Description
Pizzaman (ピザまん), typically found in convenience stores in Japan, are soft, steamed buns filled with a melty pizza-style filling – tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni or sausage. They’re a fun twist on pork steamed buns (nikuman).
I recommend using a bamboo steamer to cook the buns. Here’s a link to mine.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the dough:
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp instant dry yeast
- 1 tsp paprika (optional; provides the iconic orange color but does not alter the flavor)
- 2 cup all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
For the filling:
- 4 oz sausage, cooked (or pepperoni; be sure to slice it into quarters)
- 12 oz tomato paste
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tbsp Italian seasonings
- Salt & pepper to taste
- About 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (sliced into 2x2 inch squares about 1 centimeter thick)
Instructions
- Prepare the steamer by lining it with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl (or kitchen aid stand mixer with a dough hook), combine milk, instant dry yeast, paprika, and sugar. Mix/stir for a minute until the paprika is no longer clumpy, then add the flour.
- Knead the dough for 15 minutes (or 10 minutes with a stand mixer) until smooth and elastic.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and shape each into a rounded ball. To shape dough into a round ball, tuck the edges underneath. Seal the bottom and smooth out the shape by turning the dough in your hands on a surface, creating surface tension.
- Place each dough ball on the prepared parchment papers inside the steamer, leaving about 2 inches in between each ball. Allow them to rise for 1 1/2 hours, or until almost doubled in size.
- When the dough has about 15 minutes left to rise, prepare the filling. In a large pan over medium heat, cook the sausage until brown.
- Add the tomato paste, water, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper. Stir until the tomato paste and water are thoroughly combined. Note: You will be left with a thick paste – this is exactly what you want! If it’s too thin, the buns will deflate while cooking due to excess liquid.
- Once the dough has finished rising, gently flatten the outer edges of each dough ball with your fingers until the edges are about 1/2 centimeter thick. Aim to leave the center of the dough ball about 2 1/2 inches wide and 1 inch thick. These measurements don’t need to be exact – just use them as a general guide. Be careful not to touch the center of the dough ball so as to not flatten it out. A thin dough may deflate during steaming.
- Place 1/2 tablespoon of the sausage/tomato paste in the center. Note that 1/2 tablespoon may not seem like much, but it is! Any more than this, and you will have a hard time sealing your pizzaman properly.
- Directly on top of the sausage/tomato paste, top with a slice of mozzarella cheese.
- Seal the pizzaman: Holding the dough in one hand, use the other hand to pinch and fold small sections of the edge, working your way around the bun to create pleats. After each fold, slightly rotate the bun and continue pleating until you’ve gone all the way around. As you pleat, gather the folds toward the center and gently twist or pinch them together to seal the top. Make sure the bun is fully sealed to prevent the filling from leaking during steaming.
- Place the buns in the steamer on top of the parchment paper. You can choose to place them seal-side down or seal-side up.
- Steam the buns for 11 minutes, making sure to not open the lid until they are done. Opening the lid early can cause them to deflate. Enjoy warm!
- Prep Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8 buns