Steamed Chinese Buns

This recipe is adapted from a recipe in The Complete Asian Cookbook by Charmaine Solomon. You can put all kinds of fillings inside. I filled most of a batch with the spinach mix described below, and a few with pre-made sweet bean paste from a local Asian market, but you can figure out other fillings and use them, like traditional pork-ginger or Chinese BBQ pork (which is a lot of work, but worth it if you're craving it).

INGREDIENTS
For the bun dough:
350 grams gluten-free all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur)
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons psyllium husk
3 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons softened lard (I used bacon fat)
about 1/2 cup lukewarm water
1/2 teaspoon white or apple cider vinegar

For the spinach filling:
3-4 cups roughly chopped baby spinach
3 stalks green onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 tablespoons(ish) gluten-free tamari
1-2 tablespoons roasted/black sesame oil

For the dough, mix all the dry ingredients together in a big bowl. Put the softened lard or bacon fat in the bowl and rub it into the flour with your fingers until it gets well distributed. Add the vinegar and water. I found that 1/2 cup wasn't enough, but start with that and keep working in water until it forms a soft dough. The psyllium husk will soak up some water and help the flour adhere -- don't omit it! Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

While it's resting, make the filling. Chop the spinach and onions and cook them in a pan with a little olive or vegetable oil. Once it starts to wilt, turn down the heat and add the sesame oil and tamari -- on the latter, add just enough to flavor, but not so much that it gets super wet. Once the spinach is pretty much fully cooked, add the ginger and let it cook in for a couple of minutes. Set this aside to cool a bit. 

After the dough has rested, cut about 10 squares of parchment paper a few inches on a side (you'll steam the buns on these). Get your steamer ready and start boiling water in the pot you're going to use. Lay out a large piece of parchment on your work surface. Break the dough into 8 to 10 evenly sized chunks, and try to work quickly -- my dough dried out a little as I worked, although you can add a little sprinkle of water and re-knead it as you need to.

Take each chunk, work it into a ball, and then flatten it into a disc maybe 1/4" thick and a few inches in diameter, pressing any cracks back together. Put a bit of the spinach filling in the middle, and then gather the edges together until the filling is sealed inside. Turn the bun over and set it join-side down on a square of parchment. It may take one or two to get the hang of a) putting the right amount of filling inside and b) making the buns. After they're all ready, put them in your steamer and, once the water in your pot is boiling, put the steamer in the pot. Steam them for 20 minutes, and serve them warm.