Sweet Steamed Whole Spelt Buns

Ever since I discovered the steamer basket, I haven't stopped steaming.

I steam vegetables, tofu cubes, and now I've started steaming buns.

Listen, I'm telling you—this is a serious game changer.

The steam cooks the dough without making it harden like baking or frying does.

The result is an incredibly soft, airy, and delicious bun.

I usually avoid that cliché phrase so many bloggers love to use, but for this recipe, it's absolutely necessary:

Soft as a cloud. For real.

Now imagine this: pillow-soft buns with a delicate filling of sweet, melted white chocolate, topped with a dusting of powdered sugar.

And so we don't completely die of guilt, these buns are made from whole spelt flour—and yes, you'll be surprised to find they still stay incredibly airy and soft.

Both healthy and a treat. (Just like me).

A bit about sweet steamed buns

I made these buns using whole spelt flour. Traditional recipes usually call for white flour or a combination with white rice flour. If you want to use white flour only, reduce the yeast to one tablespoon.

The fat source required for this recipe is coconut oil in a creamy/solid state. You can replace it with the same amount of margarine (but why would you want to?).

I used brown sugar, but you can swap it for any sugar you like. Avoid replacing it with silan (date syrup) or maple syrup due to the liquid content.

I used a high-quality vegan white chocolate I found at the supermarket, made from cocoa butter and rice milk. You can fill the buns with anything you like, such as dark chocolate, halva, or raspberries. A tip from me: use a small amount of filling and seal the dough very well when rolling the buns.

If you don't want to steam the buns, they also turn out perfectly in the oven—10-12 minutes of baking will be more than enough.

By the way, bamboo steamers are easily found in Asian groceries and are very affordable.

Nutritional values for the steamed buns:

One steamed bun filled with one square of white chocolate (approx. 40g per bun) contains:

• 160 calories
• 4g protein
• 28g carbohydrates
• 2g fat

Want another steamed bun recipe? How about chocolate buns?

Steamed Buns

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 15 Buns

Ingredients

• Steamer basket
• 2.5 cups Whole spelt flour 380g
• 6 tbsp Brown sugar
• 1 cup Lukewarm water 250 ml
• 3 tbsp Fresh yeast or 3/4 yeast cube
• 3 tbsp Coconut oil 30g
• 15 squares White chocolate 63g
• A bit of powdered sugar for decoration

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, pour the water, yeast, and one tablespoon of sugar. Mix and Set aside for about 10 minutes until it becomes foamy.

2. In a mixer bowl, add one cup of flour, the sugar, oil, and the yeast mixture. Mix for about one minute.

3. Add another cup of flour and continue kneading for another minute.

4. Add the remaining flour and knead for about 2 minutes until a uniform dough is formed.

5. Let it rise in a warm place for about an hour until the dough puffs up slightly (due to the low liquid content, it won't double in volume).

6. On a work surface, divide into 15 balls and flatten each ball with your hands.

7. Place a square of white chocolate (or two, I'm not responsible for the calories) in the center of each flattened ball.

8. Fold the dough over the filling and roll with your hands into a ball.

9. Let them rise a second time for about 15 minutes.

10. Place a piece of parchment paper in the center of the steamer so the dough doesn't stick, and steam for 15-20 minutes.

11. Dust with powdered sugar and devour while hot.

Recipe Video