Chinese Scallion Bread Food

CHEF JOHN'S CHINESE SCALLION PANCAKES

Steps:

• Combine bread flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and pour in hot water. Mix together with a wooden spoon to form a shaggy dough.
• Transfer dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead dough until sticky but relatively smooth and elastic, dusting with a minimal amount of flour if needed. Wrap in plastic wrap and let dough rest for 2 hours.
• Mix vegetable oil, sesame oil, and flour together in a skillet over medium heat until starting to bubble, about 3 minutes. Cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
• Unwrap dough and cut in half. Roll out into a tube and press down with your fingers. Use a rolling pin to flatten dough into a rectangular shape about 1/8-inch thick, flipping over and dusting lightly with flour halfway through.
• Paint surface of the dough with the oil mixture until just covered, leaving 1 inch of space on the edges. Sprinkle scallions on top. Roll dough up tightly to seal in the scallions, starting with the long side. Pull the opposite edge over the top once you have reached it.
• Coil 1 end of the dough inward toward the middle; wrap the opposite end around the coil to finish, tucking the tip under the bottom. Dust the coil with flour and roll dough out into a pancake about 1/4-inch thick. Repeat with remaining dough, oil, and green onions to make the second pancake.
• Heat vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat. Add 1 pancake; lower heat to medium. Cook until crispy and browned, about 4 minutes per side. Repeat with the other pancake. Cut into wedges.

CHINESE SCALLION BREAD

Steps:

• Set up a food processor and combine the All-Purpose Flour (1 cup), Salt (1 teaspoon), and Baking Powder (1/2 teaspoon) in its bowl. Pulse it a couple of times to aerate the dry ingredients.
• Run the processor while you pour the Water (1/2 cup) in until you have a sticky dough form.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured and clean surface and bring it together into a smooth ball.
• Transfer the ball of dough to a bowl and pour the Sesame Oil (2 tablespoon) over it. Make sure it is all coated in the sesame oil, then cover it and let it rest for an hour.
• When it is done resting, roll it out into a large rectangle that is about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle enough of the Scallion (1 bunch) on the rectangle to pretty well cover it in a single layer.
• Roll up the long side of the rectangle tightly over the scallions so that you have a long log. Take the log and roll it tightly into a spiral that looks like a snail shell. Roll out the snail shell to be a thin round pancake.
• Then heat about 2 inches of Canola Oil (as needed) in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Once the oil is hot, pan fry the scallion bread for 3-4 minutes on each side to get it golden brown and crispy on the outside. It will puff up and the interior needs to cook too.
• When it is done, transfer it to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain it. Then cut it into quarters and serve it immediately with a delicious Chinese meal! Enjoy!

CORNBREAD WITH SCALLIONS - CORNBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F
• Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven to heat.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and pepper.
• In a small bowl, whisk the milk, honey, eggs and 1/3 cup of the oil.
• Add the wet ingredients to the cornmeal mixture and whisk just until combined.
• Stir in the scallions.
• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the hot skillet and swirl to coat.
• Pour the batter into the skillet and bake for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Let cool slightly, then turn the corn bread out onto a plate. Invert it onto a rack to cool.
• (OR serve the corn bread hot from the skillet.).

CHINESE SCALLION PANCAKES

Steps:

• Mix flour and 1 teaspoon salt together in a large bowl; pour in boiling water and quickly mix together until water is absorbed. Work cold water, about 1 tablespoon at a time, into flour mixture just until dough forms. Knead dough for 10 minutes. Cover bowl with a damp cloth and let dough rest for 40 minutes.
• Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface; divide into 4 equal pieces.
• Roll 1 piece of dough into a large thin round; brush the top with vegetable oil and sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 the green onions. Pick up 1 end of the round and roll dough around green onions into a long scroll-shape. Take 1 scroll end and roll dough into a disk. Repeat with remaining dough, letting each disk rest for 10 minutes.
• Heat about 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Place 1 disk on a floured surface and roll into a 1/2-inch thick round; cook in the hot oil until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining disks.

PAN-FRIED SCALLION & CHIVE BREAD (CHONG YU BING)

Steps:

• Combine oil and chili oil in a small dish and set aside. Combine scallions, cilantro and chives in another bowl and set aside.
• Combine flour and baking powder in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the flat paddle. With machine running on low speed, add hot and cold water in quick succession. Stop machine as soon as dough comes together in a soft ball. If it's very tacky and sticky, add a bit more flour.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 15 minutes. (If the dough has been made in a food processor, let rest 40 minutes.) Roll gently into a smooth log. Cut evenly into 4 pieces, then put each piece, cut side down, on the lightly floured board. Cover with plastic wrap.
• Working with a piece at a time, shape dough by rolling into a thin, even circle about 7 ½ inches in diameter. Brush top with a generous film of the oil mixture, then sprinkle evenly with a rounded ¼ teaspoon salt. Heap dough with 2/3 cup of reserved greens, then spread evenly over top. Roll up dough into a fat cylinder - it doesn't need to be too tight. Grasp one end of the dough and wind other end around it in a tight spiral. Tuck tail end underneath and press lightly with your hand to flatten. Gently roll out into a 6-inch circle. Put aside on a freshly floured spot, then repeat with remaining dough.
• Cook breads immediately to prevent a soggy texture. Heat an 8- to 10-inch heavy skillet over high heat until a bead of water evaporates on contact. Add enough oil to glaze bottom by 1/8 inch, swirling to coat; reduce heat to moderate. When oil is hot enough to foam a pinch of flour, add first bread to pan. Cook until bottom is golden and a bit crusty, 3 to 4 minutes. Adjust heat so bread doesn't scorch. Flip and fry until golden, about 3 minutes longer. Remove to paper towel-lined plate. Repeat process with oil and remaining dough.
• Serve breads fresh from skillet, each cut into fourths. Or let cool and hold at room temperature up to 8 hours. Reheat in 350°F oven until hot, about 5 minutes.