Chinese Sweet custard buns (naihuangbao) are a favourite Cantonese dim sum dessert served in a Yum Cha restaurant. They are soft and fluffy with sweet and creamy custard fillings.
Prep Time1 hourhr
Cook Time25 minutesmins
Resting Time1 hourhr
Total Time2 hourshrs25 minutesmins
Course: Breakfast, Buns, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Asian Desserts, Chinese
Diet: Gluten Free, Low Fat, Vegan
Keyword: Bao, Baozi, Custard, Custard Buns, Dairy Free, Dim Sum, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Gluten Free Bao Buns, Gluten Free Chinese Bao, Gluten Free Dim Sum, Gluten Free Dim Sum Dessert, Gluten Free Dim Sum Recipe, Nut Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free
In a large mixing bowl, combine and whisk together all the dry ingredients except agave sugar. 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 rice bran oil or extra virgin olive oil and agave sugar and mix well until all the agave sugar has dissolved.
Pour the warm rice milk mixture in step 2 into the well in the large mixing bowl, add the vanilla extract, stir and combine well with the flour.
Then use your hands to knead the dough until you have a smooth dough. Add 1 tablespoon 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.
For the filling:
Mix the corn starch with all the water.
Combine and mix well all the ingredients for the custard filling including the corn starch mixture in step 6 into a non-stick frying pan. Stir and mix on medium to low heat for 5 mins or until the custard mixture is smooth and has thickened.
Remove the frying pan from heat and let the custard filling cool for around 2 minutes.
Roll the custard filling into 16 balls about 54g (1.9oz) each. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
For the dough:
Dust the work surface and rolling pin with some gluten free flour.
Remove 1 bag of dough from the ziplock bag at a time, divide the dough equally into 16 large balls around 72g (2.5oz) each. Repeat until all the dough are finished.
Flatten each ball into a disc or patty. Roll out each dough, turning it as you roll, to form a 4 inch round dough around 0.7cm (0.3 inch) in thickness.
For stuffing the dough:
Place a cooled custard ball into the centre of the dough.
Wrap and pinch the dough together. Making sure that the thickness are even throughout the ball. Seal the edges and shape into a smooth ball.
For cooking the buns:
Arrange each dough onto a piece of baking/parchment paper.
Heat up a wok with a steaming rack with some water and place the bamboo steamer on top of the steaming rack. Steam the buns for 20 minutes on high heat in batches. Ensure that there is sufficient water in the wok for the whole steaming process. Repeat until all the buns are cooked. You can use any type of steamer.
Remove and place the cooked buns on a cooling rack. Best serve warm.
You can also store the buns in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheat by steaming on high heat for 3 minutes or in microwave for 1½ minutes or until buns are soft.