Sourdough Scallion Pancakes from Sourdough Every Day by Hannah Dela Cruz! Tasty and fun—you get to roll out the dough, turn it into a snake, coil that snake up, and then roll it out again. This gives them lots of nice, flaky layers.
I'm still practicing to get the pancakes as thin as possible because they contract when they hit the hot pan and then they're thicker again. Maybe letting them rest in the fridge right before frying will help? Also, I haven't bothered with the dipping sauce yet (just vinegar, soy sauce, and rayu), so I'll have to update!
MAKES 6 PANCAKES
PANCAKE DOUGH
240 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
60 g (½ cup) cornstarch
3 g (½ tsp) Chinese five-spice powder
3 g (½ tsp) salt
56 g (¼ cup) sourdough discard
113 g (½ cup) boiling water
14 g (1 tbsp) toasted sesame oil
56 g (¼ cup) melted lard or vegetable oil
3 scallions, thinly sliced
56 to 84 g (4 to 6 tbsp) vegetable oil
DIPPING SAUCE
28 g (2 tbsp) soy sauce
1 scallion, thinly sliced
8 g (2 tsp) rice vinegar
4 g (1 tsp) honey
4 g (1 tsp) toasted sesame oil
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, five-spice powder and salt in a large mixing bowl until no lumps remain. Make a well in the center and add the sourdough discard, water and sesame oil. Work the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until everything is fully combined and forms a dough. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes.
Knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes until it’s extremely smooth and pliable. (The dough should not be sticky at this point and you should not need to dust your work surface with flour.) Return the dough to the bowl and cover with the kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rest for another 30 minutes. This rest period will let the gluten relax and will make it easier to roll out the dough.
While you’re waiting, make the dipping sauce. In a small serving bowl, combine the soy sauce, scallion, vinegar, honey, sesame oil and red pepper flakes. Divide the dough into six equal portions. Flatten each piece of dough and then roll it into a large round circle; rolling the dough as thin as possible will result in flakier pancakes. Brush each piece with melted lard and sprinkle some scallions evenly on top. Roll up the circle into a long rope, then twist it into a spiral. Repeat until you’ve prepared all the dough portions. Use your hands to flatten each piece into a 6-inch (15-cm) disk about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick.
Heat 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Cook one pancake at a time until it’s golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Set the pancake on a serving plate and cover it with a kitchen towel to keep warm while you are cooking the rest.
These pancakes are best eaten immediately after cooking. Enjoy them warm with dipping sauce. For long-term storage, place pieces of parchment paper between flattened uncooked pancakes. Store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Cook the frozen pancakes the same way you would fresh ones, although the cooking time may be slightly longer.
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