To celebrate the Chinese New Year, I decided to make an Asian treat that looks somehow festive. I personally like everything that is made with glutinous rice. The texture can be described with only one word “chewy”, so if you like chewy texture, you will be pleased with this kind of bread which consistency sits between the conventional mochi (totally chewy) and bread (yeast).
This is sure a very simple recipe for such a “cute” treat. Once steamed, these buns can be left at room temperature for up to 2 days, but if you prefer, you can store it in the refrigerator and warm them slightly again before serving. For this recipe, I used the bread machine, but it can easily be done without the help of it.
This recipe was adapted from Yochana.
Ingredients:
Sponge dough
1 tsp yeast
1 cup plain flour
1/3 cup water
Main dough
¼ cup plain flour
¾ cup glutinous flour
¼ to 1/3 cup water
¼ cup sugar
3 to 4 drops of red coloring liquid
Method:
Mix all the ingredients for sponge dough, cover and leave at room temperature overnight.
In the bread machine bucket, add all the ingredients from the main dough and the sponge dough. Set the machine to kneading setting. Knead the dough until soft. Remove from the bucket and place the dough in a bowl and let it proof until triple its original size.
Rub the palm of your hands with a little vegetable oil and make small balls and place into the mini muffin cups. Top each bun with dry cranberry. Leave to proof until double its size.
Place the buns into a steamer over medium heat for approximately 15 minutes. Remove from the steamer and let it cool. Yield approximately 24 mini buns.
I hope you enjoy this simple recipe and for those that celebrate the Luna Year…
Did you know that glutinous flour or mochiko is made from sweet rice or glutinous rice? It is very popular in Asian dishes. Since this flour comes from rice, it is gluten free.
Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes and have a great week!
