Main image of Lotus Leaf Bread - Steamed Chinese Buns

View on phone

Lotus Leaf Bread - Steamed Chinese Buns

Premium

2 hr + 10 min

Side

Homemade staple

10 ingredients or less

Freezer-friendly

Budget-friendly
Soft, pillowy, and slightly sweet, these buns are the perfect vessel for all kinds of fillings, from savoury to sweet. Also called "hé yè bǐng" or, when stuffed, "hé yè bāo" in Chinese, they have a long history in Chinese cuisine and are often served in dim sum or street food stalls. Designed to fit in your hand, the folded shape is meant to mimic a lotus leaf. Whether you fill them with crispy tofu, spicy pulled jackfruit, or even a simple slather of hoisin sauce or red bean paste, they bring a sense of tradition and creativity to the table.

buns

Total

2 hr + 10 min

Prep

30 min

Cook

30 min

Rest

1 hr + 10 min

Contains

Gluten symbol

gluten

Free from

Soy symbol

soy

Peanut symbol

peanut

Treenut symbol

tree nut

Sesame symbol

sesame

Similar recipes

Leave a comment

Rate this post

Tess B - July 11, 2026, 8:36 p.m.

Hello, I tried these today and they didn't rise unfortunately (I had just bought the instant yeast last week though). I was wondering what do you mean by "bread flour" and if you would have any tip? (In France, it's rare for me to find a package where it's written "bread flour", and if I do, they already put professional bakery yeast in it for breads and pizzas. I asked around what flour would people use to make bread and they said it's usually wheat T110. It's pretty coarse and not white like your buns pictures.)

PUL small logo PUL Team - July 12, 2026, 6:51 a.m.

Hey Tess, thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! 😊 I’m sorry to hear the buns didn’t rise. By “bread flour,” we mean a plain white flour with around 11 g of protein per 100 g. I did a quick search, and it seems T55 or T65 may be the closest French equivalent. T110 is more similar to whole wheat flour, so it would likely make the buns denser and less fluffy. It could also help to make sure the water is lukewarm, not hot, and that the dough proofs somewhere warm. Even with fresh yeast, a cool room can slow the rise quite a bit.
I hope that helps if you give them another try! 🤗

Reply
Jadamarie - June 8, 2026, 12:45 a.m.

Can I use oilve oil

PUL small logo PUL Team - June 8, 2026, 4:20 a.m.

Hiiii there, Jadamarie! We imagine olive oil could work in place of the refined coconut oil. We'd recommend using a mild-flavoured variety (such as a refined olive oil) so the taste doesn't overpower the buns. The flavour and texture may be slightly softer, but we'd love to hear how it goes if you give any swaps a try 🤗

Reply
Kata - June 1, 2026, 8:43 p.m.

These are fantastic! They’d be worth the effort anyway, but you can make the dough in a food processor to make it easier. If you mix the ingredients in the machine first, you can finish the dough with about a minute of hand kneading 👍

PUL small logo PUL Team - June 2, 2026, 3:46 a.m.

Ohh we're smiling from ear to ear hearing this, Kata! 🥹 A lovely idea to use a food processor as well 🫶✨

Reply
Manuela Suciu - May 26, 2026, 9:55 a.m.

Yeeees! I love bao buns❤️
So glad to see the recepie in the app.

Reply