Beet Root Steamed Buns

Chinese steamed buns are like a blank canvas. You can stuff it with both sweet and savory fillings or even be creative with the bun dough itself. Today I want to share with you how to make rose shaped steamed buns with beet root. Not only does it give your steamed bun a really pretty color, but it also makes the bun delicious and healthy. Plus it's a great way to use up those beets that are still growing in your garden.


Serves 4 people
Ingredients:

1 medium beet root (about 200g)
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 T vegetable oil
1 tsp instant dried yeast
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup lukewarm water

 Directions:

Start by wrapping the beet in aluminum foil and roast it at 400 F in the oven for 40 minutes or until fork tender.

 
Puree the beet in a food processor. This will give you 1/2 Cup of beet puree. Mix in all of the ingredients and slowly add in the water. Depending on how juicy the beet is, you may not need the whole 1/4 cup. Kneed for 5 minutes until you get a smooth, slightly tacky, elastic dough. Cover it up and let it rise in a warm place for an hour. The dough will double in size.

After the dough has doubled in size, gently punch it down and use a rolling pin to roll in out. Use a ring cookie cutter or a mason jar lid to cut four circles from the dough.

Place four pieces of the cut out dough together. Mark it by gently pressing down from the center using a chopstick or a skewer.

Roll the dough tightly starting from the bottom.

Cut the rolled up dough in half from the center were it was marked.

When you turn the dough up, you will see the pretty rose shape. Let it sit in the steamer lined with parchment paper and cover up for 20 minutes. The dough will rise again but not double in size.

Steam the buns on high heat for 18 minutes. After 18 minutes, turn off the heat and let the lid open slightly. Let the buns sit for 5 minutes before serving.

This recipe will make eight rose steamed buns. They are a great substitute for regular dinner rolls, but can also make four larger buns which are great for making sandwiches.

To make sandwich buns, roll out the dough with a rolling pin and gently roll the dough into a log shape.

 

Cut the dough into four pieces and steam it the same way as the rose buns. Steam for an extra five minutes because they are bigger.

So there you have it! Beet root steamed buns two ways. I hope you give the recipe a try and enjoy!