Chinese PastryDessert

Earl Grey, Osmanthus & Chestnut Buns — The One to Make Once the Weather Cools

Name: Earl Grey, Osmanthus & Chestnut Buns
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 2–4 buns depending on size
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 2 cups + 1 tbsp (250 g) all-purpose flour; 1 tbsp (2 g) finely ground Earl Grey tea; ½ cup (120 ml) warm water; ¾ tsp (2 g) instant yeast; 7 oz (200 g) fresh chestnuts; 1–2 tbsp osmanthus honey

2026-10-10

By Vivian

The one to make once the weather cools — steam them soft and sweet, better than anything from a bakery

Why You'll Love It

When autumn hits I always want to steam something warm for the family.
I dug through the cupboard and found Earl Grey, osmanthus honey, and fresh chestnuts, so I threw them together — and they turned out far better than I expected. Soft, sweet, and it tastes like fall in one bite.

Boil the chestnuts, crush them, fold in osmanthus honey so they're lightly sweet; grind the tea into the flour and the buns come out with a faint tea aroma. The moment you lift the lid, tea and sweet chestnut hit you at once — nothing like the plain buns from the store.

One bite and it's soft and sweet: the chestnut filling is dense and creamy, the osmanthus sweetness spreads slowly across your palate. It just makes you happy.
And because you made it yourself, you know exactly what's in it — no additives, nothing you can't pronounce.

Ingredients

Earl Grey Dough
2 cups + 1 tbsp (250 g) all-purpose flour	1 tbsp (2 g) finely ground Earl Grey tea
½ cup (120 ml) warm water	¾ tsp (2 g) instant yeast

Chestnut Filling
7 oz (200 g) fresh chestnuts	1–2 tbsp osmanthus honey

Ingredient Notes

Use Earl Grey from a broken-leaf tea bag — 1 tbsp (2 g) is plenty. Mix it into the flour before adding any liquid.
Pick glossy chestnuts (oil or chinquapin varieties) — they crush easiest while still hot; vacuum-packed peeled chestnuts work fine too.
Osmanthus honey is already sweet — taste the filling before adding more.
All-purpose flour is right here. Bread flour makes steamed buns firm rather than fluffy.
Dissolve the yeast in water around 95°F (35°C) — it should feel neutral, not hot, on your finger.

Instructions

1

Add the ground Earl Grey to the flour and mix it through evenly.
2

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and pour it into the flour a little at a time, stirring with chopsticks until shaggy. Knead by hand into a smooth dough, cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth, and rest for 30 minutes.
3

Boil the chestnuts ahead of time, peel them and crush while hot, then stir in a little osmanthus honey or sweetened condensed milk.
Crush longer for a smooth filling, less for a chunkier one.
4

Punch down the rested dough and divide it into 2–4 pieces, depending on how big you want the buns.
5

Roll one piece into a long oval, spread the chestnut filling over it — or switch in any filling you like; I also made a batch with red bean paste.
6

I did one round with red bean paste and one with chestnut. Honestly, use whatever filling you love.
7

Starting from one end, roll it up tightly, then tuck the thin end into the thick end and pinch the seam closed to shape it like a bagel ring.
8

Roll as tight as you can with no gaps, or you'll get big holes after steaming. Pinch the seam firmly or it'll unwrap in the steamer.
The bagel shape is just for looks — shaping them into plain rounds tastes exactly the same.
9

Put the shaped buns in the steamer and let them rise somewhere warm until 1½–2 times bigger, about 30–40 minutes.
Start with cold water, bring to a boil over high heat, drop to medium and steam 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and wait 2 minutes before opening.
10

Straight out of the steamer they're soft with a nice chew. One bite gives you dense, creamy chestnut, sweet osmanthus, and that tea aroma all at once. The filling is sandy-sweet, the osmanthus lingers, and it gets better the more you chew.
11

Earl Grey and chestnut really are made for autumn. Steam a batch and the whole house smells like it — one bite and you're happy.

Recipe Notes