# Buckwheat & Black Sesame Bao

**Chef:** Komal  
**Cookbook:** Breaking Bao: 88 Bakes and Snacks from Asia and Beyond  
**Potluck Date:** January 17, 2026  

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## Recipe

Buckwheat & Black Sesame Bao Steamed Buckwheat Bao with Sweet Black Sesame Filling I never even thought about buckwheat until I had a galette complète in France: a savory buckwheat crêpe with Emmental cheese, ham, and an egg on top. The buckwheat flour brought crepes to a whole new level for me. It’s toasty and nutty and crisps up in a different way than regular flour. While in upstate New York for a girls’ weekend, I was making buckwheat crêpe batter when I realized that buckwheat has a similar aroma to black sesame, that same kind of toasty-nuttiness. That’s when the light bao-lb turned on—what if I made a steamed buckwheat bao and filled it with a more traditional black sesame filling? The result: a beautifully elegant harmony of flavors. I might even go so far as to say that buckwheat and black sesame should become a new classic flavor combination. YIELD: Makes seven 1¾ oz [50 g] bao BUCKWHEAT MANTOU ¾ cup + 1 Tbsp [100 g] cake flour cup [100 g] buckwheat flour ¼ cup + 3 Tbsp [105 ml] whole milk 1 Tbsp granulated sugar 2 tsp vegetable oil 1 tsp instant yeast ¼ tsp kosher salt BLACK SESAME FILLING cup [45 g] toasted black sesame seeds 2½ Tbsp granulated sugar 2 Tbsp unsalted roasted peanuts 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted 1 Tbsp whole milk Pinch kosher salt 1To make the buckwheat mantou, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the cake flour, buckwheat flour, milk, sugar, oil, yeast, and salt. Knead on low speed until it comes together, about 1 minute, then increase to medium speed for 9 minutes more. The dough should look very smooth, like fondant. 2Lightly grease a medium mixing bowl with vegetable oil. Turn the dough out into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to proof until doubled in size, about 1 hour. 3Meanwhile, make the black sesame filling. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the black sesame seeds, sugar, peanuts, butter, milk, and salt. Process until it turns into a paste, scraping down the bowl every now and then if necessary. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. 4Scoop out 1 Tbsp of the filling and roll it into a ball. I use a cookie scoop, but if you don’t have one, a spoon will work. Place it on a plate and repeat until you have seven balls of filling. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. 5Punch down the dough and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Roll it into a log and portion it into seven equal [50 g] pieces. Cover the pieces with plastic wrap so they don’t dry out. 6Cut seven 3 in [7.5 cm] squares of parchment paper. 7Roll a piece of dough into a 12 in [30.5 cm] log. Cut it in half and place one piece on top of the other like a cross. Press the center of the cross down and place a ball of filling in the center. Pull one strand of dough over the filling, stretching it so it reaches the base of the other side, then another piece over that, weaving the other two pieces over and under like a lattice pie crust. Press the ends into the base of the bao and, if there are any open areas, pinch the dough together on the sides. 8Place the bao on a square of parchment and set aside on a 13 by 17 in [33 by 43 cm] baking sheet. Repeat with the others and cover the tray loosely with plastic wrap. Allow the buns to proof until 50 percent larger, about 45 minutes. 9Prepare a two-basket steamer and bring the water to a boil. If you don’t have two baskets, work in two batches. Place the bao in the baskets. Lower the heat to medium, cover, and steam for 10 minutes. Using oven mitts, carefully remove the steamer baskets from the water bath and set aside on a plate or tray. Keep covered and let them sit for 5 minutes before serving. Pro Tips & Storage •The bao are best served warm. •Leftover bao can be stored in zip-top bags or airtight containers for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer. Reheat in the microwave with a damp paper towel on top, or in the steamer. •The filling can be made in advance and stored for up to 1 week in the refrigerator. •Try swapping out the filling for Chinese Bacon, Egg & Chive Filling (page 57), Pastry Cream (page 117), Corn Custard (page 79), or Char Siu Carnitas (page 40). Chestnut Bao Steamed Chestnut-Shaped Chocolate Mantou with Chestnut Filling My mom loves chestnuts. Every time we traveled to Hong Kong and saw a roasted chestnuts vendor, we had to stop and buy a bag. Then we saw them in Italy and France, and again, each time, we still had to buy a bag. Not much is cozier than a paper bag filled with freshly roasted chestnuts. I love how sweet and meaty they are and how they satisfy so many cravings at once. In this recipe, I combined those memories and transformed them into these steamed chocolate bao filled with chestnut filling. The instructions describe how to make them into cute chestnut shapes, but if you can’t be bothered with all that, they will be just as tasty if you shape them like regular bao. YIELD: Makes ten 1¼ oz [35 g] bao CHOCOLATE MANTOU 1 recipe Basic Mantou (page 49) 1½ Tbsp cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process 1 Tbsp cake flour CHESTNUT FILLING 1 cup [190 g] cooked chestnuts (packaged is fine if fresh are unavailable) ¾ cup [240 g] chestnut jam or paste ¼ tsp kosher salt 1Make the Basic Mantou up to step 1, adding the cocoa powder with the rest of the ingredients. 2If you want a regular bao shape, turn the dough into a medium mixing bowl lightly greased with vegetable oil, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to proof until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Proceed to step 4. 3To shape like a chestnut, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into four pieces. Take one piece and divide it in half, then take a half, add the cake flour, knead by hand until smooth; this will be the lighter color of the chestnut shape. Combine the rest of the pieces and knead by hand until smooth; this will be the darker color of the chestnut. Cover both colors of dough with plastic wrap and allow to proof until doubled in size, about 1 hour. 4Meanwhile, make the chestnut filling. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the chestnuts, chestnut jam, and salt. Cream together until fluffy and smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use. 5If you are making chestnut shapes, punch the darker dough down and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Roll it into a log and portion it into ten equal [30 g] pieces. Portion the lighter dough into ten equal [5 g] pieces. If you are not making chestnut shapes, divide the whole dough into ten equal [35 g] pieces. Cover the dough pieces with plastic wrap so they don’t dry out. 6Cut ten 4 in [10 cm] squares of parchment paper. 7Flatten a (darker) piece of dough into a disc, then roll it out to a 3½ in [9 cm] circle. Place 2 Tbsp of the chilled chestnut filling in the center and gather the edges of the dough upward, pleating and pinching to seal. Place it seam-side down on a square of parchment, and repeat with the rest. If making regular bao, proceed to step 9. 8To shape them into chestnuts, take one bao and flatten slightly using the palm of your hand. Use your fingers to push a point at the top of the bao, forming it into a chestnut shape. Flatten a piece of the lighter dough. Use a rolling pin to roll it out into a thin oval shape. Dip your finger in a little water and dab it onto the dough. Pick it up and stick it to the bottom of the chestnut. Repeat with the rest. 9Place the bao on a baking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow to proof until 50 percent larger, about 45 minutes. 10Prepare a two-basket steamer and bring the water to a boil. If you don’t have two baskets, work in two batches. Place the bao in the baskets. Lower the heat to medium, cover, and steam for 10 minutes. Using oven mitts, carefully remove the steamer baskets from the wate

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