15 pieces circa

Reasy in 2 hours

(filling to be prepared the night before)

Filling:

6 hard boiled egg-yolks

150 grams granulated sugar

60 grams mlik powder

80 grams coconut milk

70 grams cornstarch

120 grams unsalted butter (soft)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Dough:

420 grams all-purpose flour

100 grams cornstarch

7 grams active dry yeast

half tsp baking powder

70 grams granulated sugar

20 grams vegetable oil

240 grams warm water

Blend the hard boiled egg-yolks with the other ingredients.

Put in fridge for 2 or 3 hours until thickened (in case put it 30 minutes into the fridge to have it thicker), spoon the mixture into 20 single portions and roll them quickly with you hands in form of balls. Freeze them overnight.

To prepare the dough, mix all the dry ingredients, make a well in the center and pour in the wet ones. Mix and knead well for 15/20 minutes (add flour or water if necessary). The dough should be soft and still a bit wet.

Set aside fro first proofing. After 1H/1H30 mins, break the first proofing and set aside once again for other 40 minutes. Divide the dough into 20 small portions.

Take a portion of dough into your palm press in a frozen filling ball and close the filling with the dough, seal it well.

Put the Liu Sha Bao into a bamboo steamer, cover with the lid, put into a pan and pour boiling water into the pan (2 cm), Steam, covered, at medium heat for 8/9 minutes maximum (do not overcook or the filling might spill out). Serve hot.

400 grams all-purpose flour

100 grams granulated sugar

130 ml lukewarm milk

1 egg

70 grams butter

7 grams dried yeast

1 pinch of salt

350 grams apricot jam (or Nutella!)

icing sugar

Tang Zhong

125 gr water

25 grams strong flour

The Tang Zhong grants softer and fluffier bread for a few days. At 68°C, the gluten in the bread flour and water mixture would cook a little and absorb the moisture, become lighter and leavened. When you add the Tang Zhong into the other ingredients it will help leavening and produce a bread you will not believe.

To make the Thang Zhong: in a small saucepan whisk the water into the flour and mix well until smooth.

Put on fire medium-low heat and keep on stirring, after a couple of minutes the mixture will thicken. (the right temperature should be 68°C). Never bring to a boil, as soon as it reaches the consistency you see in the picture, retain from fire, put in a container, cover with cling film (as it dries), and let cool down at room temperature.

In a container (or in your food processor), put all dry ingredients.

In another container add the tang zhong, the milk and the egg and mix well. Add this to the dry mixture.

Start kneading. When the dough is starting to get together, add the melted butter (lukewarm).

Knead for at least 10/15 minutes.

Start now with the first proofing, in a warm place, for 45/50 minutes into a container (i twill double it size).

Coat with butter and flour a tin.

Break the first proofing and roll the dough to half cm thick. Cut rounds of 12 cm diameter each.

Fill the center of each circle with a tablespoon of jam. And close each circle as shown in picture.

Put the small balls into a greased tin. And start 2nd proofing for 45 mins.

Brush with milk the top.

Bake for 30 minutes at 180° C.

Still hot, cover with a rag. Serve warm and sprinkled with icing sugar.

600 gr farina ‘0’ / 600 gr all purpose flour

60 ml acqua tiepida / 60 ml warm water*

7 gr lievito di birra secco / 7 gr dry yeast*

120 gr di burro / 120 gr unsalted butter

70 gr di zucchero / 70 gr white sugar

110 ml di latte / 110 ml milk

un pizzico di sale / a pinch of salt

1 cucchiaino di vanillina / 1 teaspoon vanilla flavour

2 uova / 2 eggs

* In alternativa sostituite il lievito di birra con 200 grammi di lievito madre e 40 ml d’acqua

* alternatively substitute water and the dry yeast with 200 gr of natural yeast and 40 ml water

vedi / see: http://www.eatwithmarco.com/index.php/lievito-madre-natural-yeast/

Farcitura

100 gr zucchero / 100 gr unsalted butter

50 gr zucchero di canna / 50 gr white sugar

3 cucchiai cannella / 3 tbs grounded cinnamon

80 gr di burro / 80 gr unsalted butter

Glassa

100 gr zucchero a velo / 100 gr icing sugar

40 gr burro / 40 gr unsalted butter

acqua q.b. / water (as needed)

Sciogliere il lievito nell’acqua tiepida.

Melt the yeast in the warn water.

Sbattere burro e zucchero.

Whisk the butter with the sugar.

Unire il resto degli ingredienti (vanilla, uova, latte, lievito e metà della farina farina). Impastare con l’impastatrice. Unire la farina restante e lasciare impastare per 15 minuti

Add the other ingredients (vanilla, eggs, milk, the yeast, and half of the flour). Knead for a couple of minutes. Add the remaining flour and knead again for 15/20 minutes.

Trasferire in un recipiente oliato e fare lievitare in posto tiepido e coperto per 1.30/2 ore.

Put in a container and set aside, covered in a warm place for 1,5/2 hours to raise.

Mescolare in una tazza gli zuccheri e la cannella indicati negli ingredienti della farcitura. Fare sciogliere il burro per 15/20 secondi nel microonde.

Mix the 2 sugars and the cinnamon (indicated in the fillinbg ingredients), and make the butter melt down in the microwave for 15/20 seconds.

Prendere la pasta, impastarla di nuovo e stendere fino a ca. 3 mm (circa 30×40 cm). Spennellare con il burro fuso. Spolverare con la miscela di zucchero e cannella. Arrotolare e tagliare a fette da ca. 2.5 cm cadauna.

Take the dough, knead again and with a rolling pin roll the dough until 3 mm high (it will be a rectangle of 30×40 cm circa). Brush it with the butter (all of it), sprinkle it with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Roll it and cut the roll in slices of 2,5 cm each. 

Disporre in una teglia imburrata (tenerli distanziati 2-3 cm perché tendono a lievitare parecchio. Lasciare a riposo in luogo tiepido per 1H circa.

Put the in a baking tin coated with butter (keep a good space – at least 2-3 cm between each rool as they tend to raise again). Leave in a warm place for 1H to raise again.

Infornare a 180° per circa 25 minuti.

Bake at 180° for 25 minutes circa.

Mentre sono in forno preparate la glassa mescolando il burro fuso con lo zucchero (allungando con acqua se necessario), fino ad ottenere una crema soffice e compatta.

While they are cooking, preapre the glaze by mixing the melted butter, the icing sugar and adding as much water as necessary to have a smooth cream.

Appena sfornati lasciare a riposo 10 minuti e con un cucchiaino glassarli. Servire tepidi.

Once out of the oven, let rest for 10 minutes and cover them with the glaze. Serve warm.