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Saturday, January 28, 2012

Wheat Mantou 麦馒头

Delicious Wheat Mantou 麦馒头
大家好!今天我做馒头。很好吃。馒头是健康的。我爸爸喜欢吃麦馒头。我也喜欢吃。过的星期,我有很多考试。不容易。
So, finals were very hard. The AP classes in which I took the finals in were even worse. In AP Lit, I had to write an essay and do an AP style multiple choice test on a book we have read in class.
Anyway, back to the bread. This Wheat Mantou 馒头 is actually pretty good. Actually, it's 100% Whole Wheat Mantou, because it doesn't use any white flour. I like it better than my other mantou recipe. Well, maybe it's because I've grown accustomed to healthier foods, but my dad also likes these too. He usually doesn't like whole wheat items.
My first attempt
These took about 3 to 4 hours to make. It'd probably be easier and faster if you used a bread machine. I'm so happy because these are really healthy and don't use a lot of ingredients. I've calculated the nutrition facts too. I got 18 rolls out of this, making it around 110 calories each. If you get 15 rolls, then they're around 130 calories. Healthy Asian Food. My favorite. So, here's the recipe. I've adapted it from RasaMalaysia.

Ingredients:
My 2nd attempt at making Wheat Mantou 麦馒头. Much better.
  • 2 1/2  cups Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2  cup warm water
  • 1 to 1  1/4 cup warm fat free milk
  • 2 tsp active dry yeast
  • 2 tsp baking powder
Directions: 
  1. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and 1/2 cup warm water. Then, mix in the yeast. Stir. Let it stand for 10 minutes. It should get foamy. 
  2. In another bowl, combine both the flours. Add in the sugar/yeast mixture. Then, pour in 1 cup of warm milk. If more liquid is needed, add milk a little bit at a time until a dough forms. Once the dough has formed, knead for 1 to 2 minutes. Do not over-knead. Put the dough into another bowl.
  3. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise until double in size. This can range from 1 to 2 hours, depending on the temperature. It rises faster in warmer temperatures.
  4. While waiting for the dough to rise, combine the baking powder with 2 tablespoon warm water. Once the dough is done rising, mix in the baking powder mixture. If the dough is already sticky enough, you can add the baking powder directly into the dough. You can also add it to the flour before mixing in the liquid. Knead until incorporated. Remember to add flour if the dough is sticky or add more liquid if the dough is too dry. 
  5. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle. Then, fold one side into the middle, and then fold in the other side to the middle. Roll it out again.
  6. Roll the dough into a log.
  7. Divide into 12 to 18 pieces. 
  8. Let it rise for about another 20 to 30 minutes. 
  9. Steam for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the buns. 
  10. Serve warm. 
  11. Enjoy with tea or rice porridge. 

















The steamer I used


My first attempt..after steaming. ugly
My first attempt..right before steaming, ugly.
                                      

4 comments:

  1. This is awesome!! I think I'll make it someday, and perhaps I'll stuff them?? Because I've always wanted to make mantou, but never saw a healthier version. This seems pretty delicious and doable~

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    Replies
    1. Lol. Thanks Ellie. and yes, maybe you should stuff them, with red bean paste! lol. Red bean paste is the best. I have a recipe for it too, on my blog. ;)
      I like this healthier version better. All whole wheat and basic ingredients. I wonder how it would taste if almond milk or soymilk is used. Maybe you should try it. :)
      The bread is delicious and it tastes better than the store bought wheat mantou.

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  2. Hi I was wondering if you know the nutritional information for these buns? I always buy the wheat ones from this little restaurant near me and I'm interesting in making a healthy version! (:

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes. If you divide the dough into 18 pieces, they will be around 100 calories. But, I don't know much about the nutritional information. I do know that whole wheat flour has a lot more fiber. Most of the mantou buns usually have 200 calories. I would just use an online recipe calculator to check out the nutritional information for this recipe, but it is around 100 calories if you divide the dough into 18 pieces.

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