Silver and Gold Thread Rolls

Being a bread lover at heart, I sampled every type of steamed, fried, and occasionally baked bread I could find during my two years in Taiwan. This was my favorite: an oblong loaf of steamed bread, tinged with sweetness and fashioned so ingeniously that it came apart in a skein of soft, thickish “threads” when pulled. Served white and freshly steamed, it was known as a “silver thread roll.” Deep-fried until golden (the way I like it best), it became a “gold thread roll.”