Steamed Bread with Fresh Gotu Kola and Holy Basil
This was my first time arranging the ti leaves in a radial floral design.
I think it looks sunflower-esque!
I’ve been making this steamed bread recipe for about four years now. I started steaming bread out of the desire to have bread without accessibility to an oven. Steaming bread doesn’t require any alteration to an oven baked bread recipe, other than the baking part. All the ingredients are the same, the method is the same, and cook time is even the same. The bread won’t develop a crust on top like oven baked bread does, obviously, but it has that lovely, steamed bread softness which I love. It makes me feel nostalgic for certain east Asian cuisine.
You can substitute any fresh herbs you like for the gotu kola and tulsi if those are not available to you.
Alternatives to the ti leaves could be banana leaves, corn husks, noni leaves, or hoja santa leaves (Piper auritum).
This recipe also works as a loaf. You do not have to separate the dough into buns. You can make any number of buns or any shape of loaf you like. The bread will take the shape of the steamer basket, depending how large your steamer basket is.
Ingredients
1 1/3 c warm water
2 tsp active dry yeast
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp salt
1/2 c chopped fresh gotu kola
1/2 c chopped fresh tulsi
3 1/2 c flour
12 ti leaves
Method
Bloom the yeast in warm water and sugar for five minutes.
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
When the dough comes together, knead for 8 minutes on a floured surface until smooth and elastic.
Put dough ball in an oiled bowl with a plate or towel on top. Rise for 2 hours.
During this time, line a steamer basket with ti leaves or your leaves of choice and set aside. (Scroll down to see photos and more instructions on this.)
After the dough has unmistakably risen, punch the dough ball to release the air and separate dough into 5 equal buns.
Arrange the buns in the steaming basket as desired. Cover and rise for 30 more minutes.
Bring a big stew pot to a rolling boil with at about 5-6 inches of water, but also make sure the water level is at least an inch below where the bottom of the steamer basket will rest.
Place steamer basket in the stew pot above the water and cover with a tight-fitting lid (preferably one that is dome shaped) for 40 minutes.
Maintain the rolling boil for 40 minutes, do not adjust the temperature. 5-6 inches of water is enough to make it through 40 minutes.
Remove steamer basket from heat and allow the bread to cool completely before removing from the bread from the basket and cutting.
The buns pull apart pretty easily, but you can also use a bread knife to slice this any way you prefer to serve the bread. I often use this bread as sandwich bread and for toast. I love to spread butter on it and eat as is. I also love to dip in oil and vinegar with salt and cracked black pepper.
Ti Plant (Cordyline fruticosa)
Ti is a non-toxic, edible and medicinal plant with many uses, though it is widely cultivated in the tropics as an ornamental and popular landscaping plant. The very young, tender leaves are said to be edible. The root has been used in Hawaiian culture to make alcohol and fermented drinks.
The leaves work really well for steaming. I use them for tamales, steamed biscuits, and steamed bread. The leaves have no noticeable flavor and don’t transmit their color to the food.
To make the radial design pictured here, you’ll need 12 ti leaves. I harvested the tops of two ti plants and then cherry picked the best, brightest 12 leaves from those tops. I cut the leaves from the steams of the plant and then cut the bottom third off each leaf. Then I arranged the leaves in a radial design using my molcajete as a weight to hold the leaves down.
