Scallion Bing or Chinese Flat Bread (羌饼)

• porsjoner: 2 servings
• aktiv tid: 30 minutes
• total tid: 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredienser

3/4 cup warm water (105 to 115F or 40-45C), hot to the touch but not scalding)

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp active dry yeast

2 tbsp sesame oil

2 cups all-purpose flour (255g, plus more for flouring your work surface)

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp white pepper

1/4 tsp salt (or more to taste (see notes)

1/4 tsp five spice powder

3/4 cup finely chopped scallions

Sesame oil or neutral oil (for brushing)

1 tbsp sesame seeds

Sesame oil or neutral oil (for brushing)

1/4-1/2 cup sesame seeds

Neutral oil

Fremgangsmåte

Yeast Mixture

You can watch the video below or the steps above to see how to make these from scratch.

In a measuring cup or bowl, mix together the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Mix well and set aside.

Leave the mixture for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to foam up. After it foams up, mix in the oil.

Preparing the Dough

Meanwhile, add the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.

Create a well in the centre and add in the yeast mixture. With a pair of chopsticks or spatula, mix everything together to create a dough.

You can also use a stand mixer for this. I simply used my hands to knead everything together.

Knead everything for 5-6 minutes or until you have a ball of dough that no longer sticks to your hands. Don’t forget to scrape the sides of the bowl for excess flour.

Place the ball of dough in the bowl.

Cover the bowl with a damp towel. Leave the dough to rest in a warm place for at least 1 hour until it has doubled in size.

You can check out the steps under ‘Making the Dough in Advance’ below if you plan to make the dough in advance and store it in the refrigerator.

Spice Mix and Filling

Prepare the spice mix by mixing together the white pepper, 5 spice powder, and salt in a small bowl.

Finely chop the scallions and set aside in a bowl.

Shaping the Bing

You can watch the video below for a complete step-by-step.

Lightly flour your work surface.

Place the ball of dough on the surface.

Lightly flour your rolling pin. From there, roll our the ball of dough.

Keep rolling until you have a large rectangular sheet of dough that’s roughly 14 by 9” (36 x 22 cm). It doesn’t have to be a perfect rectangle, so don’t worry. The dough should be around 1/3-inch thick (less than 1 cm).

When you have the rolled out dough, brush a thin layer of oil on the surface of the dough.

Evenly sprinkle on all of the spice mix throughout the piece of dough.

Afterwards, evenly distribute the scallions on the dough.

Lastly, sprinkle on the sesame seeds.

Once all the toppings are set, roll the bing from one end.

You will end up with a log, similar to how you make a cinnamon roll.

Pinch the edges to seal completely.

Divide the long roll into half.

From there roll 1 piece of dough inwards, creating a spiral shape (like a snail). Tuck the ends underneath.

Repeat this for the other piece of dough. Cover the pieces of bing to prevent them from drying out.

Rolling Out the Bing

On a large chopping board or flat surface, brush a thin layer of oil.

Place a piece of rolled bing on the surface. Lightly flour your rolling pin if needed.

Press down on the dough them roll out the bing into an 8” circle.

If coating with sesame seeds, brush a thin layer on the exposed side and then sprinkled 1-2 tbsp of sesame seeds.

Lightly press down on the sesame seeds to allow them to stick to the dough.

Carefully flip over the rolled out bing. You can use a large spatula for this or simply use your hands. Add 1-2 tbsp of sesame seeds and pat down as well.

Leave the piece of bing on the board or transfer it to a plate. Cover it with a towel and leave it to rest in a warm spot for 15 minutes before cooking.

Repeat this rolling out process for the remaining piece of rolled bing until you have 2 8-inch bings.

Cooking the Bing with Oil

Heat a large non-stick or cast iron pan over medium heat. If you prefer to cook this with no additional oil, see the steps below.

Add some oil to coat the surface of the pan. Once the oil is hot, place the bing on the pan. Leave to cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.

Carefully flip the bing over and then cover your pan. This will help to cook the insides since the bing is quite thick. Leave the pancake to cook and the remaining side to crisp up for another 4-5 minutes.

You will notice that the bing will fluff up and rise a bit more due to the yeast.

Remove the cover and check on the remaining side. If it’s golden brown and crisp, you can flip if over and crisp the other side more, if you’d like. Both sides should be golden brown.

Carefully tap on the bing with your finger or spatula. it should sound crisp and hollow on the outside.

Remove the bing from the pan and transfer to a plate or chopping board. Leave to cool for 2-3 minutes before slicing.

Repeat this cooking step for the remaining bing until both pieces are cooked.

Cooking the Bing with No Oil (Using a non-stick pan)

Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat.

Once hot, lower the heat then place the bing on the pan. Leave it to crisp over medium low to low heat for around 4 to 5 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Keep an eye out for the bing to make sure it doesn't burn.

Carefully flip the bing over and then cover your pan. This will help to cook the insides since the pancake is quite thick. Leave the pancake to cook and the remaining side to crisp up for another 4-5 minutes.

You will notice that the bing will fluff up and rise a bit more due to the yeast.

Remove the cover and check on the remaining side. If it’s golden brown and crisp, you can flip if over and crisp the other side more, if you’d like. Both sides should be golden brown.

Carefully tap on the bing with your finger or spatula. it should sound crisp and hollow on the outside.

Remove the bing from the pan and transfer to a plate or chopping board. Leave to cool for 2-3 minutes before slicing.

Repeat this cooking step for the remaining bing until both pieces are cooked.

Note: this oil-free cooking process yields crispy pieces of bing too but I find then a little bit more dry compared to those cooked with oil.

Slicing and Serving the Bing

For the bing, I simply sliced each piece into 4 pieces each. So I ended up with 8 pieces in total.

Enjoy your bing while they’re hot so they’ll still be crispy on the outside and really fluffy and aromatic on the inside.

Storage and Reheat

You can store the cooked bing at room temperature for 2-3 days and in the refrigerator for up to 1 week (or even longer). To reheat, simply pan-fry until crisp on both sides. You can also reheat it in an oven toaster.

To freeze, simply place the bing in a container to resealable bag. To reheat, simply pan-fry until crisp on both sides. You can also reheat it in an oven toaster.

Making the Dough in Advance

If making the dough in advance, leave it to rise first. Afterwards, brush some oil on the container or bowl with a lid. Place the dough i the container and cover it tightly. Refrigerate it until ready to use.

Before you use your refrigerated dough, make sure to put it out at room temperature a few hours before you intend to knead it. This way the dough can rest and come to room temperature. It may also rise a little bit more. It’ll also be easier to work with.

Overall, I find that the dough I made in advance was a little harder to work with that I needed to flour my work surface and rolling pin heavily to prevent the dough from sticking.

But results wise, the bings turned out just as good.

Næringsinnhold

• Porsjonsstørrelse: 1 whole
• Kalorier: 701 kcal
• Totalt fett: 27 g
• Mettet fett: 4 g
• Umettet fett: 21 g
• Natrium: 1461 mg
• Totalt karbohydrater: 98 g
• Kostfiber: 7 g
• Totalt sukker: 4 g
• Protein: 18 g