In China, they make Chinese Steamed Buns (Mantou) as plain steamed buns with no fillings. Traditionally, they consume mantou in Northern China as a staple food. In contrast to rice as a staple food in Southern China. They normally eat these buns plain or commonly serve it as a side dish. Whereas they stuff bao or baozi with sweet or savoury fillings and make them rounded in shape.
Popularity of Chinese Steamed Buns (Mantou)
Besides, Chinese Steamed Buns (Mantou) and baozi are so universally popular worldwide that you can find them everywhere. From dim sums in a Chinese yum cha restaurants, to frozen ready-made packaged food in Asian supermarket. As well as all kinds of food stores and even as a street/hawker food. They usually eat these Chinese Steamed Buns (Mantou) during breakfast, as a snack or meal on its own. Alternatively, they also eat them as an accompaniment for a dish. Like braised meat, meat stews or meat casseroles. As well as saucy dishes like Kung Pao Chicken or Singapore Chilli Prawns or Crabs.
Gluten Free Chinese Steamed Buns (Mantou)
For my gluten free Chinese Steamed Buns (Mantou) recipe, I made them with gluten free self-raising flour. Plus dry instant yeast, rice milk, agave syrup, salt and vanilla extract. This Chinese Steamed Buns (Mantou) is recipe is not only gluten Free. But also vegan, dairy free, nut free, egg free, soy free, refined sugar free and allergy friendly.
History of Mantou
The origin of mantou dated all the way back to many thousands of years ago. During the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (771B.C.), whereby the people were consuming steamed fermented flour dough called “Yi” food. During the Han Dynasty, use of stone mills became popular for milling wheat flour for mantou and wheat noodles. Which became a popular food staple for the people of Northern China.
According to a famous Chinese folktale, a renowned Chinese military strategist invented mantou stuffed with meat fillings. His name was Zhuge Liang during the era of the Three Kingdoms (220–280 CE). At this time, they use stuffed these buns to replace human barbarian’s heads as a sacrifice to the river god. In order for the army to cross the raging Lu River. By the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127 AD), bao or baozi became the terms used for buns with filling. Although mantou still remains as the name used for steamed buns with no fillings.
Chinese Steamed Buns (Mantou)
Ingredients
- Some gluten free flour for dusting work surface
For the dough:
- Dry Ingredients:
- 350 g 12.3oz gluten free self-raising flour (Orgran)
- 2 teaspoons dry instant yeast
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 150 ml plus 2 tablespoons rice milk
- 1 tablespoon agave sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine and whisk all the dry ingredients together. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture.
- Warm the rice milk in a small pot for around 2 minutes, then turn off the heat. Add in the extra virgin olive oil, agave sugar and vanilla extract and mix well.
- Pour the warm rice milk mixture in step 2 into the well in the large bowl, stir and combine well with the flour using a spatula.
- Then use your hands to knead the dough until you have a smooth and slightly sticky dough. Add 2 tablespoons rice milk if required.
- Divide the dough into 2 portions. Seal in ziplock bags and let the dough rest on the benchtop for 1 hour.
- Dust the work surface with some gluten free flour. Remove one portion of dough from the ziplock bag. Roll the dough into long log of 1½ inch thickness. You can also cut into any desired size.
- Cut each log with a knife into 1½ inch pieces around 50g (1.8oz) each.
- Line 2 large bamboo steamers with baking paper/parchment paper. Place each bun dough 1 inch apart onto the lined bamboo steamers.
- Heat up a wok with a steaming rack with some water and place the covered bamboo steamers on top of the steaming rack. Bring to a rolling boil and continue steaming the buns for 20 minutes on high heat. Ensure that there is sufficient water in the wok for the whole steaming process.
- Best served hot immediately after steaming.
- Reheat by steaming the buns on high heat until soft.
Notes
Hello!
This recipe looks great, I can’t wait to try it out. Just to check can you add yeast, if so how much dry yeast is needed?
Thank you!
You can add yeast, just replace the baking powder with 3 teaspoons of active dry yeast instead. Hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Can mantou be made without yeast?
Yes, mantou can be made without yeast. Simply replace the same amount of yeast with baking powder in the recipe. Or you can also try my Chinese Steamed Custard Buns recipe that uses baking powder instead of yeast. 🙂
Is the dough suppose to rise in the ziploc bag or when steaming? My buns did not increase in size.
The dough should rise in the ziplock bags during the 1 hour resting time and then rise further when steaming. If your buns did not rise at all, check that you are using unexpired dry instant yeast and gf self-raising flour. Also warming the rice milk is important in making the dough rise. Hope these will help when you try making this recipe again.
These Steamed Buns are so easy to make, soft and yummy too! Thanks so much for the recipe.
Thanks for your good review and feedback! 🙂
It was perfect the first time. I learn so much from you as well! Keep it up great post.
Thanks for your good feedback! 🙂
Can I use this recipe/dough to make egg custard buns? Can I use milk instead of rice milk and sugar instead of agave?
You can use this recipe or my Steamed Custard Buns recipe for egg custard buns. And you can certainly use milk and sugar instead of rice milk and agave syrup for these 2 recipes. Just adjust the sweetness to taste. 🙂
Thanks! I did see that recipe, but this one uses instant yeast. I wasn’t sure how to adjust the other one to use yeast, so was thinking I’d try to use this recipe ???? Do you have any pointers on how to incorporate yeast in the other recipe? This is my first time attempting any kind of gluten free bun so I’m totally new! Love your site and looking forward to trying more recipes! ????
To include yeast for the Steamed Custard Buns recipe, just omit the baking powder completely and add 3 teaspoons dry instant yeast instead. Thanks for your kind comments and hope you enjoy all my recipes. 🙂
Hi Daphne. Question: Is it possible to slice these buns after they cool down, and use then as bao buns?
I was looking for a GF vegan bao buns recipe for a while now, and couldn’t find a decent one, and this looks awesome.
Hi Maya, you can make the dough into any shapes or sizes according to your preference. For bao buns, you can shape them into round buns before steaming and then slice after they cool down while still warm to add fillings for the buns. 🙂
Hi Daphne,
So glad that I found your blog…been dying for a good mantou for a few months now 🙂 Will definitely give this recipe a try!
Thanks
Hi May,
Thanks for visiting my blog. Hope you enjoy this mantou recipe! 🙂
Yeah… I used Bob RedMill’s All Purpose Flour too and it was liquidy and I had to throw it out.
Best to use a light self-raising flour like Orgran brand for the buns to turn out well. 🙂
Hi
Can I skip agave sugar? Is the bamboo steamer a must? If yes, where can I buy it?
If you skip the agave sugar, just use normal sugar to taste instead as agave sugar is sweeter than normal sugar.
Bamboo steamer is not essential, you can use any type of steamer. 🙂
What type of gluten free flour did you use because I used Bob RedMill’s All Purpose and it did not turn out at all. It was actually disgusting in flavor and dense. Please advise!
I used Organ gf Self Raising flour (also stated in my recipe ingredients). Use gf Self Raising Flour instead of gf All Purpose flour will give a much better results as self raising flour gives a much lighter texture. I have also tested Organ gf All Purpose Flour and result was not good. 🙂