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1
Combine the flour, instant yeast, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl. Add 260 ml of warm liquid and bring the mixture together into a shaggy mass, adding the remaining 10 ml only if the dough feels dry. Knead for 15 minutes until the dough is very smooth and non-tacky — it should hold a clean impression from a finger without sticking.
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2
Form the dough into a ball, cover the bowl, and leave to rest at room temperature for 1 hour. The dough is ready when it has doubled in volume and a finger pressed into the surface leaves an indent that holds without springing back sharply.
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3
Knock back the dough and divide it in two. For the spiral-roll method, roll each portion into a thin rectangle, then roll it up tightly from the long edge as one would a Swiss roll; cut into individual pieces 4–5 cm wide. For the log method, roll the dough into a cylinder of even diameter and cut into equal discs. This is where the dish lives or dies: if the dough is too wet or unevenly shaped, the mantou will spread flat rather than rise; the pieces must be compact, their cut surfaces smooth and taut.
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4
Arrange the shaped mantou on squares of baking paper and set them, spaced apart, in the unheated steamer basket. Leave to rise for 15–20 minutes. They should puff slightly and feel notably lighter and softer to a gentle press before the heat is applied.
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5
Set the steamer basket over cold water in the wok or steamer base, then turn on the heat. Steam for 15–20 minutes from the point the water begins to boil. The mantou are done when they are snow-white, domed, and smooth — the surface should show no cracks.
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6
Turn off the heat and leave the lid ajar for 2–3 minutes before lifting. This prevents the sudden temperature change from causing the skins to wrinkle or collapse.