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–+ servings
Seven steamed snowmen buns upright in a bamboo steamer.

Steamed Snowman Buns

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These cute steamed snowman buns are made with an easy and fluffy Chinese mantou dough and an optional custard filling. They are vegan-friendly, dairy-free and the perfect snack for the holidays!
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Chinese
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 20 minutes
Resting Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings 8 snowman buns
Author Anthea

Ingredients

Vegan Custard Filling (optional)

Mantou Dough

Instructions

Make the vegan custard filling (optional):

  • Add the custard powder, sugar and flour and around 1/2 cup of milk to a saucepan. Whisk until there are no lumps. Add the rest of the milk and the butter and mix until combined.
  • Place the saucepan over medium heat and mix constantly. When the mixture starts to thicken, turn off the heat and continue mixing until your custard turns into a thick paste. Place the custard in a bowl and chill in the fridge or freezer until needed.

Make the mantou dough:

  • Add all the dough ingredients (except the food colouring) to a stand mixer (with the dough hook) or a mixing bowl. If using a stand mixer, knead the dough on medium speed for 5-10 minutes. If mixing by hand, mix the ingredients in your bowl then transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead until smooth.
  • Your dough is ready when it's soft, silky and slightly tacky but not sticky. If your dough is sticky, add a little more flour and knead again. If the dough is too dry, add a dash of milk and knead again.
  • Remove around 50g of dough and set aside the rest in an airtight container in the fridge.
  • Divide the 50g of dough into 3 lots so you have around 45g for the snowmen scarves, 4g for the eyes (around 1 teaspoon) and buttons and 1g for the nose (around 1/4 teaspoon). Knead each dough with your desired food colour until well combined. Shape each coloured dough as desired then store them in an airtight container in the fridge until needed.

Shaping the buns:

  • Divide the dough into 16 pieces, so you have around 8 x 35g pieces for the snowmen's bodies and 8 x 15g pieces for the snowmen's heads.
  • If you're making plain mantou buns: Fold the edges of the dough into the middle to give a ball with a smooth outer surface. Or keep repeating until you have a smooth ball. Roll and rotate the ball in between your hands and work surface to smooth out any wrinkles.
  • If you're making custard buns: Divide the custard mixture into 16 pieces, so you have around 8 x 18g pieces for the snowmen's bodies and 8 x 7g pieces for the snowmen's heads. Gently roll them into balls. Flatten the dough into round circles and place a custard ball in the middle. Wrap the dough around the custard and pinch the edges. Roll and rotate the ball in between your hands and work surface to smooth the dough surface.

Assembling the snowmen:

  • Cut out 8 rectangular pieces of parchment paper to fit your snowmen. Pair the snowman bodies with the snowman heads and place them on the parchment. Decorate the snowmen with the scarves, eyes, noses and buttons as desired. If any of the decorations aren't 'sticking' the snowmen, dab the dough with a little water. If needed, use a toothpick to lightly indent the snowmen for their eyes, noses and buttons.
  • Cover the snowmen and let them rest at room temperature for 1-2 hours or until they're puffy and jiggly.

Steaming the snowmen:

  • Carefully place your snowmen into your steaming basket. If you can only steam few snowmen at a time, store the remaining snowmen in an airtight container in the fridge.
  • Fill up your wok or steamer with 2-4 cups of water (depending on the size of your steamer). Place your steaming basket into your steamer. Cover with a curved lid or bamboo lid. If you have a flat lid, wrap it in a tea towel.
  • Place your steamer over high heat. When steam starts to come out of the lid, immediately reduce the stove to medium heat (I used 5 out of 10). Turn on your timer and steam the buns for 10 minutes.
  • After 10 minutes, turn off the heat. Leave the steamer on the stove and let it sit for about 3-5 minutes with the lid on. After then, remove the lid and repeat for the remaining snowman buns.

Serving and storing:

  • Enjoy the buns warm or slightly cooled down. They will firm up as they cool.
  • Store the buns in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. To reheat and soften the buns, steam on medium heat for 5 minutes or until warm. You can also heat them up in the microwave but they will be drier.

Notes

  1. Many brands of custard powder are accidentally vegan and pre-sweetened for example, Bird's and Foster Clarks. If using another brand, double-check the ingredients to make sure it doesn't contain milk or egg solids. Alternatively, you can use the same amount in cornstarch / corn flour, a pinch of turmeric and increase the sugar to 1/3 cup (65g). It won't taste exactly the same but will be similar.
  2. Bao flour is less absorbent than all-purpose flour so you may need to add more flour to make your dough a workable consistency.
  3. Instant yeast doesn't need to be 'proofed' beforehand. If you use active dry yeast, combine it with the milk from the recipe and a pinch of sugar beforehand. Wait until it bubbles then use it in the recipe.