Bao and mantou dough calculator
Chinese steamed buns: a medium-firm dough at 52% water with a little sugar, yeast and baking powder, rested half an hour and steamed for twelve minutes.
Mantou and bao are the same dough: flour, water at about half the flour’s weight, a spoon of sugar, yeast and a little baking powder, kneaded very smooth and steamed instead of baked. Plain, they are mantou; folded over a filling, bao.
How it works
One rise, then steam
Red House Spice’s quick method: 250 g of all-purpose flour, 130 g of lukewarm water (52%), a teaspoon of instant yeast, three quarters of a teaspoon of baking powder and a tablespoon of sugar. Knead until the surface is completely smooth, shape six buns straight away and let them rest about 30 minutes in a 25 °C kitchen, a little longer if it is cooler. They should look slightly bigger, not doubled. Twelve minutes over boiling water.
Why the baking powder
The traditional dough is yeast only and proofs twice, one to two hours in all. Adding baking powder lets the buns go from shaped to steamer after a single short rest, because the powder does the second lift in the heat. Her baozi guide, the traditional version, uses 140 ml of water on 300 g of flour and no powder.
A smooth surface
Knead longer than feels necessary, resting the dough for ten minutes when it fights back. Steam in a bamboo basket if you have one, and wrap a metal lid in a tea towel so the condensation does not drip and pit the tops. Cold buns keep four days in the fridge and re-steam in five minutes, seven from frozen.
Sources & methodology
Every percentage in this calculator traces to the published sources below — nothing is invented. Where respected sources disagree, the default sits inside the documented range.
- Red House Spice — Mantou (馒头), Chinese steamed buns — The anchor: 250 g of all-purpose flour, 130 g of lukewarm water, a teaspoon of instant yeast, three quarters of a teaspoon of baking powder, a tablespoon of sugar; six buns rested 30 minutes at about 25 °C and steamed 12 minutes.
- Red House Spice — Bao Buns, A Foolproof Recipe — The wet end of the water band: 165 g of water or milk on 300 g of flour, 1¼ teaspoons of instant yeast, a teaspoon each of baking powder and sugar; 8–12 folded buns.
- Red House Spice — Steamed bao buns (baozi), a complete guide — The traditional yeast-only dough and the dry end: 140 ml of water, a teaspoon of yeast, a teaspoon of sugar and a spoon of oil on 300 g of flour, proofed twice; 12 filled buns.
- China Sichuan Food — Chinese Steamed Buns (Mantou) — The cross-check: 150 g of water on 300 g of flour, 1½ teaspoons of instant yeast, two spoons of sugar and one of oil, four buns by the one-proof method.
- The Woks of Life — All-Purpose Chinese Steamed Bun Dough (Man Tou) — The same formula by the cup: four cups of flour to a cup and a quarter of water, two teaspoons each of instant yeast, baking powder and sugar; ten buns.
FAQ
How much water?
Between 47% and 55% across Red House Spice’s three doughs: 140 ml on 300 g for the baozi guide, 130 g on 250 g for the mantou, 165 g on 300 g for the folded bao buns. The dough should be medium-firm and not stick to your hands; the brand of flour moves the number, so hold a little water back.
Can I skip the sugar?
Yes. The mantou page calls it "or to taste", and the baozi dough uses a single teaspoon on 300 g. The tablespoon here gives a faintly sweet plain bun, which is how most shops make them.
Whole wheat?
The Woks of Life has a whole wheat mantou, but it is a different dough with its own water. Swapping flour in this one without changing the water gives a dry, tight bun.
How big is one bun?
About 66 g of dough, which is what 250 g of flour makes six of. A filled bao takes a larger piece; Red House Spice cuts her 300 g of flour into eight to twelve.
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