Wuyang Gangzi Steamed Buns 舞阳杠子馍
Wuyang Gangzi Steamed Buns is featured among the local specialties of Henan.
Wuyang Gangzi Steamed Buns (舞阳杠子馍) are thick layered breads from Beiwudu (北舞渡), a town in Wuyang County (舞阳县), Luohe (漯河), Henan, whose dough is kneaded and pressed with a wooden pole (杠子).
How it is made
The Henan provincial department of culture and tourism describes Wuyang bakers swinging a wooden pole to knead and press the dough over and over, and calls the craft an intangible heritage technique. Neither source gives the flour, leaven or cooking method.
Flavour and texture
The Wuyang county government calls the bread one of the county's best-known snacks. Its base is browned and golden, it stands about half an inch thick, and the layers wrap one inside another. In the mouth it is moist and springy, dry without being parched, chewy yet soft.
Wuyang Gangzi Steamed Buns keep for days without going mouldy or hard, according to the county; the provincial department says they stay soft for three days, which makes them a food for travellers.
Where it comes from
Beiwudu was an important trading centre of central Henan in the Ming and Qing dynasties, known as a river-and-road wharf and a little Hankou (小汉口), with busy shipping on the Sha River (沙河), according to the provincial department.
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Large Layered Steamed Bread 卷子馍 →
Juanzi mo is another Henan mo bread; the Wuyang loaf is pressed with a wooden pole and has a browned, half-inch base.
Sources & reading
Written from the linked sources and fact-checked against them on 2026-09-24. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.