Pumpkins for Breakfast.

It was just recently when I started blog hopping into the Chinese foodie blogs just to look for a more Asian or Chinese delicacies. Having toast, eggs, oats and cereal has finally bore me as I kept asking mum what to have for breakfast tomorrow. She didn't have the right answers for me. She knew that heavy food such as, nasi lemak or anything to do with noodles is not in my breakfast list as I might be going to the gym for the next hour, unless I'm planning to be a working blender by throwing everything back out in one good batter.

Pau(or bao/pao/baozi/?) is a well known Chinese steamed bun. I'm sure everyone is very familiar with this already. I can never end a dim sum meal without finishing with a pau. There are just so many kinds of various pau such as the ones with red bean filling, lotus paste, char siew (BBQ pork) and custard which seems to be my all-time favourite.

On the other hand, the empty ones are more known as Mantou(??). They're slightly softer in texture and sweeter as they come without the filling. Mantou are not as popular in Malaysia and we can hardly find them in dim sum restaurants as I believe people prefer to eat the ones with filling. They're often sold frozen in the supermarket. I really love to have things plain (or my mum would say, kosong), so I decided to give a try on these Mantou.

This recipe does give a very fluffy and soft texture to the Mantou. I kept some pumpkin in chunks so that I could taste them. These were definitely some good and delicious breakfast. The taste of my own handmade Mantou, what could be better? Not a bowl of shark fin's soup could beat this!

My blog hopping journey had reached Cooking Crave and I was tempted to make her Steamed Pumpkin Buns which lead me to another great blog written by Annann. Though I can't read much of Chinese, I had to admit that I do admire her bread making skills. For the Chinese version, do refer to Annann's blog.

Steamed Pumpkin Bun Recipe
(adapted from Cooking Crave)

11g instant yeast
1 tsp sugar
150ml warm water

500g Pau/HongKong flour
8 tbsp sugar
8 tbsp canola oil
1/4 tsp salt
150g steamed pumpkin, mashed

Method:
In a bowl, put yeast, sugar and warm water together and let it proof for 10mins. With another large bowl, place flour, sugar, oil, salt and mashed pumpkin together. Rub the mashed pumpkin into the ingredients. Slowly add in water and knead to form a soft dough for 20-30mins. Cover the bowl and let it proof for 10-15mins or until it doubles in size. Divide the dough into equal portion according to preference (it made 16 large ones for me). Cut parchment papers into squares and line on a tray. Shape the dough as desired and place it on the prepared papers. Let it rest for another 10-15mins. Steam at high heat for 12-15mins.

~|Notes|~
*For storage, it would last 2 days in the fridge and up to 2 weeks if frozen. Steam it for 10mins for a fresh, warm and fluffy Mantou.