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Scallion Pancakes 葱油饼
(Vegan) Crispy, Flakey and Chewy Savory Flatbread
Ingredients
Recipe makes 4 pancakes
Dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup boiling water
Filling:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup coconut oil (sub: olive oil or vegetable oil)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1 1/2 cups chopped scallions
Dipping sauce:
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp water
1/2 tsp sugar
Cooking:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
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Instructions
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Dough:
In the bowl of your stand mixer, add in 2 cups of all-purpose flour and 1/2 a tsp of salt. With the paddle attachment, mix on low-medium speed for 1 minute to combine the dry ingredients.
While continuing to mix on low-medium speed, slowly drizzle in 3/4 cup of boiling water. When all the flour is moistened, stop the mixer.
Switch to a dough hook attachment, and mix on level 2 speed for 3 minutes, or until a firm ball is formed.
Divide this dough into 4 equal pieces, form them into balls with your palms, and cover with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out. Let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes for the gluten structures to relax a bit.
Filling and Dipping Sauce:
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add in 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup coconut oil (sub: olive oil), 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder. Mix until it looks like a smooth paste.
Take 4 to 5 stalks of scallions. Slice them lengthwise first, then slice them into very thin half-moon pieces. You need 1 1/2 cups of chopped scallions for the filling. Set these aside.
In a small bowl, add in 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp water, and 1/2 tsp sugar. Mix till the sugar has dissolved.
Forming the scallion pancakes:
After 30 minutes of resting, brush a layer of vegetable oil on a clean flat surface, then rub a thin layer of vegetable oil on your rolling pin.
Working with one ball of dough at a time (keep the rest under plastic to prevent them from drying out) roll your dough out into a thin rectangle that's about 6" by 10".
Brush about one-fourth of the prepared filling mixture over the dough, leaving about 1" from the left edge (6" side) and 1 inch of the top edge (10" side) without filling, so that the dough can easily stick to itself and seal after rolling.
Sprinkle one fourth (about 1/3 cup) of chopped scallions over the filling mixture, again, avoiding left edge and the top edge, so the dough can be sealed after rolling.
From the bottom edge of the longer (10") side of the dough, tightly roll the dough into a cylinder, avoiding any pockets of air. The top edge with no filling should make easy to seal the tube once the dough is rolled.
Use your hands to slightly elongate the tube by rolling it back and forth while stretching it. Gently flatten the tube with your hand, pushing out any pockets of air, and pinch the ends of the tube to seal them. Then starting from the side of the tube that has filling, roll the tube into itself, forming a coil, ending with the side of the tube with no filling. Tuck this "no-filling" end under the coiled dough, and set the coil back under plastic wrap to prevent it from getting dried out.
Repeat these steps with the remaining 3 pieces of dough and remaining filling mixture / chopped scallions.
Once you have all four pieces of rolled-up and coiled dough under the plastic wrap, let them rest for another 30 minutes to let the gluten structures relax before the final shaping.
After the formed coils have rested for 30 minutes, brush oil on your counter and rolling pin to prevent the dough from sticking. Use your hands (and rolling pin, as needed) to flatten out each pancake into 8" circles. I actually find it better to only use my hands, since you have more control and can minimize tears in the dough. It’s okay if the dough tears in some places and the filling comes out a bit.
Once the circle is about 8 inches, carefully peel it off the counter and transfer it to a parchment paper-lined sheet pan. Keep the rolled-out pancakes under plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out. Clean up any stray scallions that spilled out, re-oil the counter and rolling pin, and repeat with all 4 pancakes. We’d suggest keeping parchment paper between the pancakes to prevent them from sticking to each other. Cover the pancakes with plastic wrap until ready to fry.
NOTE: You can freeze the dough at this point, in a Ziploc bag separated by parchment paper, and fry the pancakes from frozen using the same steps below.
Frying the pancakes:
Take a large 12" non-stick skillet, heat it over high heat. Add in 1/2 tbsp of vegetable oil, and use a pastry brush to spread it evenly over the surface of the pan.
The oil is hot enough when it is shimmering. When the oil is hot enough, turn down the heat to medium and place one pancake in the middle. Cover with a lid and cook for 2 minutes.
Lift the lid, flip the pancake over, recover with the lid, and cook the other side for another 2 minutes.
Transfer the pancakes to a metal rack to cool before serving to prevent them from becoming soggy from condensation.
Repeat these steps with all 4 pancakes. Add 1/2 tbsp of vegetable oil to the pan before cooking each pancake, making sure to let the oil get hot enough (it should be shimmering) before adding each pancake. Serve the pancakes warm with the prepared dipping sauce. Enjoy!