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    Home » Recipes » Breads & Buns

    Matcha Mantou

    Published: Jul 7, 2020 by Michelle · 21 Comments

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    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    A twist on Chinese steamed mantou, these spiral Matcha Mantou are soft and fluffy, flavoured with green tea. They're great alone for breakfast, but they're even better with condensed milk.

    A swirled green and white matcha mantou bun on small plate with buns in the background.

    First thing -- as you may have noticed, the blog got a little facelift!

    I had my old theme for the past 3 years, and it was time for a change. Let me know what you think -- you should be able to find recipes more effectively. 🙂 

    I discovered that I had a bag of special "bao" flour stashed in the depths of kitchen.

    It's been a while that I've made steamed buns, so I decided to pull out the bag and do some experimenting.

    Swirled green and white matcha mantou bun on small plate with more buns in bamboo steamers, green matcha tea in a small plate with spoon..
    These Matcha Mantou are a spin on regular mantou, and have a light green tea flavour.

    I love peeling the alternating layers off one by one while I eat them. They are pillowy soft yet slightly chewy.

    What is mantou?

    Mantou is a Chinese steamed bun, typically made with flour, water and yeast or baking powder.

    It is commonly found in Northern China. 

    How is it eaten?

    Mantou is eaten as a plain starch, similar to rice.

    You can also find mantou as a dessert eaten with condensed milk.

    Ingredients you'll need

    Since mantou is a basic, staple food, it only consists of a few ingredients. Most of these ingredients are probably in your pantry already:

    • flour: see my note below
    • water
    • avocado: (or veg) oil
    • granulated sugar
    • instant yeast: if using active dry yeast, proof in warm water first
    • baking powder
    • matcha

    Type of flour to use 

    Generally, you can use all-purpose flour for steamed buns like mantou.

    However, for the best results, steamed buns require a special type of flour called "bao" flour.

    It is lower in protein and gluten, and is made of soft wheat. It also helps to produce whiter buns. 

    Close up of green and white swirled mantou bun on small plate with buns, matcha tea in the background.
    How to make the buns

    Matcha mantou is really quite simple to make. If you've made yeasted bread before, you'll know that you need to proof the dough, which can take some time. 

    However, by using a little yeast and baking powder for the leavening agents, we can speed up the dough resting time (less waiting).

    To make the dough, it's just a matter of mixing all the ingredients together and kneading to form a smooth dough.

    Except, for this spiraled matcha mantou, we'll make 2 doughs: 1 regular (white) dough and a green matcha dough. 

    Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. 

    After that, we'll roll out each dough into a rectangle shape. 

    Spray the surface of one of the dough balls with water, and place the other on top. (You can choose to do matcha on the bottom or top, or vice versa).

    Roll up the dough together into a coiled shape and slice (like cinnamon buns).

    Place the buns onto parchment squares and into a bamboo steamer in a warm environment to proof for 20 minutes. 

    Steam the buns over high heat for 15 minutes. 

    TIP: Leave the buns to sit for 5 minutes in the steamer without removing the lid. This will prevent the buns from collapsing.

    Serve the mantou immediately after steaming. 

    A close up of torn green and white mantou bun dipped in condensed milk on a small plate, ripped bun on a plate in background.

    How to store & reheat

    You can make a batch of these matcha mantou and if you're not able to eat them all, you can individually freeze them.

    Place the completely cooled mantou into a freezer-friendly container or bag. 

    To reheat, simply place the buns onto a steaming rack and steam for 10-15 minutes, until soft.

    You can also microwave the buns to reheat if you're in a pinch, however, I prefer steaming since it produces a softer bun.

    Other recipes you may like

    If you love buns with filling, try these recipes:

    Custard Buns

    Steamed Red Bean Paste Buns

    Hojicha Chestnut Flower Buns

    Taiwanese Gua Bao 割包 (Instant Pot)

    Let me know if you try out this recipe -- tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below.

    Torn green and white matcha mantou bun revealing interior on small plate with matcha tea, more buns in bamboo steamers in background.A close up of swirled green and white matcha mantou steamed bun on a small plate, buns in a steamer in background, with text overlay.

    Print Recipe
    4.84 from 12 votes

    Matcha Mantou

    A fun-to-eat coiled green tea mantou, Chinese steamed bun.
    Prep Time1 hr
    Cook Time15 mins
    Total Time1 hr 15 mins
    Course: Breakfast
    Cuisine: Chinese
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 134kcal
    Author: Michelle

    Equipment

    • bamboo steamer

    For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.

    Ingredients

    Plain dough:

    • 125 g bao flour or all-purpose flour
    • 67 g warm water
    • 5 g granulated sugar
    • 3 g instant yeast
    • 5 g avocado oil
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder

    Matcha dough:

    • 5 g matcha powder sifted
    • 67 g warm water
    • 125 g bao flour or all-purpose flour
    • 5 g granulated sugar
    • 3 g instant yeast
    • 5 g avocado oil
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    Metric | US Customary
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    Make the plain dough:

    • In a bowl, combine the ingredients and knead until a smooth dough forms, about 10 minutes.
    • Cover the dough with a cloth. Let it rest for 20 minutes.

    Make the matcha dough:

    • Dissolve the matcha into the warm water. In a separate bowl, add the rest of the ingredients, including the matcha liquid. Knead to form a smooth dough, again, another 10 minutes.
    • Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rest for 20 minutes.

    Layering the dough:

    • Lay out a large piece of parchment paper on the work surface.
    • Take the plain dough and roll it out to a size of about 9" by 15."
    • Cover the plain dough with another piece of parchment paper and move it aside.
    • Repeat with the matcha dough, until you have another dough rolled out to about 9" by 15."
    • Decide which dough you'd like on the exterior (either matcha or plain). Place that dough on the work surface.
    • Spray the top of the dough with water (this will help the dough stick together).
    • Lay the second dough on top of the first dough. Pat the dough and smooth it out evenly, rolling it if need be.
    • Then, from the bottom side of the long edge, roll up the dough into a coil.
    • Cut the dough into 8 even pieces.
    • Place each mantou onto a square piece of parchment paper and transfer to a bamboo steamer. Cover the steamer with the lid.
    • Add about 4 C boiling water to the pot that you'll be using to steam the buns and place the steamer rack over top.
    • Let the buns proof for 20 minutes.
    • Turn the heat onto high heat and steam for 15 minutes.
    • After steaming, leave the buns in the steamer for 5 minutes before cracking open the lid slightly to let the steam escape. Once the steam has completely dissipated, remove the lid.
    • Serve warm, with condensed milk if you wish.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 134kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 54mg | Potassium: 41mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 31IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 2mg

    The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.

    Did you try this recipe?Mention @siftandsimmer or tag #siftandsimmer!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Carmen

      July 07, 2020 at 9:49 am

      You mention about using yeast but there’s no yeast listed in your ingredients.

      Reply
      • siftandsimmer@gmail.com

        July 07, 2020 at 10:30 am

        Thanks for catching that -- it's been updated. 🙂

      • Julie

        April 29, 2021 at 8:58 pm

        5 stars
        The addition of Mancha makes these so pretty and flavorful! Can't wait to try them.

    2. jenny

      July 07, 2020 at 12:34 pm

      Looks yummy. Can you post a picture of the brand you use for the bao flour?

      Thanks

      Reply
      • Michelle

        July 12, 2020 at 12:19 pm

        Hi Jenny,

        This is the brand I used: Bao flour

    3. Christie

      July 09, 2020 at 8:59 pm

      5 stars
      Michelle these matcha mantou are sooo beautiful! They have such a soft texture to them!

      Reply
      • Michelle

        July 10, 2020 at 8:15 am

        Thank you Christie! 🙂

    4. David @ Spiced

      July 13, 2020 at 4:19 am

      5 stars
      What a gorgeous recipe! I don't have any bao flour, but I see that I can use all-purpose. I might still have to order some bao flour just because I enjoy experimenting! Sounds like a fun recipe for sure!

      Reply
      • Michelle

        July 13, 2020 at 7:59 am

        Thanks David! Yes you can definitely use all-purpose but if you can get your hands on bao flour, it will produce whiter fluffier buns! 🙂

    5. Dawn - Girl Heart Food

      July 13, 2020 at 5:00 am

      5 stars
      I've never heard of mantou before, but would love to try! Your roll is absolutely perfect, Michelle! Love to have some right now with my coffee 🙂

      Reply
      • Michelle

        July 13, 2020 at 8:01 am

        Aw thank you -- it would be perfect with your coffee!

    6. Mat Salleh

      July 14, 2020 at 9:48 pm

      5 stars
      Wow! This is soooo beautiful! I've made it yesterday and it was a success.
      Thank you Michelle.

      Reply
      • Michelle

        July 14, 2020 at 9:59 pm

        Oh that is so nice to hear!! I'm glad it was a success! Thanks Mat! 🙂

    7. Linsey

      July 17, 2020 at 11:49 am

      4 stars
      These were fun to make and really pretty! I think I will try blooming the yeast in the warm water prior to mixing it in next time. The recipe doesn't call for this, but my yeast didn't completely mix in and only dissolved during the steaming process, which I think made it saltier tasting. The bun was a little saltier than I was expecting, so definitely would recommend pairing with something sweet or adding less salt to the savory item you pair it with.

      Reply
      • Michelle

        July 17, 2020 at 1:42 pm

        Not sure why your buns were salty tasting as the recipe doesn't call for any salt.

    8. Stephanie

      July 21, 2020 at 8:39 pm

      4 stars
      This was my first time making mantou and it was so much easier than expected! As someone who is still dipping her toe into the world of yeast, these were great to try out. They came out so cute and are the perfect little snack when eaten with butter or condensed milk! I did find these to be a bit more plain than I’m used to though, but generally quite enjoyable! I can’t wait to make them again!

      Reply
    9. Beth

      April 29, 2021 at 8:56 pm

      5 stars
      Yummy! This was amazing and it was so delicious! Love how it turned out. I’ll definitely make this again!

      Reply
    10. Helen

      April 30, 2021 at 2:20 am

      5 stars
      My daughter loves mantou but we always buy the frozen ones! I will have to try making them from scratch as yours look amazing, and the recipes doesn't look too tricky. Thanks for this!

      Reply
    11. Amanda Wren-Grimwood

      April 30, 2021 at 2:22 am

      5 stars
      These are gorgeous and I love that I can make these at home with normall flour too.

      Reply
    12. Katherine

      April 30, 2021 at 3:09 am

      5 stars
      Oh wow, these are the most beautiful steamed buns ever!

      Reply
    13. Linsey

      August 13, 2022 at 1:55 pm

      5 stars
      Wow! These Matcha mantou look so perfectly rolled and contrast of green and white colour!

      Reply

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