How to Make Quick & Delicious Chinese Twirl Flower Buns

October 10, 2020. Rainy and cool. Chinese Twirl Flower Buns.

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Recently I was spending a bit more time on Pinterest setting up an Inspiration Board to pin awesome pictures and give me fresh ideas on what to tinker with and also new recipes to make.

Well, these pretty Chinese style steamed buns just jumped out at me! I thought it looked appealing and tasty. When I did a bit more digging, I was astonished to learn it takes less than an hour to put together. Of course, I had to give it a try. These are truly worth making.

First off, the recipe is pretty straight forward with only 4 major steps: make dough, prep filling, shape bun, and steam. And, it is helpful the ingredients are normal pantry stuff. The only unusual item is probably the 5-spice powder, which is available at most local grocery stores. I’m calling these the Twirl Flower Buns because you need to twirl the dough around a chopstick to create the shape. The inspiration recipe for Chinese Flower Rolls is from RedHouseSpice.com.

I’ve taken lots of step by step pictures on how to shape the buns, as well as a short video clip. Please let me know in the comments at the bottom of the post if you find them useful. I appreciate any feedback.

Without further delay, let’s get making!

Ingredients

You will need the following ingredients to make 12 large Twirl Flower Buns. The recipe can easily be halved or scaled up.

To make the dough, you’ll need:

4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp active dry yeast
1½ tsp baking powder
2 tsp granulated sugar
1 to 1¼ cups (240 to 300 ml) lukewarm water, adjust per flour
4 stalks of green onions, finely sliced
1 tsp salt
½ tsp 5-Spice Powder
2 Tbs vegetable oil (plus 2 Tbs additional for pan)
Scant 1 cup (200 ml) water for steaming

I used a stand mixer for the dough, a small pan to heat the oil, and a large pan with lid to steam the buns.

Making Chinese Twirl Flower Buns

Preparing dough and filling

Let’s start by making the dough. First, add water, yeast and sugar to bowl. Mix thoroughly. Next, stir in flour and baking powder and combine till well mixed. When dough is formed, knead for at least 8 minutes or until the dough is firm and smooth.

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In a small saucepan, heat up the oil till hot. When the oil is heating, put the scallions, salt and 5-Spice powder into a heat proof bowl. When ready, pour hot oil over the mixture sand stir well.

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Forming the Buns

In a lightly floured work surface, tip out the dough. Divide into half. Roll out one of the dough pieces into a rectangular shape, approx 8″ x 12″ (20 x 30 cm). Top with half the green onion 5-spice mixture and spread evenly. On the long side, fold ⅓ into middle ( to create a 3 panel rectangle). Fold the top ⅓ on top. You’ll have a long rectangle. Repeat with the second dough piece and create the second filled and folded rectangle dough.

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For each rectangle, score lightly and cut the dough into 12 even pieces. You will have 24 pieces in total. To shape, start by stacking 2 pieces together. Then, use a chopstick and press down the middle lengthwise. Next, pick up the dough on both ends and gently stretch.

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Then, drape the dough strip over the chopstick and pinch the 2 ends together. Next, twirl the chopstick in a conterclock wise movement to form a flower. Then, place the bun on the work surface and press down the chopstick to seal the shape. Slide the chopstick carefully out of the bun and you have just made your first twirl Flower Bun! Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.

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Video on Shaping the Chinese Twirl Flower Buns:

Next, let the buns proof for about 30 minutes, until they are noticably puffy.
When the buns are almost ready, preheat a large pan on high. Drizzle the bottom of pan with the remaining 2 Tablespoons oil. Swirl the pan to make sure the bottom is coated with oil. Carefully place the shaped dough into the pan, leaving about 1 inch (2 -3 cm) space between the buns. If necessary, cook the buns in 2 batches to avoid overcrowding.

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Cook for about 1-2 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown. When ready, pour water into the pan and cover with lid. Then, turn the heat down to medium low. Next, steam cook for approx 18 – 20 minutes, until all the water has evaporated and the buns are cooked. Finally take off lid, switch off the heat and remove buns from pan.

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Your beautiful AND tasty Chinese Twirl Flower Buns are ready! Let’s Eat!

Notes on Chinese Twirl Flower Buns

Uneaten buns can be stored in air tight container for up to 3 days. For a longer period, freeze.

The Chinese name for these types of rolls are called Huā juǎn, 花捲/卷. They are also known as Mandarin Rolls.

Just for fun – I was doing a bit more reading about the various types of Chinese desserts and found this informative guide. Thought I would share => https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/10/chinese-bakery-pastries-buns-egg-tarts-guide.html\

Recipe adapted from redhousespice.com’s Chinese Flower Rolls.

For More Fab Ideas:

One of my favorite things to make with my kids are Pouffy Popovers, or the English calls them Yorkshire Pudding. I have a recipe that whips it up form start to finish in 45 minutes. Check it out here => How to Make Fun Pouffy Balloon Popovers!

When I want my family to eat lots of veggies without any complaints, I reach for my fail-safe colorful and delicious Ratatouille casserol. It’s one dish that is sure to please => How to Make Easy Colorful Veggies Ratatouille Casserole!

For special celebrations and you want just *that* sweet special cake, have you seen my 5 tiered meringue cake? It’s inspired by a recipe from Australia and they call it pavlova. Check it out here => The Astonishing and Delightful Pink Ombré Pavlova Cloud Cake