Abstract: Popcorn has a special aroma after puffing, it can be used in steamed bread to enhance the flavor. In this study, popcorn was puffed by microwave heating and puffed popcorn meal was added into wheat flour to make compound meal. The effects of puffed popcorn meal on the pasting and viscosity properties of batter, the rheological and fermentation properties of dough, and the quality of steamed bread were investigated. The volatile flavor compounds in the steamed bread with the best popcorn compound meal formula and the control (wheat flour) steamed bread were detected. The volatile flavor compounds in steamed bread were detected by gas-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technology. The results showed that with the addition amount of puffed popcorn meal increased, the thermal stability and aging resistance of batter were strengthened, the rheological properties and gas holding capacity of dough were gradually weakened, the surface color of steamed bread was darkened, the specific volume of steamed bread gradually decreased while the crumb hardness and chewiness increased. When the addition amount of puffed popcorn meal was 15%, there were no significant differences between the compound meal and the control (wheat flour) in terms of the breakdown and setback values, and no significant differences between the compound meal steamed bread and the control (wheat steamed bread) in terms of the specific volume, hardness, resilience, cohesion and springiness. When the addition amount was higher than 15%, the hardness of steamed bread increased significantly while the sensory score decreased sharply. Therefore, the optimal amount of the puffed popcorn meal in compound meal was 15%. Forty eight volatile flavor compounds in the compound meal steamed bread were detected when the puffed popcorn meal in compound meal was 15%, while the control contained only 38 compounds. Compared with the control, there were more kinds of aldehydes, ketones, and hydrocarbon in the compound meal steamed bread, and their peak areas were higher than the control. Furthermore, pyrazines, phenols and pyrroles were only detected in the compound meal steamed bread. The characteristic flavor compounds of puffed popcorn, such as hexanal, 2-ethyl-6-methylpyrazine, 4-vinyl-2-methoxyphenol, etc., were only detected in compound meal steamed bread, indicating that the compound meal steamed bread had a flavor similar to popcorn. Therefore, the addition of puffed popcorn meal had potential application value for improving the flavor and the grade of steamed bread.