Asian Steamed Buns

Method

1. Place the cake flour, corn flour, instant yeast and xylitol in the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Using the dough hook, knead the dough on medium speed and add the milk or water, then the cooking oil. Knead until it is smooth and not sticky, about 5 minutes. If you are kneading by hand, you need to knead for about 10 minutes to achieve the same result.
3. Add the salt and knead again until the dough is smooth. The kneading part is a vital part of this recipe. It creates the silky texture of the bun once cooked.
4. Cover the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes.
5. Once proved, divide the dough into 12 equal pieces.
6. While working, keep the dough balls covered to prevent them from drying out.
7. Work with one dough ball at a time. Pull and fold the dough from top to bottom so the seams are at the bottom, rotating the dough ball with each fold.
8. Flatten the dough ball with the palm of your hand and use a small roller to roll it out into an oval shape about 10 cm in length.
9. Fold the buns over to form a half circle. Place a piece of baking paper in between the fold.
10. Allow the buns to prove until risen by about 50 %.
11. To steam, place a bamboo steamer on top of a pot filled with a litre of water. Turn the heat up to high and bring the water to the boil.
12. Once boiled, turn it down to the lowest setting and then place the buns in the steamer, leaving about 2 cm between the buns. Wrap the remaining buns in cling wrap and place in the refrigerator.
13. Steam over a low heat for 5 minutes.
14. Take the buns off the heat and let them sit in the steamer for 1 minute before serving