Core Tip: Mantou (steamed buns) are fragrant, soft, slightly sweet, and not greasy, making them a favorite breakfast for many. However, sometimes the steamed mantou turn out yellow and hard, completely unappetizing. So, how can you steam delicious mantou?
The traditional method for making mantou involves soaking "starter dough" in water until soft, then adding flour and mixing thoroughly. It is then left to ferment at a suitable temperature. Fermentation produces carbon dioxide and a sour taste. Then, an alkaline agent is added and kneaded in to neutralize the sourness and make the mantou smooth and elastic. However, the alkaline agent can destroy the complex vitamins in the flour, reducing the nutritional value of the mantou.
If you use yeast for fermentation, you can directly mix the yeast into the dry flour, add water, and mix thoroughly. The dough is then left to ferment at a suitable temperature, producing carbon dioxide to make it soft, and can be steamed directly without adding an alkaline agent. This method not only prevents the destruction of complex vitamins but also avoids the problems of adding too much alkaline agent, which can make the mantou yellow and astringent, or too little, which can leave it tasting sour.
Yeast itself is also a rich and natural nutritional supplement. Cultivated from natural sugarcane molasses, yeast is rich in protein and vitamins, making it an excellent healthy food that perfectly meets modern people's demand for nutrition and health.