Soft and fluffy Chinese steamed buns (baozi) filled with very simple and easy molten brown sugar filling.
Biting into soft fluffy steamed buns/baozi filled with molten brown sugar filling is probably one of the most satisfying tastes that remind me of my childhood. I don’t really see this kind of steamed buns anymore. I remember my grandma used to make this when I was a kid. She filled them with gula Jawa or sometimes gula Aren (gula Aren is richer and wetter). It’s so good. Then I learned that the Chinese also have this kind of brown sugar steamed buns filled with brown sugar (we call it light brown sugar in the U.S.). The buns are shaped into triangle shape
What kind of sugar to use
I use granulated coconut sugar, which is the most common form of coconut sugar I can find here in the U.S. You can also use gula Jawa/gula Melaka or gula aren if that’s easily accessible to you. I have used light brown sugar before and they are just as delicious.
Chinese Molten Brown Sugar Steamed Buns/Baozi
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 150 g all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 150 g cake flour
- 3 g Instant yeast
- 30 g sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil
- 160 ml cold milk
Brown sugar filling:
- 100 g coconut sugar See notes 1, or use regular light brown sugar
- 5 g all-purpose flour See notes 1
- 1 Tbsp roasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Prepare the dough:
- Place the flour/starch combination , instant yeast, sugar, salt, in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add milk and oil in a mixing bowl. You may or may not need more liquid. This is just for your reference, you may need more or less
- Turn on the mixer at the lowest speed to prevent flour from flying all over the place. Continue to knead at low speed (speed 2 on KA) for 12-15 minutes or until the dough is smooth, silky and elastic. You don't need to develop a window pane here but the dough needs to be smooth an elastic. If you want to develop a window pane, the steamed buns will be slightly chewy, which I like too. So it's a matter of preference.
- Divide the dough into 10 equal portions. Flatten and gather the edge to round them up into dough balls. Cover and rest the dough for 10 minutes. This is not to proof the dough. It shouldn't double in size. This is to relax the gluten for easier shaping and rolling the dough
Prepare the filling while waiting:
- Mix all ingredients for the filling. Please read the notes if you use different type of sugar
- Cut parchment paper into 10 pieces of about 5 x 5 inches square
Back to the dough:
- Work with one dough at a time. Flatten the dough with your palm and then use a rolling pin to roll it out to form a circle about 4-5 inches, with a slightly thicker middle part. This is to support the weight of the filling. Don't roll the dough too thin. If you roll the dough too thin, the filling might make the steamed buns "wrinkle" later when you steam. Scoop about 1 tablespoon or so of the filling and then gather the sides to enclose the bun and pinch to seal. Flip the bun so the seam side is down now.
- Cup the dough with both palms and move the dough in a circular motion to shape it taller. This part is important so your steamed buns come out tall instead of spreading to the side after steaming. Place on one piece of parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and proceed to proofing
Proofing:
- Let the dough rise at room temperature or at a warm place. If it's winter where you are, you can use your oven "bread proof" function to let them proof in there, or simply turn on your oven to the lowest temperature and then turn off and after 15 minutes, place the shaped buns in there to let them proof. They won't necessarily double in size, but at least puff up to about 50% of the original size. This may take about 1 hour or longer at a warm temperature. Don't go by the time however. Observe the dough instead!
- How do you know if your buns have proofed ? They will be about 50% bigger than their original size AND when you lift them up, they should feel significantly lighter. If not, let them proof a bit longer. They may not visually look bigger. Use a finger test too. When you gently push on the dough, it will leave an indentation but it will spring back slowly. This dough is perfectly proofed. If it springs back right away, it needs to be proofed a bit longer. If it never springs back, then you have over-proofed the dough. Loosely cover them with plastic wrap and put the over-proofed buns in the fridge to slow down the proofing while waiting for the steamer
- An under proofed buns will be very dense and have bumpy surface after steaming. An over proofed buns may widen to the side and much flatter, but they shouldn't be dense and heavy. So, overproof may still be a bit "safer" compared to the buns not sufficiently proofed. Ideally, we want it to be perfectly proofed of course 😉
Steaming:
- Most likely your steamer won't be able to accommodate steaming all buns at one go. You may need to steam in 2-3 batches, which means, the rest of the batches will sit longer and continue to proof while waiting for the steamer. Here's what you can do: Make sure to cover them with plastic wrap and then place them in the refrigerator to slow down the yeast activity until they are ready to be steamed
- Fill up the steamer with water but do not turn on the stove yet. Carefully arrange the proofed buns in the steamer, giving about 2 inches of space in between as they will expand quite a bit. Cover with a lid wrapped with a cloth to prevent condensation from dropping on the surface of the buns. If you use a bamboo steamer, you don't need to wrap the lid as bamboo steamer absorbs liquid
- Please note that I use the largest burner on my stove. Different sizes of burners will produce different amount of heat, so use your largest burner. TURN THE HEAT TO MEDIUM (6/10)
- When the water comes to a simmer, crack the lid open about 1/2 inch gap and start the timer. Steam with the lid cracked open like that for 10 minutes
- Proceed with the next batch and steam with the same method and setting as I mentioned above. You don't have to wait for the water in the steamer to cool down to start. Just turn on the stove to medium heat, crack the lid open immediately and the time starts when water is back to a simmer again
Serve warm:
- Serve them warm so the sugar on the inside is still a molten consistency. The sugar solidifies and chewy when they are room temperature or cold. Simply reheat in the steamer until just warm or in the microwave, for few seconds until just warm enough
Storing and reheating:
- If you make extra and plan to store them, let the already steamed buns cool down completely and then place them on a baking sheet, 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. Transfer to a freezer bag and they will not stick to each other anymore. Try not to keep for more than 1 month
- To reheat, they can go straight from freezer to steamer when you are ready to eat them. Steam on high heat for 5 minutes and they are as good as new
Notes
Nutrition
How to make molten brown sugar bao
1. Place the flour/starch combination , instant yeast, sugar, salt, in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. 
2. Add milk and oil in a mixing bowl. You may or may not need more liquid. This is just for your reference, you may need more or less. 
3. Turn on the mixer at the lowest speed to prevent flour from flying all over the place. Continue to knead at low speed (speed 2 on KA) for 12-15 minutes or until the dough is smooth, silky and elastic. You don’t need to develop a window pane here but the dough needs to be smooth an elastic. If you want to develop a window pane, the steamed buns will be slightly chewy, which I like too. So it’s a matter of preference.
4. Divide the dough into 10 equal portions. Flatten and gather the edge to round them up into dough balls. Cover and rest the dough for 10 minutes. This is not to proof the dough. It shouldn’t double in size. This is to relax the gluten for easier shaping and rolling the dough
5. Mix all ingredients for the filling. Please read the notes on the recipe card if you use different types of sugar
6. Work with one dough at a time. Flatten the dough with your palm and then use a rolling pin to roll it out to form a circle about 4-5 inches, with a slightly thicker middle part. This is to support the weight of the filling. Don’t roll the dough too thin. If you roll the dough too thin, the filling might make the steamed buns “wrinkle” later when you steam. Scoop about 1 tablespoon or so of the filling and then gather the sides to enclose the bun and pinch to seal. Flip the bun so the seam side is down now
7. Cup the dough with both palms and move the dough in a circular motion to shape it taller. This part is important so your steamed buns come out tall instead of spreading to the side after steaming. Place on one piece of parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and proceed to proofing
8. Let the dough rise at room temperature or at a warm place. They won’t necessarily double in size, but at least puff up to about 50% of the original size. This may take about 1 hour or longer at a warm temperature. Don’t go by the time however. Observe the dough instead! How do you know if your buns have proofed ? They will be about 50% bigger than their original size AND when you lift them up, they should feel significantly lighter. If not, let them proof a bit longer. They may not visually look bigger. Use a finger test too. When you gently push on the dough, it will leave an indentation but it will spring back slowly. This dough is perfectly proofed. If it springs back right away, it needs to be proofed a bit longer. If it never springs back, then you have over-proofed the dough. Loosely cover them with plastic wrap and put the over-proofed buns in the fridge to slow down the proofing while waiting for the steamer
9. Most likely your steamer won’t be able to accommodate steaming all buns at one go. You may need to steam in 2-3 batches, which means, the rest of the batches will sit longer and continue to proof while waiting for the steamer. Here’s what you can do: Make sure to cover them with plastic wrap and then place them in the refrigerator to slow down the yeast activity until they are ready to be steamed
10. Fill up the steamer with water but do not turn on the stove yet. Carefully arrange the proofed buns in the steamer, giving about 2 inches of space in between as they will expand quite a bit. 
11. Cover with a lid wrapped with a cloth to prevent condensation from dropping on the surface of the buns. If you use a bamboo steamer, you don’t need to wrap the lid as bamboo steamer absorbs liquid
12. Please note that I use the largest burner on my stove. Different sizes of burners will produce different amount of heat, so use your largest burner. TURN THE HEAT TO MEDIUM (6/10)
13. When the water comes to a simmer, crack the lid open about 1/2 inch gap and start the timer. Steam with the lid cracked open like that for 10 minutes. Proceed with the next batch and steam with the same method and setting as I mentioned above. You don’t have to wait for the water in the steamer to cool down to start. Just turn on the stove to medium heat, crack the lid open immediately and the time starts when water is back to a simmer again
14. Serve them warm so the sugar on the inside is still a molten consistency. The sugar solidifies and chewy when they are room temperature or cold. Simply reheat in the steamer until just warm or in the microwave, for few seconds until just warm enough
Did you make this Chinese molten brown sugar steamed buns recipe?
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