Steamed Chocolate Doughnuts Without All the Calories

Okay, these aren't exactly doughnuts.

They are more like steamed buns.

I first encountered these steamed buns at an Asian restaurant in Amsterdam while traveling through Europe years ago.

It was a small vegan restaurant located far from the city center, and they served incredibly soft steamed buns with a wonderful chocolate coating.

I lived not too far from Amsterdam back then (a 6-hour drive) and made the effort at least once a month to visit just to devour these buns.

So, in honor of Hanukkah, I decided to try and recreate the recipe for those wonderful doughnuts (sorry, sorry... steamed buns).

Don't get me wrong—even though I'm currently in a bulking phase (at least until February), I still insist on not eating even a single traditional fried doughnut.

In my opinion, it's just not worth the calories.

But for every candle-lighting event I'm invited to, I make the effort to prepare these doughnuts/buns.

Admittedly, any connection between them and traditional doughnuts is purely coincidental, but you have to admit they fit perfectly on the holiday table.

A bit about the recipe

For those familiar with steamed buns, this is a slightly different version of Chinese Bao buns.

The great thing about these buns is that they come out soft as a cloud, and not a single drop of oil is required in their preparation.

The bun is cooked using the steam from boiling water rather than in the oven.

You can add herbs or spices to the cooking water to add extra aroma, such as rosemary, lemon, lavender, and more.

The steaming equipment required for the recipe can be found in Asian grocery stores; it is usually made of bamboo and is very inexpensive to purchase.

I used one cup of white flour to make the bun airier, but you can skip it and use only whole wheat flour. The bun will be denser but still delicious.

You can omit the applesauce and replace it with the same amount of ripe banana (120g total).

Want something else sweet with chocolate? Click here

Nutritional values by clinical dietitian and fitness trainer Noam Bachar:

One doughnut out of 25 (weighing 40g) contains:

100 kcal

3g Protein

24g Carbohydrates

2g Fat

Steamed Chocolate Doughnuts

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Servings 25 doughnuts

Ingredients

For the topping

• 1 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 tsp canola oil
• 100 g dark chocolate

For the dough

• 1 cup white flour
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder unsweetened
• 6 tbsp applesauce
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp yeast
• 1/2 cup sugar or any sweetener you prefer
• 3/4 cup soy milk

Instructions

1. Mix all doughnut ingredients in a mixer or by hand for about 5 minutes until a uniform dough is formed.
2. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for about an hour.
3. After rising, use wet hands to form small balls about the size of a ping-pong ball and place them on a surface.
4. Cover with a towel and let rise for another half hour.
   
5. After the second rise, bring water to a boil in a large pot.
6. Place the steaming rack over the pot; use parchment paper so the dough doesn't stick to the rack.
7. Place 3-4 dough balls on the parchment paper, cover with a lid, and steam for 8-10 minutes until the buns are ready.
   
8. Decorate.
9. Melt the chocolate in the microwave.
10. Mix in the teaspoon of oil and stir well.
11. Coat each bun with a little chocolate and garnish with powdered sugar.