯椰丝球汤圆食谱
Huat Kueh – Purple Sweet Potato Steamed Cake Recipe (Apam Kukus) 紫薯蒸发糕食谱
Purple Sweet Potato Mooncakes Recipe 紫薯月饼食谱
How To Make Purple Sweet Potato Steamed Flower Mantou Buns
Part 1: Preparing Purple Sweet Potato
To make these beautiful yet dainty soft buns, start by steaming the purple sweet potato. Peel and cut the sweet potato into small chunks. Steam over high heat till softened or till you can easily mashed into paste. Mash the softened potato while they are still hot and set aside.
Part 2: Making Purple and Plain White Dough
Next, prepare the white and purple dough. In a mixing bowl, add in flour, sugar and yeast. Gradually add in fresh milk and mix into a sticky dough. Then add in butter (or vegetable oil) and knead into a smooth and elastic dough. Wrap with cling wrap and refrigerate for a while.
The purpose of refrigerating the white flour dough is to enable it to have the same proofing time as the purple dough. Repeat the above steps to make the purple dough. Only that instead of adding sugar, condensed milk is added. Otherwise you can also substitute with sugar as well.
Part 3: Shaping Flower Buns
Once the purple dough is done, transfer to a work surface and roll into a long cylindrical shape. Cut and divide into 10 equal portions. Working on one dough at a time, lightly knead and form each dough into round balls. Then remove the white dough from the refrigerator and repeat the same steps. Roll into a log, cut and divide into 10 equal portions and roll into balls.
When done, flatten each white dough ball and wrap with a purple dough ball. Then form into a round shape. Continue to wrap the purple dough balls in the white dough balls. When done, cup each dough ball between the palms and move the dough ball in a circular motion to shape it taller. This is important so your steamed buns will come out tall instead of spreading to the side after steaming.
Next, use a sharp knife to cut a CROSS on the top of each dough ball. When cutting, make sure it is a clean cut and there is no sticky part in the middle and the cuts should be separated. Hence, it helps to spread some flour on the knife before cutting.
Then place each dough ball on parchment paper and arrange to allow enough space for proofing in a bamboo steamer. Cover and set aside to proof for 30 minutes. The dough balls should be light in weight and the cut completely open after proofing. Now we are ready to steam the buns.
Steam Purple Sweet Potato Flower Buns and Enjoy!
Put the bamboo steamer in a wok of cold water. Turn the heat to high, when water boils continue to steam for 10 to 12 minutes. Then turn off heat, wait for about 2 minutes and remove lid of steamer.
Remove the bamboo steamer from wok to cool on cooling rack. Shortly transfer the hot buns to cool on wire rack. These soft and fluffy steamed buns are best enjoyed when served hot. They can be enjoyed plain or with a slab of butter or jam on it, anytime of the day.
Yes, purple sweet potato certainly has a place in everyone’s heart by its elegant purple colour. Furthermore, who can resist freshly steamed buns that comes with light purple and pinkish hue and one shaped in dainty flower! These steamed buns are pretty, elegant and taste really good with its soft fluffy texture. You may not have enough once you have tasted these soft and fluffy Purple Sweet Potato Steamed Flower Buns, so be sure to make enough. As always, Enjoy!
Purple Sweet Potato Steamed Flower Buns 紫薯开花馒头包子
Tap or Hover to Adjust Servings
Ingredients
Ingredients for White Dough:
- 200 grams all-purpose flour, sieved
- 2 grams instant yeast, 1 tsp
- 10 grams sugar, 1 tbsp + 1 tsp
- 110 grams fresh milk, or water (cold / room temperature)
- 6 grams butter, or margarine / lard, softened
Ingredients For Purple Dough:
- 80 grams purple sweet potato, steamed and mashed
- 150 grams all-purpose flour, sieved
- 2 grams instant yeast, 1 tsp
- 20 grams condensed milk
- 60 grams fresh milk, or water (cold / room temperature)
- 4 grams butter, or margarine / lard, softened
Weigh and have ready the white dough ingredients for making the steamed buns.
Also weigh and have ready the purple dough ingredients for making the steamed buns.
Start by steaming the purple sweet potato. First peel and cut purple sweet potato into smaller pieces. Place in bowl and steam for 15 minutes or till purple sweet potato is soft.
Then remove from steamer and mashed the purple sweet potato while it is still hot. Then prepare to make the dough for the buns.
Start by making the white dough. In a large mixing bowl, mix in all-purpose flour, yeast and sugar. Then gradually add in milk. Stir with spatula and then knead into a sticky dough.
Then add in butter and slowly knead the butter into the dough. Knead till a smooth and soft dough is formed. Wrap with cling wrap and chill in refrigerator while we prepare the purple dough.
In another mixing bowl, mix in flour, mashed purple sweet potato, yeast and condensed milk. Then gradually add in milk and stir with spatula to combine everything together. Using your hand, knead into a sticky dough.
Then add in butter and continue to knead into a smooth and soft dough.
Transfer purple dough onto work surface. Then roll the purple dough into a log shape. Cut and divide the dough into 10 equal portions, about 30g each.
Work with one dough at a time. Pull and tuck the dough from top to bottom so the seams are at the bottom and the surface is relatively smooth. Roll the dough into a smooth round ball in between the palm of your hand. Cover the dough balls with cling wrap.
Then remove the white dough from the refrigerator. Roll into a log shape. Cut and divide into 10 equal portions, about 35g each.
Working with one dough at a time, gently knead the dough. Roll into a smooth and round ball. Then gently flatten with the palm of your hand.
Roll into a round white dough. Then place the purple dough ball in the middle and pinch to wrap and form into a ball.
Cup the dough with both palms and move the dough in a circular motion to shape it taller. Then using a floured and sharp knife, make two slits across the top of the bun. Repeat the same for the rest of the rolled dough balls to form into flower shaped buns.
Place the flower buns into a bamboo basket or steaming tray. Cover and set aside to proof for 30 minutes. After proofing, the slits will be more intense and the buns will be light in weight. Place the buns on a steamer with cold water. Steam for 10 to 12 minutes when the water starts to boil.
When done, turn off heat and wait for about 5 minutes before opening the lids of the bamboo steamer. Then transfer steamed buns to cool on wire rack.
These soft and fluffy steamed buns taste best when served hot. So Enjoy!
Instructions
Prepare Ingredients:
Preparing Mashed Purple Sweet Potato:
Preparing White Dough:
Preparing Purple Dough:
Making Steamed Flower Buns:
Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Notes
- When making the dough, you may need to add more milk/water if the dough is still a bit dry. Add a teaspoon at a time until the dough comes together and continue to knead.
- You may use a stand mixer to make the dough or knead by hand. Knead till the dough is smooth and elastic.
- By refrigerating the white flour dough, we can ensure the proofing time for white and purple dough is the same.
- Spread some flour onto a sharp knife to cut the slits (X) on top of the buns. When cutting the slits, make sure there is no sticky part in the middle and the cuts should be separated.
- Can also steam the buns for 15 minutes over high heat after bringing water to a boil in a steamer.
- Let the steamed buns rest in the steamer for about 5 minutes or so before opening the lid so your steamed buns won’t collapse and shrink due to the sudden change in temperature.
- If you make extra buns they can be kept frozen for up to 1 month. Let the already steamed buns cool down completely and then place them on a tray not touching each other and then put the entire tray inside the freezer for about 1 hour. They will harden, but not completely frozen yet. Pack in freezer bags and they will not stick to each other anymore. To reheat, they can go straight from the freezer to the steamer. Steam on medium-high heat for 15 minutes.
