Red Bean Buns (豆沙包)

Soft and fluffy sweet buns filled-up with creamy Azuki red bean paste.

• ⏲️ Prep time: 2h
• 🍳 Cook time: 20 min
• 🍽️ Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 350g (~12 oz) wheat flour
• 1 sachet (~ 4g / 0.14 oz) baker’s yeast
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 200g (7 oz) sugar
• 20cl (~ 0,05 gal) water
• 1 teaspoon sunflower oil
• 250g (~ 9 oz)red beans Azuki (soak 24h before recipe)
• salt
• 6 baking paper square 7x7cm (~ 3x3inches)

Directions

1. 24h after soaking, boil the beans during 5 minutes and rince to clean up impurities.
2. Bring back the beans to simmering point during 1h30/2h. Drain when beans are easily squashable.
3. Mix the beans until smooth paste. Feel free to ad some water if necessary.
4. Put the bean paste in a low-heated pan with 150g (~ 5oz) sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir continuously to dry up the paste during around 10 minutes and let it cool.
5. In a salad bowl, stir the flour, the rest of sugar (~ 50g / 1.7oz), a pinch of salt, the baking powder and baker’s yeast.
6. Knead the bun paste during 5 minutes then incorporate the oil, knead again during 2 minutes. Shape a bowl and let it for 1 hour.
7. Shape 6 balls with red beans paste.
8. Press the rested bun paste to remove the gas and knea it up for 1 minute.
9. Sprinkle flour on working plan and make a sausage shape. Cut it in 6 equal shares and shape small balls with it.
10. Spread these bun paste balls to obtain a 10/12cm (~ 4inch) diameter disc.
11. Put the red bean paste in the center of the bun disc paste and close up the bao by making small folds around the ball. Solder well.
12. Dispose baos in a covered steaming basket and let it rest during 10 minutes.
13. After 10 minutes of rest, steam it during 20 minutes. After steaming, let it rest during 5 minutes without uncover it.
14. Enjoy!