Mantou bread is a traditional Chinese steamed bun with a cloud-like texture. In our version, oats lend the bread a little extra sweetness and texture. Delicious eaten dipped in sweetened, evaporated milk, with jam or fried! Note: to make this dish, you will need a steamer basket of some kind.
Soak oats in hot water for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While soaking the oats, sift together the dry ingredients, leaving a well in the middle.
Pour the oats and water into the well of dry ingredients. Combine and knead until incorporated.
Cover and allow the dough to rise for an hour, or until doubled in size.
Punch down the dough and roll out on a floured surface into a 1-inch-thick rectangle. Roll up from one long end (similar to a cinnamon roll) and use a bench scraper to cut into 2-inch-thick rolls.
Arrange your buns in a bamboo or steel steamer. You may need to steam them in two batches, depending on the size of your steamer.
Meanwhile, fill a wok or steamer pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Place steamer inside, making sure the water isn't touching buns. Cover with a lid and steam for 12-15 minutes, or until buns are fluffy and fully cooked.
Tilt the lid a tiny bit to let air slowly circulate for 2-3 minutes before opening fully. If you open the lid right away, the fluffy buns will collapse.
Serve buns warm alongside sweetened condensed milk, or with jam!
