Asian: Chinese Steamed Bread 01 by Recipe Cottage

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	Chinese Steamed Bread 01

		Man To 1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon dried 1 tablespoon sugar 1 1/2 cups warm water 4 cups (1 LB) all-purpose flour In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast and sugar over 4 tablespoons of the water and leave--five minutes for fresh yeast and 15 for dried. Place the flour in a bowl and make a well in the center. Pour in the yeast mixture and the remaining water. Mix everything to a dough. Turn it on to a floured work surface and knead it until it is smooth. Return it to the bowl, cover it and leave it in a warm place for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size. Punch down the dough with the back of your fist, cover it again and leave it for a further 20 minutes. Knead the dough again and shape it into rolls (see below). Bring the water in the bottom of a steamer to a boil. Place the rolls in the steamer, leaving a 1-inch gap between them. Cook them for 10 minutes, or until the are firm and cooked through. Serve them hot. If the rolls have to be cooked in two batches, cook the first batch and lift them out. When the second batch have been in the steamer for 8 minutes, put the first ones back on top to heat through. Serve them all hot. Makes 32 single or sixteen double steamed rolls. Single Flower Rolls Divide the dough in half. Roll out and cut each piece into a rectangle about 8 x 12 inches and brush it with sesame oil (sunflower oil can also be used). Roll the pieces up along one long side to make a rolled cylinder about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. With a very sharp knife (the Chinese would use a sharp cleaver), cut the cylinder in pieces about 3/4 inch long. Using a chopstick or rounded skewer parallel with the cut, press down in the center of each separate piece. The layers will push out to the sides, making a patter of two oval spirals joined in the center. Double Flower Rolls Divide the dough in half and roll and cut pieces as above. Place one piece dough on top of another (because these are on end to end, not cut-surface to cut-surface, they will need to be held in position). Press the chopstick down as before, almost to the bottom of the rolls. The shape will be like two joined spirals with two more spirals underneath. These rolls may need an extra couple of minutes cooking time because of their size. This is a richer steamed bread, served with "red cooked" dishes. These are joints of meat that are cooked in a casserole with soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, anise and onions. They are rich and highly flavored and go well with the plain taste of steamed bread. Shwieh Bai Man To 1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon dried 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons, warm water 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons, warm milk 4 tablespoons peanut oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 cups (1 LB) all-purpose flour Place the yeast in a large bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of the sugar and pour in the water. Leave this five minutes for fresh yeast and 15 for dried. Stir in the milk, oil and salt and gradually mix in the flour to make a dough. Turn the dough on to a floured work surface and knead it until it is smooth. Return it to the bowl, cover it and leave it in a warm place for 1 hour to double in size. Punch the dough down with the back of your fist, cover it again and leave it for a further 20 minutes. Knead the dough for a second time. Shape and steam, as above.