Ruby Tandoh's steamed custard bun and spotted dick recipes

I had never steamed anything before last autumn, when I moved into a flat with a broken oven. For a few days, I paced around the house trying to keep busy: I painted the kitchen, excavated the cellar (then barricaded the door when I saw something in the dark) and sketched plans for a vegetable patch that’s yet to materialise. It had been a week before it occurred to me that perhaps I could steam, not bake. The kitchen was soon warm, the windows coated with condensation and pudding on the table. I was finally at home.

Steaming takes longer than baking, but the benefits are worth it: puddings emerge moister, fluffier and more tender than ever; buns stay perfectly soft. You’ll need a simple steamer pan – a saucepan with a second, perforated “storey” for steaming in, and a lid that fits well – but this is a cheap and useful addition to any kitchen.

Chinese egg custard buns

In China, these steamed buns, known as lai wong bao, are a dim sum delicacy. They may seem exotic, but you’ll find their flavours strangely familiar: soft dough and nutmeg-spiked egg custard – imagine the lovechild of a custard tart and a sweet bun. They’ll soon feel as natural an addition to your afternoon tea spread as scones or buttered teacakes.

Makes 12
225g strong white flour
1½ tsp instant dried yeast
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp caster sugar
135ml milk
2 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil
1½ tsp vanilla extract

For the custard
250ml milk
4 large egg yolks
50g caster sugar
5 tbsp cornflour
A pinch of nutmeg
2 tsp vanilla extract

1 First, prepare the custard. Heat the milk over a low heat until just shy of boiling. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, caster sugar, cornflour and nutmeg until smooth. Once the milk is ready, pour it in a thin stream into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly.

2 Decant the custard back into the pan over a medium-low heat. It’s crucial that you don’t stop stirring the pan at all now – although the cornflour will stabilise the mix and so prevent curdling, it may catch on the bottom. Keep stirring over the heat until it reaches a slow bubble, then let it cook for just 1 minute and take off the heat.

3 Stir in the vanilla and immediately cover the surface of the custard with clingfilm to stop a skin forming. Leave to cool at room temperature. It’ll thicken even more during this time.

4 Meanwhile, make the dough. Mix the flour, dried yeast, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Gently heat the milk until just lukewarm, then add it to the dry ingredients along with the oil and vanilla extract. Stir to combine, then knead for 5-10 minutes, until it feels smoother and more elastic. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with clingfilm (to stop the surface of the dough drying out) and leave for 1-1½ hours, or until it has almost doubled in size.

5 Once the dough has risen and the custard is cool, assemble the buns. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Squash and stretch each one on a lightly floured surface until it’s a flattish disc 8-10cm in diameter; the edges should be thinner than the centre. Dollop a teaspoon of custard (it should now be very thick and paste-like) into the middle of the circle and carefully gather the edges up around the filling, pinching firmly on top to seal the custard inside. Turn the bun upside-down so that the sealed edges sit neatly underneath.

6 Repeat the shaping process with the remaining pieces of dough, then arrange the buns on a lightly greased tray, cover loosely with clingfilm and leave to rise at room temperature for around 45 minutes.

7 Near the end of the rising time, prepare a steamer pan. Bring a few centimetres of water to a steady boil in the lower compartment and set the steamer on top. It can help to wrap the lid in a tea towel to prevent condensation from dripping back down on to the buns as they steam.

8 Once the buns have risen, steam them in batches, ensuring that the water in the pan is topped up and kept boiling. Steam for 15 minutes – or until well-risen and springy. Leave to cool completely before serving.

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Earl Grey spotted dick

You could bake this in a steamy oven if you don’t have a steamer. Just rest the wrapped pudding on a wire rack above a roasting tray half-filled with hot water and bake for 45-60 minutes. You’ll need two large sheets of baking parchment and a few short lengths of string.

Serves 6
150g plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder
80g vegetable suet
80g caster sugar
120g currants
Zest of 1 orange
A pinch of salt
100ml strong black Earl Grey tea, cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract
Butter, to grease

1 First, prepare the steamer. Fill the bottom of a steamer pan with a few centimetres of water and set over a low heat to reach a simmer. Set the steamer rack over the top.

2 Combine the flour, baking powder, suet, caster sugar, currants, orange zest and salt in a large bowl. Add the tea and vanilla extract, then gently stir or mash together to combine. Don’t worry if the dough’s a little sticky – it’s this moisture that’ll help to give a lighter texture in the cooking pudding.

3 Grease one of your sheets of parchment with butter, then scoop the wet dough neatly into the middle of it to form a sausage-shape around 20cm long (or about the diameter of the pan you’re using). Fold the paper up around it, folding a wide pleat into the paper on top of the dough, to allow room for the pudding to expand as it steams. Twist the ends of the paper and secure with string. Wrap this parcel in the other piece of baking parchment, pleating, twisting and tying as before. You’ll be left with a sort of giant Christmas cracker.

4 Gently transfer it to the steamer rack, put a well-fitting lid on the pan and steam for 1¼–1½ hours, topping the water up as necessary. The pudding should be golden, firm but springy, and a knife inserted into the centre should come out clean. Serve straight away with custard or ice-cream, or both!