lorax

This is a takeoff on the traditional Tibetan and Nepalese way of making quick, sweet filled breakfast / dessert breads. I'm afraid that since I have the recipe from a monk who used to cook for the entire monastery, the recipe makes about 100 units at a time. I suspect you can cut it, but be careful about the proportions of the leavening agents - too little and the dough won't rise when you steam it. They are very very tasty when they come hot out of the steamer, are easily reheated in the toaster oven or nuker, and if you don't cook your excess ones they freeze well.

First of all - kitchen gack you'll need includes:
A measuring cup or three. I use all three of mine
A fork
A mixing bowl
Another mixing bowl
A rolling pin
A drinking glass. I use an old-fashioned glass, but anything with a mouth diameter of about 4" is good. Or, if you're a kitchen snob, use a round cookie cutter.
A Blender or food processor, If you're lazy.
A steamer. I have a two-level Ecuadorian steamer called a Tamalero, which is used to make Tamales (surprise surprise!) If you don't have such a beast and live in the US or Canada, look no further than your local Oriental market - in this case it will probably be called a dumpling steamer.

Now for the dough
7 1/2 C Unbleached flour
1/2 C Quinua flour (or other grain flour, use your imagination. The original recipe calls for Tsampa, which is roasted barley flour. I find this makes the dough bitter unless sugar is also added.)
4 TSP Baking Powder
1/2 TSP Baking Soda
2 C Cold water. If you are at a high altitude (like me) then you'll need just a bit more than 2 C - let your hands guide you.

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Mix the dry ingredients well, then slowly add the water, mixing the dough with your hands. Once you've got all the water into the flour, knead until you have a dough of smooth, elastic consistency (and it shouldn't be sticky, either.) Coat it with a fine layer of oil and let it sit under a cloth to rest while you prepare the filling.

The Filling
2 lbs Ripe Bananas (roughly; if they're small you might need a few more)
1 C Dark Chocolate Chips
2 TBSP Cinnamon (powdered)
1 TSP Nutmeg (optional)
1/2 TSP Powdered Ginger (optional)
A dash of pure Vanilla Extract
A dash of brandy. I normally use Fundador or Metaxa, but Remy VSOP is also very good.

HIGHLY OPTIONAL

If you are using very sweet bananas, like Sucriers, you may want to tone down the sugar a bit by adding a few tablespoons of pure cocoa powder. This also, of course, makes the filling a great deal more chocolatey.

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Peel and mash the bananas (if you're lazy, this is where you use the blender or food processor.) Add the chocolate chips and spices, and finally the liquid flavours. Stir until you have a homogenous mixture.

Now It's Time To Make the Buns

Roll the dough out to a thickness of about 1/8" and cut circles out of it with your glass. To form the buns, hold the dough circle in the palm of your hand and scoop in about a tablespoon of filling. Start gathering the dough at the edges by pinching and folding it between your thumb and fingers, until it comes to the top of the bun (it should take about 6-8 individual folds) then twist to seal it. A finished bun looks a bit like a flower bud. Place the finished bun on a floured board. Repeat until you run out of filling and dough. It is easier, of course, to make more filling if you run short.

If you're having trouble with the whole pinching thing (which is admittedly difficult to describe, although very easy to do) you can just pull the dough up around the filling, pinch it closed, then roll the bun between your palms until it's a smooth ball.

Once you have your buns made, it's time to steam them. Oil your steamer and lay the buns in, making sure that they don't touch (if they touch, they'll stick together as they expand) and giving them a bit of room to grow. Steam for about 20-30 minutes, or until the buns are no longer sticky to touch when you poke them. If you're doing them all at once and have a 50-gallon steamer (which I do) it should take about 5 steamersfull to do them all. Then again, when I make these I make them for my adopted grannie and her family too, which is about 20 people. If you don't have children or aren't catering a party, I'd suggest that you freeze the ones you're not going to eat right away.

Do enjoy!

island cassie

Yum!!! I will try this with a combination of cornmeal and rice flour as we have wheat intolerant folks in the family. That is - once we get off the post-christmas diet!!!

lorax

If you're gluten intolerant, try a mix of corn, rice, and tapioca. The Tapioca will help it to stick together better....

buzzwinder

Thanks Lorax, sounds very tasty. I'm going to have to try and make these for my family, gonna have to cut it though as there are only four of us.

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Bill for my friend

island cassie

Haven't found tapioca here yet after much looking (except for an ancient worm-ridden packet)!! But rice and corn work well and I am flexible and adapt recipes all the time. Friends coming down from the USA bring goodies - but non-gluten lasagna is top of the list!!

lorax

It might be sold as harina de yuca rather than Tapioca. Same stuff.

Bob

I should know better than to always read these before I've eaten anything?

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lorax

Bill, do tell me your experiences with cutting the recipe - I have never been able to get the proportions quite right on the half-batch.

Bob, you probably should eat before you read the recipes, lol! These take about 2 hours to prepare from starting the dough to removing buns from the steamer, if you're a practised hand at forming them. If you're new to it, it takes about 3 hours.