Red Bean Pastry
I've always loved Chinese flaky pastries, especially when the crust is made with homemade rendered lard—each layer bakes up delicate and crumbly. The filling uses a popular red bean and milk paste that's rich without being greasy, making them irresistibly moreish.
Ingredients
all-purpose flour
160g
powdered sugar
24g
lard
56g
water
16g
shortcrust pastry
as needed
cake flour
112g
filling
as needed
Hokkaido red bean milk
320g
white sesame seeds
a small amount
egg yolk wash
as needed
Instructions
1
Step 1
Place the lard, flour, powdered sugar, and water into a bread machine and knead for 20 minutes until a gluten film forms.
2
Step 2
Add the flour to the lard and mix into a shortcrust dough; refrigerate until ready to use in warm weather.
3
Step 3
Cover the kneaded oil dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
4
Step 4
Divide both the shortcrust dough and the oil dough evenly into 16 small balls each.
5
Step 5
Place a shortcrust ball in the center of an oil dough ball, then pinch the edges together like making a soup dumpling.
6
Step 6
Roll the dough out into an elongated oval shape; rolling it longer will give better flaky layers.
7
Step 7
Roll up the dough from top to bottom.
8
Step 8
Cover with plastic wrap, place a damp cloth on top, and let rest for 20 minutes.
9
Step 9
Roll out again, roll up, and continue to rest for 20 minutes.
10
Step 10
Divide the Hokkaido red bean filling into equal portions.
11
Step 11
Roll out into a circle with thinner edges, and place the filling in the center.
12
Step 12
Wrap it up and seal the edge facing down.
13
Step 13
Roll into a round flat disc and place on a baking tray.
14
Step 14
Score three slits on the surface with a knife, brush with a layer of egg yolk wash (it was supposed to be brushed with egg yolk wash), and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
15
Step 15
Place in a preheated oven at 175°C (350°F) and bake for 20 minutes.
16
Step 16
Freshly baked.
17
Step 17
The crust is crispy and sweet, while the filling is moist and silky.
