Extra-Flaky Scallion Pancakes Recipe - Serious Eats

A ball of well-kneaded cold water dough will spring back if you press it and contract if you stretch it. This is why pizza dough is extremely hard to roll out ... SeriousEats/MatejaZviroticAndrijanic Pin Share Email InThisRecipe Expand TheBestScallionPancakesStartWithHotWaterDough WhatIsLaminatedPastry? FryingTemperatureforScallionPancakes JUMPTORECIPE WhyItWorks Hotwaterdoughlimitsglutenformationforatenderscallionpancake.Laminatingthedoughgivesscallionpancakeitsflakystructure.   ScallionpancakeswereoneofthefirstthingsIevertaughtmyselfhowtocook.Or,Ishouldsay,I thought Itaughtmyselfhowtocookthem.Imean, frieddoughandscallions,right?Howhardcoulditbe? Ofcourse,atthetimeIknewnothingofglutendevelopmentorlaminatepastriesandthedense,doughyblobsIwascomingupwithwerecertainlynowhereneartheflaky,crisp,light,multilayeredaffairsthatthebestChineserestaurantsserve.Butduetoanacutecaseofahorriblesyndromeknowninmedicalcirclesas Imadethismyselfsoitmusttasteawesomosis,Iwastotallyoblivioustomyobviousfailure. Here'swhatIdidinsixeasysteps:1. Combineflourandwateruntilworkabledoughisformed.2. Kneadalot(Iheardthatkneadingisgood).3. Addscallions.4. Kneadsomemore.5. Rolloutwitharollingpin,andfry.6. Servewithtonsofsalt,vinegar,andsoysaucetodistractfromleadentexture. Ittookmeseveralyearstorealizethatconceptually,themethodusedtomakescallionpancakesisalmostidenticaltothatofmakingpuffpastry,croissants,oranylaminatedpastries. Fastforwardfiveorsixyearstomesittinginthelivingroomwatchinganepisodeof YanCanCookandmymindbeingblown.Thisepisode? Scallionpancakes,thewaythey're supposed tobemade. Theprocessisquitesimple,andingenious.Itcombinestwouniquefeatures:hotwaterdoughandlamination. TheBestScallionPancakesStartWithHotWaterDough WithmostWesternbreadsandpastries,coldorroomtemperatureliquidisaddedtoflourbeforekneading.Therearetwomajorproteinsinflour, gluteninand gliadin.Here'sthething:they'rekindakinky(no,notinthatway),andwhentheygetwetandarerubbedaround(likekneading),theystretchoutandbindwithothergluteninandgliadinmolecules,formingthestretchyproteinmatrixknownasgluten. Gluteniswhatgivesdoughstructure,andthemoreit'skneadedandworked,thetighteritbecomes.Aballofwell-kneadedcoldwaterdoughwillspringbackifyoupressitandcontractifyoustretchit.Thisiswhypizzadoughisextremelyhardtorolloutuntilit'shadatleastafewhourstorestandallowtheglutentorelax.Thelevelofchewinessandstretchyougetfromacoldwaterdoughisdirectlyrelatedtohowvigorouslyitskneadedandhowlongitrests. SeriousEats/MatejaZviroticAndrijanic Hotwaterdoughs—thetypeusedtomakescallionpancakes,dumplingwrappers,andseveralotherChinesepastries—workalittledifferently. Byaddingboilingwaterdirectlytoflour,youendupnotonlydenaturingtheproteins,butsmashingthemintosmallpieces.Someglutencanstillform,butbecausecookedproteinsaren'tnearlyasstretchyorclingyasrawones,youwon'tgetanywherenearthestretchofacold-waterdough. Ifairy,hole-filledbreadisyourgoal,destroyingtheproteinsisabadthing.Ifyou'relookingfortenderdumplingwrappersorscallionpancakeswith justabitoftugandchew, that's precisely whatyouwant. SeriousEats/MatejaZviroticAndrijanic Thebeautyofahotwaterdoughisthatitdoesn'tbouncebackasmuchascoldwaterdough.Thismakesitextremelyeasytoworkwithandrollout.That'sapositiveboonwhenyou'vegot50dumplingwrapperskinstoform,orwhenyou'remakingscallionpancakes.Evenbetter,becauseit'sgotsolittleglutendevelopment,youcanworkwithitcool,makingit easytoprepareyourdoughinthemorning,throwitinthefridge, comebackjustbeforedinnerandrolloutwhatyouneedforyourmeal. Thenextinterestingpartofmakingscallionpancakesistherollingmethod. WhatIsLaminatedPastry? Whatexactlyisalaminatedpastry? Unlikebreadleavenedbiologicallywithyeastorquickbreadsleavenedchemicallywithbakingsodaorbakingpowder,alaminateddoughisleavenedviafatandvapor.Itconsistsoftwobasicelements: layersofleandough separatedby layersoffat. Theleandoughcanbecompletelyunleavened(likepuffpastry,scallionpancakes,orphyllo),orleavenedwithyeast(likecroissantsandDanish),orleavenedwithbakingpowder(sometypesofbiscuits).Eachmethodgivesaslightlydifferentendresult.Likewise,thefatlayerscanbeanynumberoffats,suchasoliveoil(forsomephyllorecipes),butter(forpuffpastry),orinthecaseofscallionpancakes,sesameseedoil. Theideaisthatbybuildingup layeruponlayerofpaper-thinsheetsofpastryandseparatingthemwithequallythinlayersoffat, watervaporfromthepastryexpandsasitheats,causingthelayerstoseparateslightly.It'sthisseparatingthatcreatestheflaky,tenderstructureofperfectlaminatepastry. SeriousEats/J.KenjiLópez-Alt Withsomelaminatepastriessuchasbaklavaorspanakopita,theselayersarecreatedmanually.Phylloisbuiltuponelayeratatime,thecookmanuallybrushingbutteroroilontoeachsheetbeforelayingonthenext.It'sarelativelyeasy,buttime-consumingprocess.Puffpastry,ontheotherhand,usesthepowerofmathematicstoveryquicklybuilduphundreds,oreventhousandsoflayers.Here'showitworks: Athin,evenslabofbutterisplacedontopofalayerofdough,whichisthenfoldedoverthebutterlikeanenvelopetocompletelyencloseit.Next,theentirethinggetsfoldedintothirdsandthenrolledoutagaintothesamesizeandshape—whereyouoncehadonelayer,nowyou'vegotthree.Repeatthisprocessagain,andyou'reuptoninelayers.Mostpuffpastryrecipesrecommendaminimumoffourfoldingiterations,givingyouatotalof81layers. SeriousEats/J.KenjiLópez-Alt "youcanfolduptoeighttimes,whichgetsyouawhopping6,561layers" Asthegraphshows,thenumberoflayersgoesupexponentiallyasyourepeattheprocess,thoughforpracticalpurposes,eventuallytheflourlayersbreakorgetpenetratedbythebutter,whichlimitsthenumberofiterations.Withextremelycarefulhandlingandacoldmarblesurface,youcanfolduptoeighttimes,whichgetsyouawhopping6,561layers.Imaginethat! Scallionpancakesaremadebyanentirelydifferentmethod.Ratherthanfoldingoverandover,theflatdisksofdougharefirstbrushedwithsesameoilandsprinkledwithscallions,thenrolledup,jelly-rollstyle. Icountedthenumberofcompleteturnsthisprocessmakes,anditendsupbeingaroundfiveorso,dependingonhowtightlyyourollit(thephotoofatornscallionpancakeshowsthesefivelayers).Afterrolling,theloggetsspiraleduplikeasnake. Finally,itgetsflattenedoutonelasttime,thistimewiththe scallionstuckedneatlyinside.Aquickfryinhotoillater,andyou'redone.Crispy,slightlychewy,flaky,filledwithscallions,anddelicious. Ofcourse,myimmediatethoughtwas:howcouldImakethiscrispierandflakier?Theobviousansweris:treatitlikeapuffpastrybyrepeatingtheprocessseveraltimes. Byrepeatingtheprocessevenonce,youmultiplythelayersbyafactoroffive,bringingyouuptoafull25layersofscallion-packed,pastrydelight.Theonlyproblemis,it'sverydifficulttoroll,twist,andflattenthedoughonceit'shadthescallionsspreadinsideit—evengoingthroughtheprocessonceisdifficult.Asyoucanseefromthephotobelow,thescallionshaveatendencytobreakout,destroyingthethin,delicatelayersofdough. Addinganextralayeringstepleadstoundesirableresults:scallionsbreakingthroughthethinlayerofdough,asseenhere. SeriousEats/J.KenjiLópez-Alt Luckily,thesolutionisprettysimple: justformthelayers without thescallions,thenaddthescallionsrightbeforethelastiterationofrollingandtwisting. Itriedtakingtheprocesstotheextreme,repeatingtherollingstepsfourtimes(todeliverafull625layers!),butitprovedtoomuchforthedelicatehot-waterdoughtohandle.Insteadofmaintainingdiscretelayers,itendedupturningintoasolid,doughymass.Twoiterationsisaboutasmuchasitcanhandle. SeriousEats/J.KenjiLópez-Alt FryingTemperatureforScallionPancakes Theonlythinglefttomentionisfryingtemperature.Itriedfryingscallionpancakesovermultipletemperaturerangestofigureouttheidealmethodtoachieveacrispcrustandoptimallayerexpansion.Ialsotriedusingverylittleoil(1tablespoon),andawholelotofoil(upto1/2acup—enoughthattheoilcameoverthetopofthepancake).Intheend,Idiscoveredthatveryhighheatproducesunevenlycookedpancakes.Theyblisterandbubblerapidly,thethinbubblescookingandburninglongbeforeotherareasofthepancakeevenbegintotakecolorortheinteriorbeginstoset. Cookingscallionpancakesathighheatcooksthemunevenly.That'snotwhatyouwant. SeriousEats/J.KenjiLópez-Alt Ontheotherhand,keeptheheattoolow,andthepancakesitsthereslowlysoakingupoiluntilit'stotallysaturated,turningheavyandgreasyinsteadoflightandcrisp. Moderateheatwithagoodamountofoilandconstantswirlingisthebestwaytogetevenbrowninganddiscrete,flakylayers. SeriousEats/MatejaZviroticAndrijanic Ifyoulovetheideaofthesescallionpancakes,here'safullcollectionofChinese-Americanappetizerrecipes. 2:31 ClickPlaytoLearnHowtoMakeExtra-FlakyScallionPancakes April2011 FeaturedVideo RecipeFacts 4.7 (24) Prep: 50mins Cook: 10mins Active: 30mins RestingTime: 30mins Total: 90mins Serves: 4pancakes Rate&Comment ForthePancakes: 2cupsall-purposeflour,plusextrafordustingworksurface 1cupboilingwater Upto1/4cuptoastedsesameseedoil 2cupsthinlyslicedscallions FortheDippingSauce: 2tablespoonssoysauce 2tablespoonsChinkiangorricewinevinegar 1tablespoonfinelyslicedscalliongreens 1/2teaspoongratedfreshginger 2teaspoonssugar ToCook: 1/4cupvegetableoil Koshersalt Placeflourinbowloffoodprocessor.Withprocessorrunning,slowlydrizzleinabout3/4oftheboilingwater.Processfor15seconds.Ifdoughdoesnotcometogetherandridearoundtheblade,drizzleinmorewateratablespoonatatimeuntilitjustcomestogether.(Alternatively,inalargebowladdflourand3/4oftheboilingwater.Stirwithawoodenspoonorchopsticksuntildoughcomestogether,addingwateratablespoonatatimeasneeded.)Transfertoaflouredworksurfaceandkneadafewtimestoformasmoothball.Transfertoabowl,coverwithadamptowelorplasticwrap,andallowtorestfor30minutesatroomtemperature,oruptoovernightinthefridge. SeriousEats/MatejaZviroticAndrijanic Dividedoughintofourevenpiecesandshapeeachintoasmoothball.Workingoneballatatime,rolloutintoadiskroughly8-inchesindiameteronalightlyflouredsurface.Usingapastrybrush,paintaverythinlayerofsesameoiloverthetopofthedisk.Rolldiskuplikeajellyroll,thentwistrollintoatightspiral,tuckingtheendunderneath.Flattengentlywithyourhand,thenre-rollintoan8-inchdisk. SeriousEats/MatejaZviroticAndrijanic SeriousEats/MatejaZviroticAndrijanic Paintwithanotherlayerofsesameoil,sprinklewith1/2cupscallions,androlluplikeajellyrollagain.Twistintoaspiral,flattengently,andre-rollintoa7-inchdisk.Repeatstepstwoandthreewithremainingdoughballs. SeriousEats/MatejaZviroticAndrijanic SeriousEats/MatejaZviroticAndrijanic Inasmallbowl,whisktogethersauceingredientsandsetasideatroomtemperature. SeriousEats/MatejaZviroticAndrijanic Heatoilinan8-inchnonstick,carbonsteel,orcast-ironpanovermedium-highheatuntilshimmering.Carefullyslippancakeintohotoil.Cook,shakingpangently,untilfirstsideisanevengoldenbrown(about2minutes).Carefullyflipwithtongs(becarefulnottosplashtheoil),andcontinuetocook,shakingpangently,untilsecondsideisanevengoldenbrown(about2minuteslonger).Transfertoapapertowel-linedplatetodrain.Seasonwithsaltandcutinto6wedges.Repeatwithremaining3pancakes.Serveimmediatelywithdippingsauce. SeriousEats/MatejaZviroticAndrijanic SpecialEquipment Foodprocessor,castironpanornon-stickpan ReadMore SeriousEntertaining:ADimSum-InspiredChineseFoodParty NutritionFacts(perserving) 424 Calories 18g Fat 56g Carbs 9g Protein ShowFullNutritionLabel HideFullNutritionLabel × NutritionFacts Servings:4 Amountperserving Calories 424 %DailyValue* TotalFat18g 23% SaturatedFat2g 8% Cholesterol0mg 0% Sodium529mg 23% TotalCarbohydrate56g 20% DietaryFiber4g 15% TotalSugars3g Protein9g VitaminC10mg 48% Calcium131mg 10% Iron5mg 28% Potassium283mg 6% *The%DailyValue(DV)tellsyouhowmuchanutrientinafoodservingcontributestoadailydiet.2,000caloriesadayisusedforgeneralnutritionadvice. (Nutritioninformationiscalculatedusinganingredientdatabaseandshouldbeconsideredanestimate.) 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