Steamed Sakura Buns for a Spring Aduki Filling

Name: Steamed Sakura Buns for a Spring Aduki Filling
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 Sakura flowers (optional); 7 Sakura leaves; 100 grams Cake flour; 1 tsp Baking powder; 25 grams White sugar; 100 ml Milk (or water); 1 Red food colouring; 1 dash 'An' Aduki beans (canned or paste)

cookpad.japan @cookpad_jp

When I bought sakura leaves in order to make sakura 'an' paste , I bought a pack that had 50 leaves, and figured I'd use them to make steamed bread . Please definitely give this light Sakura colored and flavored bread a try for the Japanese Doll Festival.
There seem to be a lot of different kinds of Salted Sakura leaves. This time I used the type that can be used right away, and it isn't a good idea to just quickly wash them and them wipe them dry when making Sakura 'an' paste, and there are time that you have to let soak for a while first to get rid of the salt.

I used a mixed rice package that already had the Sakura flour in it. You can skip the flowers if you don't have them. You need a very small amount of the red food coloring. If the pink is too strong, then it won't turn out so good in the end, so please be careful. If you don't have a steamer: You can still make steamed bread. For 4 aluminum cup cake molds. Recipe by Shirufi-

cookpad.japan @cookpad_jp

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Ingredients

4 servings

4Sakura flowers (optional)
7Sakura leaves
100 gramsCake flour
1 tspBaking powder
25 gramsWhite sugar
100 mlMilk (or water)
1Red food colouring
1 dash'An' Aduki beans (canned or paste)

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Steps

1

Sakura flowers: I used ones that get added to rice when cooked in a rice cooker. Drain the water. Wash 3 leaves of the salted sakura leaves, dry off, and mince. Soak the remaining 4 briefly in water for about a minute, and spread each one out into an aluminum cup cake mold. Pour water into the steamer and start heating it up over a high heat.
2

Sift the cake flour and baking powder into a bowl, and add the sugar. Don't mix it yet. Add the minced sakura leaves to the milk and mix well, add red food coloring, and dissolve completely. Add to the milk bowl and quickly mix together . You only need a very small amount of red food coloring. If you add too much, don't blend it completely.
3

Spread out a bit of the dough into the aluminum cups on top of the sakura leaves (optional). Place a small amount aduki beans on top of that. (The photo shows the dough without food coloring added).
4

Place more dough in top of the an paste, and cover it. Place the sakura flowers on top of that. Use chopsticks to spread out the petals like in the photo . Place into the steamer, steam for 10 minutes, and it is done.
5

For special occasions display buns with and without added food coloring . It's an added bonus that the red and white colors are symbolic and beautiful.
6

This is how the white bread (without red food coloring) looks like when broken apart. It is fluffy and spongy!
7

Advice : Measure out the ingredients properly, mix lightly, and please place into a steamer that is properly heated.