The red bean bun is a traditional snack originating from Beijing and Tianjin city, China. It is the most beautiful expectation of Chinese kids childhood. Every time my mother makes the red bean buns of many different shapes, the nearby children will always attract by the lovely shape of the buns and they also look forward to tasting its deliciousness.

What is the red bean buns?

Red Bean Buns is also known as the Dou Sha Bao, which is a fluffy steamed wheat bun filled with red bean paste. They are delicate outwardly with thick sweet red bean paste in the center. It tastes sweet but not greasy. Those lovely and soft steamed buns are so great for a dessert or snack, or even breakfast.

Red Beans nutrients:

It is rich in protein, vitamin b1, vitamin b2, niacin, calcium, iron. It is a portion of healthy food.

How to make red bean buns

Red Bean Buns Recipe:

Red bean buns ingredients

• 250g medium-gluten flour

• 3g dry yeast

• 140g clear water

Red bean paste ingredients:

• 500g red bean

• 1500g clear water

• 250g vegetable oil

• 120g otter

• 250g sugar

Red bean buns instructions

Prepare red bean paste:

1. Pour the washed red beans into the pot and soak for about an hour (refrigerate in summer)

2. Cook the red beans in the pot. Then pour the red beans into the blender and blend it until mix well and smooth.

3. Pour the red bean paste and vegetable oil in the pot and mix well. Then mix it with the otter.

4. Mix sugar with the red bean paste and heat it under middle heat. Use a spatula to keep stirring until the red bean paste does not stick to the scraper. Transfer it on a plate and cool it.

Prepare the dough:

1. Mix the water, sugar and dry yeast in a bowl. Set aside for a few minutes.

2. Add flour in a large bowl. Slowly pour the yeast water into the flour and mix them with a spoon. Transfer the dough to the working surface and knead it until the surface becomes smooth, or you can pop it into your bread machine to knead for 10 minutes.

3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature and ferment it to 2 times larger

4. Poke the dough with your fingers and take it out if the dough is neither retracted nor collapsed.

5. Transfer the dough to the working surface and knead it again for about 10 minutes until the surface becomes smooth.

Make and shape the Red Bean buns:

1. Divide the dough into 12 to 14 grams small doughs evenly and press it to a round disc. Scoop about 1 tablespoon of red bean paste and place it in the center of the wrapper. And make the wrapper completely wrap the filling into a bun. Make it into your favorite shape. (option)

2. Put the wrapped buns in the steamer and set aside. Ferment it for 20 minutes.

Steam buns and serve:

Cook the water under high heat in the steamer until boiling. Turn the fire down. Steam the buns under middle heat for 10 minutes. Turn off the fire and set aside for 5 minutes. Serve.







Tips for making Red Bean Buns:

For the red bean

It is better to use red beans with larger granules. After soaking, you should wash them many times to remove the astringency.

For the dough

1. It is better to choose high-quality flour.

2. Sift the flour first can help to make a smoother dough.

3. When kneading the dough, using the machine will save your work time and effort. It takes more than 40 minutes to knead the dough by hand.

About dough fermentation

1. If you add baking powder to the dough, you can reduce the time of second fermentation. And it is best to control the fermentation temperature at 28 Celsius degree(82℉).

2. In summer, the indoor temperature is high, so you can reduce the fermentation time. In winter, the indoor temperature is low, and it is necessary to prolong the fermentation time, and it can be put into the oven for fermentation. Poke the dough with your fingers and take it out if the dough is neither retracted nor collapsed which means the dough is fermented.

3. The second fermentation step of the bean paste buns is better not to be omitted.

Should You Put Hot or Cold Water in the Steamer?

You just according to the degree of dough fermentation to make your decision:

1. If the dough is fermented, you can put hot water into the steamer and steam the red bean buns. You also need to pay attention to avoid overheating the dough, otherwise, the steamed buns will not taste good.

2. If the fermentation is not very good, you can put cold water into the steamer. Let the dough continue to ferment during the cooking time.

3. After the water is boiled, the fire should be turned down. Otherwise, the water vapor on the lid will drop quickly, which will cause the bun to deform.

Tips on different color materials:

Color Ingredient Color Ingredient Green Spinach powder Yellow Pumpkin powder Black Bamboo charcoal powder Gray Black sesame powder Red Red yeast powder Brown Cocoa powder Purple Purple potato powder Blue Butterfly pudding powder