Real African Dishes: [MC-AllEthnic-Recipes] Beijing Pancakes - Bao Bing

* Exported from MasterCook *

Beijing Pancakes - Bao Bing

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 20 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : LowCal (Less than 300 cals) LowerCarbs
LowFat (Less than 25%) Vegan

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour -- plus about 1/2 flour for rolling out
1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons roasted sesame oil -- about
vegetable oil

Sift the 2 cups flour into a mixing bowl. Pour in the boiling water and stir with a wooden spoon until all the flour is incorporated and a dough has formed.

Dust your kneading surface lightly with flour and turn out the dough. Knead for 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and soft to the touch.

Rinse out the mixing bowl. Place the dough in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand for at least 15 minutes, or as long as 3 hours.

Place a small dish of sesame oil near your work surface. Cut a piece off the dough, about a third of the total, and leave the rest covered. Working on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a thin sheet, no more than 1/8 inch thick. Work from the center outward as you roll, turning the dough over and dusting lightly with flour if it begins to stick to the rolling pin.

Using a 3-inch round cutter or a glass (we use a plastic glass), cut an even number of circles out of the rolled-out dough (you should get 6 or 8). Gather together the scraps and place them with the covered dough.

With a pastry brush, paint the top surface of half the dough circles with sesame oil. Place an unoiled dough circle on top of each oiled round.

Before you roll out these paired oiled circles again, place a heavy skillet or griddle over high heat. Pour a little vegetable oil into the pan once it is hot, then remove from the heat. Wipe the oil from the pan with a paper towel.

Roll out one double circle of dough until it is a uniform 1/16 inch thick. As you work, roll from the center out, and lift and turn the dough a quarter-turn or less after each stroke of the rolling pin. This way you can keep a circular shape as you gradually make the circle larger and thinner. Don't worry if a little oil leaks out the side as you work. Roll out the remaining pairs of dough; before you start on your last pair, return the skillet to medium-high heat.

Place a dough circle in the heated skillet and let it cook for 1 minute. You should see a slight bubbling in the top surface as steam builds up between the layers: If this hasn't happened after 1 minute, raise the heat slightly and let cook a little longer; the first side should be speckled with brown spots. Turn over and cook for 45 seconds to 1 minute longer. Remove from the pan with a spatula. Split apart the two layers (they may already have started to separate near the end of their cooking), and wrap in a towel. Repeat with the remaining double circles.

As you cook them, you will get more confident about timing and will be able to start rolling out the rest of the dough while you cook. Roll out and cook the remaining dough, including the scraps, keeping the cooked pancakes well wrapped in a cloth. Serve warm immediately after cooking. (Alternatively, reheat cooled pancakes by steaming: Place a stack of bao bing on a plate and put the plate in a bamboo steamer over boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes.)

Makes approximately 20 thin, supple bread wrappers

AuthorNote: Bao bing are soft, fine, round breads, ideal for wrapping strong-tasting morsels such as Mushu Pork or Four-Thread Salad. The unyeasted dough is made with boiling water. The water's heat transforms the texture of the flour, giving the dough a characteristic soft earlobe feel, ideal for wrappers. It can be mixed up and kneaded just 15 minutes before you cook the breads, or it can be left to stand for several hours.

Bao Bing are easy and forgiving to make and yet so pretty that the cook usually feels a warm glow of self-congratulation , at least in our household! Perhaps it comes from knowing that all they are made from is flour and water and a dab of sesame oil. Perhaps it is the miraculous pulling apart of each pair of little breads as they come off the griddle, one side pale and steam-cooked, the other brown-speckled from the heat of the skillet.

We like to serve an array of dishes with a stack of bao bing so that each diner can sample different combinations.

Cuisine:
"Chinese"
Source:
"Flatbreads & Flavors: A Baker's Atlas by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, William Morrow, 1995"
S(Formatted by Chupa Babi):
"Oct 2011"
Yield:
"20 thin supple wrappers"
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 52 Calories; 1g Fat (23.5% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; trace Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Fat.

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 1356 0