jessiefoodinthekitchen

There's something incredibly satisfying about lifting the steamer lid to reveal perfectly fluffy steamed buns with beautiful natural cracks on top. Those "blooming" buns aren't just attractive . T hey're often a sign of a well-fermented dough with a light, airy texture. This time, I experimented with using a poolish starter to make my mantou , and the results were well worth the extra planning. The buns turned out exceptionally soft, with a finer crumb, a subtle sweetness from natural fermentation, and a richer wheat aroma that you simply don't get from mixing everything together in one go.   What Is a Poolish ? A poolish is a simple pre-ferment made with equal parts of flour and water, plus a tiny amount of yeast. It is left to ferment for several hours, or overnight, before being mixed into the final dough. Although poolish is commonly used in artisan bread baking, it also works wonderfully for Chinese steamed buns. The slow fermentation develops flavo...