Background and objectives: The effects of Chinese steamed bread (CSB) flour fortification with b-glucan (1%-5% of wheat flour) from yeast and oat (YbG, 7.4 9 10 6 and ObG, 1.3 9 10 7 ) on the rheological properties of dough and specific volume, texture, and staling characteristics of CSB, a kind of traditional fermented food but it lacks dietary fiber, have been compared. Findings: The addition of b-glucan to the dough formula increased the farinograph water absorption, dough development time, and the resistance to deformation but decreased the dough stability, dough weakening degree, extensibility, peak, hold, final and setback viscosity, and retrogradation value; ObG exerted a greater effect than did YbG. Chinese steamed bread (CSB) with 1%-2% ObG or YbG addition possessed the higher specific volume and resilience and showed the similar hardness, springness, cohesiveness, gumminess, and chewiness compared to the control; while, CSB with 4%-5% ObG or YbG addition exhibited a smaller specific volume, a larger hardness and the similar springness, cohesiveness, gumminess, chewiness, and resilience than did the control. b-glucan addition resulted in the higher freezable and unfreezable water content and in the lower firmness and amylopectin retrogradation during storage at 25°C, thus retarded CSB staling. Conclusions: b-glucan at 1%-2% addition levels was more effective in helping to soften CSB and preventing CSB staling. Significance and novelty: Conditions that b-glucans incorporation increased the water-holding capacity of CSB, restricted water migration, and retarded the longterm starch retrogradation, thus softening CSB and preventing CSB staling.