"Mantou" = Steamed Bread
Going back to our childhood, we would always eat "mantou" or steamed bread. This break, we had a try at it ourselves; granted, it was the first time but it was a tasty snack nevertheless. See for yourself!
Recipe:
6 cups of flour
1 tbsp. yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1 3/4 cup warm water (add more as needed to keep moisture- 3 cups of flour to 1 cup of water ratio)
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
honey
Procedure:
Add water, sugar, and yeast, and let it rise for five minutes.
Dump mixture into flour. Mix or knead until dough is smooth, and then keep it mildly warm (on stove top for example) and cover it with a wet paper towel; let it rise 2 to 4 hours.
Take dough and cut in half. Take one half and roll it lengthwise until it looks like a long roll. After establishing the length of about 2 ft, roll it out so it still maintains its approx. 7 in. width and 2 to 3ft length, with a "height" or thickness of about a quarter inch.
After rolling it out, take a knife and cut strips of about a quarter inch width. You should cut it so the strips are short, not long as if cutting along the length. Leave the strips of dough right there, do not stack- simply leave as you cut. After cutting the strips, use your own judgment and take about 6 to 8 strips and take the ends as they lay on the table, and press together so they stick. Then, roll them until you get a roll of strips. Continue with the rest of the strips of dough, as well as with the other half of the dough.
*You may also want to brush honey on top of the rolls to make it a bit sweeter.
Let the dough rolls set for about 10 minutes. You may want to cover with a wet paper towel to maintain moisture. Then, put a few in a steamer for about 14 minutes. And there you go! Enjoy!
Recipe:
6 cups of flour
1 tbsp. yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1 3/4 cup warm water (add more as needed to keep moisture- 3 cups of flour to 1 cup of water ratio)
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
honey
Procedure:
Add water, sugar, and yeast, and let it rise for five minutes.
Dump mixture into flour. Mix or knead until dough is smooth, and then keep it mildly warm (on stove top for example) and cover it with a wet paper towel; let it rise 2 to 4 hours.
Take dough and cut in half. Take one half and roll it lengthwise until it looks like a long roll. After establishing the length of about 2 ft, roll it out so it still maintains its approx. 7 in. width and 2 to 3ft length, with a "height" or thickness of about a quarter inch.
After rolling it out, take a knife and cut strips of about a quarter inch width. You should cut it so the strips are short, not long as if cutting along the length. Leave the strips of dough right there, do not stack- simply leave as you cut. After cutting the strips, use your own judgment and take about 6 to 8 strips and take the ends as they lay on the table, and press together so they stick. Then, roll them until you get a roll of strips. Continue with the rest of the strips of dough, as well as with the other half of the dough.
*You may also want to brush honey on top of the rolls to make it a bit sweeter.
Let the dough rolls set for about 10 minutes. You may want to cover with a wet paper towel to maintain moisture. Then, put a few in a steamer for about 14 minutes. And there you go! Enjoy!
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ReplyDeleteI love Mantou! And I bet this tastes better than the frozen ones you buy from the supermarket. I've found that the frozen ones quickly become stale after you leave them out. (Not a problem because people eat them up so quickly anyway!) The honey idea is a nice touch--if I'm brave enough to make the bread, I'll try this recipe with that addition!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Prior comment was deleted due to a late-discovered typo...:)