Name: Red Bean Buns (Dou Sha Bao)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 150g Red beans, aka adzuki beans (3/4 cup); 135g Brown sugar (3/4 cup); Water, enough to cover the beans; 270g All-purpose flour (2 1/4 cups); 30g Cornstarch (1/4 cup); 180g Whole milk (3/4 cup), lukewarm; 1 tbsp White sugar; 1 tsp Instant yeast; 1 tsp Vegetable oil; Sesame seeds, optional

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Soft and fluffy steamed buns filled with sweet red bean paste, a classic Chinese treat!

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What are red bean buns?
How to make red bean paste
Tips for perfect steamed buns
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Red bean buns remind me of my childhood! I grew up eating these soft and fluffy sweet buns for breakfast. While they may not seem like much, the sweetened red beans pair perfectly with the warm bun to create a comforting dessert that'll warm your soul.

Chinese Steamed red bean buns dou sha bao

What are red bean buns?

Steamed red bean buns or dòushā bāo (豆沙包) are a classic Chinese treat typically eaten for breakfast or a snack, and one of the most popular steamed buns. It is essentially made up of a sweetened adzuki bean filling and soft leavened dough.

While these are the Chinese version that I grew up eating there are versions of these steamed red bean buns in many East Asian cultures such as Jjinppang 찐빵 in South Korea or Mushi manju 蒸し饅頭 in Japan. All filled with red bean paste, and all equally delicious.

How to make red bean paste

If you don't have time to make your own red bean paste, pre-made red bean paste is readily available in most Asian grocery stores, however if you have the time I defintely recommend making your own.

Not only can you control the level of sweetness, the beans turn out creamier and more flavourful. All you need is red beans, brown sugar and a little bit of patience!

Stove-top method

The easiest way to make red bean paste is to boil the beans until they are eaily mashable. If you squeeze a bean between your fingers it should turn into a smooth paste.

Red beans don't soften properly when cooked in sugar, so make sure the beans are completely cooked before adding any sweeteners.

To help the beans cook faster and to a smoother consistency soak your red beans in cold water overnight before boiling them. This will soften them up and afterwards should only take about 30 minutes to boil.

Otherwise, boil the beans for up to 90 minutes, or until soft. Make sure you top up the water as they boil. They should always be submerged by water to cook up to an even consistency.

Once softened drain the beans and place them in a small saucepan with the brown sugar. Cook on medium high, stirring constatnly until the sugar has dissolved and the paste has thickened. You should be able to draw a line across the bottom of the pot.

Pressure cooker

I personally love using a pressure cooker to cook my red beans as it is so much quicker. The beans only need 15 minutes once it comes to a boil. Then release the steam, drain and cook with the sugar until thickened.

Tips for perfect steamed buns

Steamed buns are fairly easy to make, but if you want them to be perfectly round, smooth and fluffy there are a couple of tips to keep in mind!

Knead the dough until smooth

Most recipes will allow the dough to rest after the dough comes together. This allows the strands of gluten to relax and form a smoother dough. This is an easy fix for dough with a rough texture, but giving your dough a good knead before you let it rest is important for gluten formation, and will ultimately result in a fluffier bun.

Knead the dough before filling with the filling

After the dough has had time to rest the yeast will have formed small air bubbles in the dough. If you don't knead out your dough sufficently before filling with red bean paste you will be left with a bubbly/lumpy surface once the buns have been steamed.

There are a couple of techniques that people like to use to prevent this.

The first is to roll the dough into a thin log, before bringing it back together into a ball. This process is repeated a couple of times before the dough is rolled into a ball, pressed flat and filled with red bean paste.

The second is to repeatedly roll the dough out with a rolling pin. Once the dough has been rolled out fold the dough in half and roll it out again. Repeat this a couple of times, before rolling it out into a circular shape and filling it with red bean paste.

Both techniques work around the basis of removing built up air so that you get a smooth bun surface once steamed

Spray or brush the buns with water

If you want to get a super smooth surface you can brush or spray your buns with milk or water before steaming them for an extra glossy and smooth surface.

Wrap your steamer lid with a tea towel

If you are using a metal steamer with a glass lid, there is often condensation on the lid that may fall onto your buns as they are steaming. This can cause bubbles and deformaties on the surface of your buns.

An easy solution for this is to wrap your lid in a tea towel. The tea towel will absorb any condensation and water droplets that form as the buns steam.

Allow your buns to rest

This is one of the most important steps when making steamed buns. If you open your steamer right after they finish steaming the buns are likely to collapse. This is because the sudden change in temperature causes the buns to shrink back.

After the buns have finished steaming, let them sit in the steamer for 5 minutes so the structure can set and the temperature can even out.

Let's Get Cooking

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