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1
Combine the dry ingredients together in a bowl and mix.
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2
Make a well in the middle and add sugar, and sprinkle salt around the edges.
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3
Pour soy milk and oil into the well, and mix lightly with cooking chopsticks.
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4
Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water and add to the well in Step 1.
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5
Mix until it's no longer floury, then knead the dough with your hands.
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6
When the surface is smooth, form the dough into a ball, place in a bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
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7
Leave for 1-1.5 hours until doubled in bulk.
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8
Make the filling while the dough is rising.
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9
Mix all the ingredients from the ground pork to the cheese together.
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10
Knead until the meat is sticky, then add katakuriko and mix quickly.
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11
Divide into 8 portions.
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12
Punch down the dough to deflate, and divide into 8 portions.
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13
Take 5 g each from each portion of dough, and make 8 large and small balls, with the seams down.
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14
Put the dough balls on a board or tray dusted with flour with the seams down, and press down on each with your hands to flatten.
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15
Roll the large balls out to about 10 cm so that the middle is thicker than the edges.
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16
Place the filling on the dough, and pinch and wrap the dough around.
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17
Place the filled dough with the seams down on a 10 x 10 cm square parchment paper.
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18
Press on a small dough ball a bit lower then the center to form the nose.
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19
Make the reindeer horns.
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20
Make 1-2 cuts to either end of each weiner sausage.
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21
Poke holes in the dough with cooking chopsticks where the sausages will be inserted.
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22
Push a sausage into each hole securely.
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23
If they are not inserted deep enough, they may fall out while it's steaming.
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24
Stick 2 raisins above the nose, and push them in to make a small dent to form the eyes.
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25
Make the rest of the reindeer buns the same way.
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26
Cover the dough with plastic wrap as you work so that it doesn't get dried out.
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27
Line up the buns in a steamer, and steam over high heat for 10 minutes.
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28
Cover the lid with a moistened and tightly wrung out kitchen towel to prevent condensation from dripping down on the buns.
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29
Spread ketchup on the noses with the back of a spoon, and the buns are done.
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30
You can heat the buns if they get cold by microwaving for 40 seconds - they'll become fluffy again.
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31
You can freeze the buns, too.
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32
I made a snowman version too.
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33
The filling for these is chicken with chili sauce.
