Black Bean Manju

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups flour
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ⅓ cup milk
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 cup sweet black bean paste

Instructions

1. 1

   First, warm your butter so it goes soft as a whisper, then stir it right into the milk. It does not need to fully melt, sweetheart, just soften and swirl together like a cloudy little pond.

2. 2

   In a bigger bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and baking powder so they get friendly and even. Give it a good thirty seconds of whisking so the baking powder is spread all through, that is the secret to a tender bun.

3. 3

   Pour the buttery milk into the flour and stir with a spoon until it clumps, then use your clean hands to press it into one soft ball. It should feel like a baby's cheek, not sticky and not dry. If it is too wet, dust in a little flour; too dry, add milk a teaspoon at a time.

4. 4

   Cover the bowl with a plate or a towel and let the dough rest and relax on the counter. Resting lets the flour drink up the milk so the dough rolls out smooth instead of fighting you.

5. 5

   Now scoop your black bean paste into 8 little balls, about a rounded tablespoon each, and set them on a plate. Roll each between your palms so they are round and tidy, like marbles for a giant.

6. 6

   Divide the rested dough into 8 pieces too. Take one, flatten it in your palm into a little round about as wide as a cookie, a touch thinner at the edges and plumper in the middle.

7. 7

   Set a bean ball in the center, then gently gather the dough up and over it, pinching the top closed like you are tucking a baby into a blanket. Roll it soft between your hands to smooth the seam. Seal it well, dear, or the paste peeks out while baking. Do all 8 the same way.

8. 8

   Heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a tray with parchment. Set the buns seam-side down with a little room between each, since they puff a bit as they bake.

9. 9

   If you have a drop of milk left, brush the tops with your finger for a pretty shine, then slide the tray in and bake until the tops turn a soft golden brown and spring back lightly when you touch them. That gentle bounce means they are done through.

10. 10

    Let them cool on a rack for a few minutes so the middle sets, but do eat one while it is still warm, that is a grandmother's privilege and now it is yours.

Tools you’ll need

• mixing bowls
• whisk
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• baking tray
• parchment paper
• cooling rack

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