Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Steamed Peach Buns 寿桃

Peach buns (寿桃), Sou Tao, are my favorite things to eat at Chinese buffets. I always love going to the buffets and stocking my plate up with these cute little peach buns, usually filled with lotus paste or red bean paste. When you bite into them, your teeth sink into a fluffy piece of bread and then you taste the sweet paste located in the center of these buns, what a nice surprise. These buns are also known as birthday buns because in the Chinese culture, these buns are eaten for longevity.

So I made these buns for my aunt's birthday and it took me two hours. I was very disappointed with the results because it was cold that day and I didn't let the bread rise long enough. The skin became really tough after steaming and I felt so let down. Next time, I'll let it rise longer...or at least let the dough double in size. I encourage you to try out the recipe though! :)

Steamed Peach Buns

Recipe from My Little Space.

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Mound of dough.
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Portion the dough out into several small, golf-sized pieces.
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Roll out the dough.
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Add a dollop of red bean paste.
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Wrap up the bun and using a knife, indent the bun.
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Using a new toothbrush, sprinkle red food coloring on the buns.
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This post was not written until today. However, I made these all the way back in March (29).

5 comments:

  1. I always love the shape of these buns :D They actually look quite successful from the pictures, but I guess that why you should never judge a book by its cover!! ;) I guess it just means you shaped them well! I hate how bread takes forever to rise when it's cold!! Oh wow...you made these a long time ago! Teheheh...at least now I know I'm not the only one who has ridiculously outdated back posts! :D

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  2. Esther,
    Even though I live in a place where it's always more than 30C daily, there are times when I need some speed.

    I turn my oven on at 80C for 2 minutes. turn it off, then put my buns into the warm oven.

    Or you can boil your water in your steamer until it's very warm, turn off the heat and place your buns (in rack) over the steamer and let it proof.

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  3. Hi Esther, thanks so much for the shout out. I was very happy you tried this recipe. Don't give up. I'm sure you can do it. You shaped them well.
    You can even rest dough in the oven with 2 cups of boiling water each side, for further fermentation. The warm steam will keep the dough moist and at the same time improves the process.
    Hope you're having a great day.
    Kristy

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  4. Von, Haha, thanks! I love that saying. :) I also don't like it when bread takes forever to rise. I was planning to take advantage of the summer, but I didn't make any bread. :/ LOL, and no worries about having tons of back posts...I have lots more to come. I haven't even started writing some of them.

    Wendy, That is some awesome advice. I actually read it somewhere else too. It's a pity that I didn't know this back then. XD Thank you for your help. I'll remember to do that next time.

    Kristy, You're welcome. Your recipes are wonderful! They always catch my attention because they're the type of Chinese dessert/snack that I've loved as a child. I think I'll make this again for my dad/grandma/uncle's b-days! We'll see how that goes. The steaming idea sounds great! I hope you have a great day too. :D

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  5. Oh I love these things to at the buffet - right along the sesame balls. Never tried to make these but I have seen them frozen the oriental grocery store.

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Thanks for reading my blog. I love hearing about your thoughts and/or your advice. :)

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