Rolling Scone: Matcha Steamed Buns (Gluten Free)
Posted: August 31, 2014 Archived from Rolling Scone (EAOnline)
It’s odd, I think…
Odd that a girl who desired, as a child, to become a French pastry chef should gravitate towards the often inexplicable and decidedly non-Western tastes and textures of Asian baked goods when it comes to her own choice of teatime delicacies. But I can’t be blamed…
The creativity alone…it’s mind-bending.
I mean, a croissant, right? It’s bloody perfect, but it makes sense. Flour, butter…lots of butter…of course it’s perfect.
But cakes filled with red bean or, perhaps, lotus paste? Sticky balls of rice rolled in sesame seeds and fried? Fluffy buns just barely sweet, infused with powdered green tea leaves, and steamed in bamboo? These sound just plain weird.
Oh, but they’re not…
For me, these gorgeous buns are all about the texture — that lovely, bouncy, fluffy, chewy, cloud-like texture. And, lucky for me and my gluten-intolerant friends, the use of rice flour in Asian baking has a great deal to do with that, as does the technique of steaming instead of baking. Being also allergic to refined sugars, I was delighted to find my favorite healthier sweeteners worked perfectly to create just the subtlest hint of sweetness. I personally love it when the bitter, grassy matcha shines through — otherwise, what’s the point of using such a precious ingredient, right?
And yes, it’s also about the tea. My beloved matcha…I drink the stuff, I cook with it, I bake with it, I even wash my face with it. It is the star ingredient in the Asylum kitchen, and that which makes all things irresistible to me. M…A…T…C…H…A… The word alone makes me so very happy… It’s also ridiculously healthy, but that’s another story…let’s just focus on the buns for now, shall we?
For starters, let’s peek at our ingredients. For a gluten-free baking recipe, this isn’t bad at all, is it?
Those of you who have known me as a vegan for a very long time may be surprised at my use of eggs and yoghurt (honey I’ve never had an ethical problem with as long as it comes from a good source). To be brief (not my strong point), I became dangerously copper toxic a few years ago, which resulted in my becoming terribly allergic to all, and I do mean ALL, vegan protein sources, those being, ironically, the foods highest in copper. Copper toxicity is a danger for some vegans but not for others, depending on your chemistry, use of medications, past use of birth control pills (ewww, DO NOT do it, ladies), and even personality type (high-strung ladies in particular, not joking), so if you are successfully rocking it out vegan-style, I think that’s fantastic. But I can’t, and I found that out the hard way, i.e. being rushed to the ER four times during one European tour alone. After months of cutting out all vegan protein sources, meaning that I was getting exactly no protein whatsoever (stupid, I know that, but I’m stubborn), my body had begun to break down. Anyone remember when I was super crazy thin on tour a few years back? Are you one of those Plague Rats whose mother was writing me telling me that I was setting a bad example for their child by being so thin, implying that I had an eating disorder? That was during this time. Makes sense now, doesn’t it…
At long last, I was convinced by people who loved me to eat a damned egg. After that, I began to get better. Fast. You can tell in photos from the following tours…no more suspicions of an eating disorder, no more letters from concerned parents.
While my allergies to nuts and beans are no longer, I am still allergic to soy, as well as to gluten, refined sugar, yeast, and alcohol, all allergies that were brought on by my copper toxicity. Thanks a lot, copper.
Bottom line? Buy the good stuff. Being healthy is expensive, I know, and don’t think that’s an accident, because it’s not. But it’s not nearly as pricey as medical bills and medications. Organic everything, always. Eggs are always cage free, free range, and from a local farm if you can manage it, or raise your own chickens, love them, use the eggs they’re laying anyway, don’t kill and eat them, and everybody’s happy. Same goes for other dairy. Get a goat, pet a cow, or make friends with someone who did. Sounds absurd, I know, but my point is simply that there IS a way to be non-vegan (still vegetarian of course) and humane. It’s worth the effort, and it tastes a lot better too…
So much for being brief…anyway!
Look at these beautiful colors… Raw coconut sugar is my go-to sweetener for baking, and I use it to replace refined sugar in recipes I’m altering to suit my no gluten/no refined sugar needs.
The only thing I ought to point out is that, when using coconut sugar and other darker colored sweeteners such as maple and date sugars, coconut nectar, or maple syrup (no agave — Google why you shouldn’t use it and get angry at advertising making fools of us yet again), you will have to come to terms with the reality that you will not achieve that stunning, bright green that matcha powder imparts to baked goods using refined, white sugar. I’m just fine with this, and I think you will be, too.
Now, here’s the thing…you are going to need a bamboo steamer for this recipe. If you’re lucky to be near a Chinatown-type area, you should be able to pick one of these beautiful creatures up for $10 or less. Otherwise, try this one on Amazon. [link removed]
I promise you, you won’t resent me for making you buy this…you can use it for cooking dumplings, steaming vegetables, boiling eggs…all manner of things. Go crazy. I don’t mind. I’d be sad if you didn’t.
Here perches my bamboo beauty on the pot of boiling water. Steaming these buns is incredibly fast, and the whole process will take you less than twenty minutes from start to finish. I made these last night at one in the morning on a whim. I ate four of them. Also on a whim. Four.
Just look at that dense yet light and chewy texture…nothing short of addictive…did I mention I ate four?
Next time I may add dark chocolate bits, or top with toasted black sesame seeds. Or both. You can’t tell me what to do.
Matcha Steamed Buns (Gluten Free) Author:Â Emilie Autumn Makes 8 cup-cake sized buns.
Ingredients
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons raw honey
3 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil
½ cup plain greek yoghurt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend (*flour blend recipe below)
3 tablespoons raw coconut sugar
3 teaspoons matcha green tea powder
3 teaspoons baking powder
ÂĽ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
Whisk together the eggs, honey, coconut oil, yoghurt, and the vanilla and almond extracts.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour blend, coconut sugar, matcha powder, baking powder, and salt. Sifting the dry ingredients at least once is essential to creating that light and fluffy texture we're after.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and stir well to combine thoroughly.
Fill a large pot half full with water and bring to a boil. I use the pot I generally use for cooking pasta as my bamboo steamer is just about the same size and sits safely on the rim, but use whatever pot will support your steamer.
Meanwhile, place as many paper cupcake liners (mine fits seven) as you can fit into your bamboo steaming tray so that the liners are touching each other. This way, your buns will support each other as they rise, and your batter won't spill. I double the liners up for added strength.
Fill the paper liners two thirds full with the batter, as it will rise quite impressively.
Place the lid on the steamer and set the steamer on top of the pot of boiling water. Let the buns steam for 8 minutes, or until they are just barely firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the bun comes out clean. The buns should be soft and springy, so do be careful not to overcook them, and don't be discouraged if it takes you a few tries to get your timing right. The perfect bun is more than worth it!
If you like the bitterness of matcha as much as I do, go ahead and very lightly dust the tops of the cooked buns with matcha powder. This will also give you back a touch of that brilliant green we've lost by using coconut sugar.
Notes
These buns are best eaten while still warm and fresh, but will keep for a day or two before becoming more suitable for...matcha tea bread pudding! That's right, Darlings, just break up your too-firm buns, toss the bits in a bowl, and douse with your hot milk of choice (dairy or non). Sprinkle with coconut sugar or other unrefined sweetener and you won't remember why stale was ever a bad thing to be.
*Gluten-free All-Purpose Flour Blend Recipe:
4 cups brown rice flour 2 cups white rice flour 2 cups potato starch 1 cup tapioca starch
Sift all ingredients and use cup for cup to substitute regular flour in many recipes. Store in your refrigerator.
With love from my Asylum to yours,
~ EA
