Scallion Buns - Hua Juan

It's time for my once-a-year update!

Anyways, I experimented with making low carb scallion rolls (hua juan) today and they turned out so AMAZING that I could not resist posting!!

I used the Carbquik yeast bread recipe here as my dough and it worked out great!

yummy scallion buns: 1 baked, 2 steamed, 3 uncooked

The two buns towards the upper right corner are steamed, they are next to one baked bun, and 3 were not yet cooked. It's hard to tell from the photo but the buns puffed up nicely post-steaming. I made 8 buns total- the two other baked ones were still cooling in the pan.

Recipe:

Dough:
3c Carbquik
2T Sugar
1pkg Yeast (I used instant)
1c warm water

Filling:
3 large green onions, chopped (can use more or less, I used a lot because I love them!)
1T sesame oil (I was out of sesame so used olive oil and it still tasted great)
1t salt

1. Combine yeast, sugar, and warm water and let sit for 10 minutes until bubbly.
2. Add yeast mixture to Carbquik and combine to form a stiff dough.
3. Knead with dough hook on low for 7 minutes.
4. Divide dough into 8 even pieces.
5. Roll each piece of dough out with a pin until it is long and flat. Brush the dough with a thin layer of oil, then rub with salt and sprinkle with green onions. I find it works best to press the scallions into the dough lightly with a rolling pin again afterwards so they don't fall off when you shape the rolls.
6. Cut each of the rolled out pieces of dough into strips, layer the strips, and twist. Bring the ends of each piece together to form a circle. Better directions on how to do this available here.
7. Steam the rolls for 20 minutes, or brush with egg wash and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.


I am so happy to find that it is possible to have low carb steamed breads! I will be experimenting a lot with using Carbquik in all of my favorite recipes... from dumplings to red bean buns and even okonomiyaki (ps. any japanese folk out there who want to translate this?)! I also tried this mushipan recipe using Carbquik today and it turned out good, although I had some rising issues that could have been due to my own baking powder/soda substitution.

Anyone know of any good sites/blogs that use Carbquik for Asian-style foods (Chinese/Taiwanese/Japanese/Korean/Thai/Vietnamese/etc.)? Any language is fine, I will figure out how to translate! ;)