Ingredients
REQUIRED: Steam Basket, and cupcake liners
You can find steam baskets online. Our Asian market sold a large one for about $15. On Amazon they’re a lot more. But worth it.
Source video if you need a visual guide.
Custard Filling:
- 3 egg yolks, room temperature 蛋黄, 室温度 3个
- 150 ml (1/2 cup + 1-1/2 tablespoon milk) 牛奶 150毫升 1/2杯 + 1-1/2汤匙
- 75 grams sugar (1/3 cup +1/2 tablespoon ) 白糖 75克 1/3杯 + 1/2汤匙
- 20 grams (3 tablespoon) cake flour 低筋面粉 20克 3汤匙
- 50 grams (1/4 cup) salted butter 咸黄油 50克 1/4杯 (butter has to be salted, if not the butter will separate from the custard)
Dough:
- 160 grams (1-1/4 cup ) superfine flour/plain flour/all purpose flour 细腻中筋面粉/中筋面粉 160克 （1-1/4杯）
- 40 grams (1/4 cup + 1-1/2 tablespoon) cake flour 低筋面粉 40克 （1/4杯 + 1-1/2 汤匙）
- 30 grams (1/4 cup) wheat starch 澄粉 30克 （1/4杯）
- 45 grams (1/3 cup + 1 teaspoon) icing sugar 糖粉 45克 （1/3杯 + 1茶匙）
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 泡打粉 1/2茶匙
- 3/4 teaspoon yeast (instant) 速溶酵母 3/4茶匙
- 130 ml (1/2 cup + 1 teaspoon) water (room temperature) 水，室温度 130毫升 （1/2杯 + 1茶匙）
- 30 ml (2 tablespoon) vegetable oil 菜油 30毫升 （2汤匙）
There’s very little leniency, don’t substitutions if not already listed. If you need vegetable oil substitution, keep it as a neutral oil and you’ll probably be fine.
Custard:
- Whisk your egg yolks in a bowl, then add sugar. Continue to whisk until the mixture is a lighter, pale yellow
- Add 20 grams cake flour, set bowl aside
- In a pan, add 50 grams salted butter and 150 ml milk (whole preferred I think)
- Medium heat, until bubbles form. Remove from heat.
- Pour slowly into your bowl mixture, stirring continuously
- Pour back into the pot
- Heat at medium heat, stirring continuously
- Once custard thickens, immediately reduce to lowest heat
- Once custard gets lumpy, remove from stove
- Place custard filling in covered bowl. Put in fridge overnight, or at least 3 hours.
- Using a baller or small ice cream scoop, shape the custard into 10 balls and line covered container with them. Put in fridge.
Dough:
- Add 160 grams of your flour choice to bowl
- Add 40 grams of cake flour
- Add 30 grams wheat starch
- Add 45 grams icing sugar
- Add 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- Add 3/4 teaspoon instant yeast
- Mix with a fork or chopsticks while adding 130 ml water.
- Transfer to a work surface. While kneading, add your 30 ml in 3 increments of 10 ml, with a minute or so. At first the dough will tear easily. After about 10 minutes it should feel bouncy and elastic.
- Split dough into 10 balls of equal size. About 43-44 grams each.
- Cover with cloth.
- Rest for 5 minutes.
Fill ‘em and steam ‘em
- Pull one dough ball out at a time from under the cloth. If sticky, sprinkle with flour. Flatten into a disk shape, 9.5cm (3.74 in) in diameter. The middle should be thicker (since you’ll be sinking it down with custard) than the edges.
- Cup it with your fingers, and put a custard ball in the center. Sink it in with a spoon. Gently fold it closed to form a ball with the custard inside the dough. Pinch off, roll on surface, make it as pretty as you can.
- Flatten a doubled up cupcake liner, stick the dough on it.
- When done with all 10 balls and they’re in your liners, transfer them to your steam basket. For a large basket, they’ll all fit in one layer. The liners can touch, but leave space between the dough as they will rise.
- Put the lid on, and let proof. For Prima Top Flour, takes about 10 minutes. For other kinds (plain/all purpose) it takes about 20-30 minutes. If your room is colder, it will take longer. Dough should feel soft, supple, and fluffy. The skin will be smooth and plump.
- Set the basket on a bot or wok filled with some water. Do not preboil or preheat in any way. Set timer for 12-15 minutes, and turn heat to high.
- Do not peak or you will lose moisture!
- Take off the stove, let rest for 10 minutes.
- Now take the lid off. Pull one out, let it cool for a second, then enjoy. Take cross-section photos for the family.