Steamed sourdough buns, a simple yet symbolic food, take center stage during Chinese New Year celebrations. As we usher in the Year of the Snake (starting January 29th, 2025), families worldwide will gather to share these traditional treats, marking the beginning of a 16-day celebration, with the first week a public holiday. While many might assume rice is the central dish, these humble buns, made with wheat flour, water, and sourdough starter, have been cherished in this festive tradition for centuries.

Chinese steamed bread owes its unique taste, aroma, and texture to the influence of sourdough, a practice dating back over 2,000 years in China. Traditionally made with wheat flour, water, and a sourdough starter, this bread is steamed after fermentation.[1]

Interested in making your Steamed Sourdough Buns? Here’s our recipe from previous years:

Chinese Steamed Sourdough Bun Recipe[2]

Clicking the link [2] above takes you to the China Sichuan Food—Chinese Recipes and Eating Culture site, which shows how to make plain buns.

The recipe below is from Tony Chiodo at GoodFood.com in Australia.[3] He invites you to “try these wonderfully soft and savory Chinese steamed buns. They will appear …pale because they are steamed rather than baked, but they have a chewy, satisfying consistency and a delicate flavor.

Ingredients

Preferment 

  • 1 cup [120g] whole wheat flour
  • ¾ cup [180g] of filtered water
  • ½ cup [110g] sourdough starter

Dough

  • 2 cups [480g] all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp [6g] sea salt
  • ½ cup [120g] preferment

Filling

  • 1 Tbsp [14g] dark sesame oil
  • 1 clove [5g] garlic, finely minced
  • 1 tsp [2g] ginger, finely minced
  • ¼ cup [63g] leeks, finely sliced
  • ¼ cup [63g] carrots, grated or diced
  • 3-4 mushrooms, sliced
  • ½ can (227g) water chestnuts, sliced
  • 1 baby bok choy, finely shredded
  • ⅓ cup [42g] walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp [32g] soy sauce
  • 2 tsp [5g] cornstarch dissolved in 2 tsp cold water

Directions for the Preferment

  1. Whisk together the starter, flour, and water until batter-like consistency.
  2. Place into a glass or ceramic jar and cover loosely.
  3. Please wait 12 hours before using it.

Always keep ½ cup starter and feed it to produce more for later use. It can be stored in the fridge for a week. 

Directions for the Dough

  1. Mix the flour, salt, and leaven, adding the water to form a smooth, pliable dough.
  2. Knead for 10 minutes to develop gluten.
  3. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to rest and rise in a warm spot for 4–7 hours.

Filling Directions

  1. To prepare filling, place the wok (or large fry pan) over medium heat
  2. Add the sesame oil, garlic, ginger, leeks, carrots, mushrooms, and water chestnuts.
  3. Stir-fry for 1 minute and add the bok choy, walnuts, soy sauce, and the dissolved cornstarch.
  4. Stir until the mixture thickens. Set aside to cool.

Making the Buns

  1. To assemble the buns, break off 12 golf ball-size pieces (4cm) of dough and roll them into balls.
  2. Flatten with a rolling pin, keeping the edges slightly thinner.
  3. Place 1 Tbsp of filling in the center, pull up the sides, and twist to close.
  4. Place twisted side down onto waxed paper in an unheated bamboo steamer, leaving a little space between the buns.
  5. Cover and allow it to rise for about an hour.
  6. Steam for 15 minutes.
  7. Lightly spray with water to create a glaze and steam for 5 minutes.