Jjinppang: Korean Fluffy Steamed Buns with Sweet Red Beans

Steps

▶ Tap a timecode to jump to roughly that moment in the video.

1. 1
   Soak dried red beans for 10 hours until they easily break when pressed with a fingernail. Drain and transfer to a thick-bottomed pot, then add 4 cups of cold water.
   ▶ ≈1:20
2. 2
   Cook the red beans over medium heat for about 1 hour. If the water boils over, crack the lid slightly to prevent overflow.
   ▶ ≈2:06
3. 3
   Begin preparing the dough: in a pot, combine 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons sugar. Heat until the butter is completely melted.
   ▶ ≈2:33
4. 4
   Pour in 1.5 cups of whole milk (any type of milk works) and stir until the mixture is warm.
   ▶ ≈2:59
5. 5
   Add 2 teaspoons of active dry yeast and let it stand for about 5 minutes until it becomes foamy.
   ▶ ≈3:17
6. 6
   Stir in 1 teaspoon of salt.
   ▶ ≈3:50
7. 7
   Gradually add 3.5 cups of flour and stir with a wooden spoon until a rough dough forms.
   ▶ ≈4:04
8. 8
   Wash your hands and knead the dough until smooth. The dough will be slightly sticky, which is normal. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature for about 1 hour until doubled in size.
   ▶ ≈4:27
9. 9
   Once the beans are soft, use a potato masher to crush them into a coarse paste, leaving some whole beans and skins visible. Turn heat to medium and add 0.25 teaspoon salt, 0.25 cup dark brown sugar, 0.25 cup rice syrup, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Heat through while stirring constantly until the filling becomes thick and juicy. Let cool.
   ▶ ≈5:59
10. 10
    After the dough has risen for 1 hour, let it rest for an additional 30 minutes (total 1.5 hours). Dust with 0.25 cup of flour and divide the dough into 10 equal pieces.
    ▶ ≈8:28
11. 11
    Prepare a steamer basket lined with cotton cloth or steamer paper. Gently flatten each dough ball, press the edges with your fingers, add about 1 tablespoon of red bean filling in the center, then gather and seal the dough around the filling. Place seam-side down in the steamer basket.
    ▶ ≈10:31
12. 12
    Cover the buns with plastic wrap and let them rise for about 30 minutes.
    ▶ ≈13:40
13. 13
    Bring plenty of water to a vigorous boil in a steaming pot. Stack the steamer baskets over the boiling water and cover with the lid. Steam over medium-high heat for 12 minutes.
    ▶ ≈14:01
14. 14
    After 12 minutes, reduce the heat to very low and steam for another 3 minutes. Open the lid to check that the buns are fully steamed and puffy.
    ▶ ≈15:11
15. 15
    Remove the hot buns from the steamer. Enjoy them as-is with the outer skin (like eating potato skin), or cut them in half. Savor the fluffy, tender crumb and the sweet, coarse red bean filling.
    ▶ ≈15:48