Thursday, May 10, 2018

Steamed Buns with Crab Salad


Savor this quick and easy salad recipe.

INGREDIENTS
FOR BUNS:

  • 425 grams Cake & pastry Flour (or Bao flour, if available)
  • 25 grams granulated Sugar
  • 8 grams Instant dry yeast
  • 5 grams Baking powder
  • 3 grams Salt
  • 250 millilitres Warm water
  • 15 millilitres White vinegar
  • FOR CRAB SALAD:
  • 300 grams Crabmeat
  • 2 Green onions, sliced
  • 60 grams finely diced Celery
  • 30 millilitres finely diced Dill pickle, or Dill pickle relish
  • 80 millilitres Mayonnaise
  • 15 millilitres Lemon juice
  • 2 millilitres Celery salt
  • Salt & pepper, to taste
  • Thin Radish and Cucumber slices, for assembly


METHOD

  1. Stir the flour, sugar, yeast, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the water and the vinegar and mix on low speed until the ingredients are combined (the dough will seem dense and dry, but is OK) and then increase the speed one level and knead for 10 minutes, until the dough feels elastic.
  2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll it out into a rectangle. Fold the pastry into thirds, rotate the dough 90 degrees and roll it out again into a rectangle, fold and repeat at least 8 more times (up to 20 times! Because of the low gluten content of the flour, it will not spring back. This step makes the air bubbles within the dough very small and fine).
  3. After the final fold, roll the dough out into a rectangle about 38 cm long (16-inches) by 18 cm (7 inches). From the long side, tightly roll up the dough into a spiral shape. Cut the rolled dough into 12 equal portions and put these on a tray or plate, loosely cover, and let rest an hour (they will not double in size).
  4. Bring a pot or pan, which a large bamboo steamer fits into, with 4 cm (1 ½-inches) of water to a boil. Place the steamer on top. Place 6 of the buns in the steamer, cover and let steam for 10 minutes without peaking. Remove the buns to a baking tray to cool and repeat with the remaining 6 buns. The buns should be used within 2 hours of steaming.
  5. For the crab salad, gently shred the crabmeat Stir in the remaining ingredients and season to taste. Chill until ready to assemble.
  6. To assemble, slice open the bun on the top Spoon in a little crab salad and arrange radish and cucumber slices. Serve within an hour of assembling.
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