Taiwanese Scallion Shaobing (Sesame Flatbread with Scallion Filling)
Learn how to make crunchy, savory and aromatic Taiwanese scallion shaobing at home.
Servings: 8 shaobing
Calories: 210kcal
Ingredients
Sponge dough
- 100 g water a little bit less than ½cup, room temperature
- ⅛ teaspoon instant yeast see note if you use active dry yeast
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 120 g all purpose flour 1 cup
Main Dough
- sponge dough
- 200 g bread flour 1½ cup + 2 tbsp
- 80 g water ⅓ cup
- 20 g vegetable oil 1½ tbsp
- 20 g sugar 1½ tbsp
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Scallion Filling
- 8-10 stalks scallion (green onion) 2 cups after chopping
- 1 tablespoon lard can be replace with sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon better than bouillon chicken paste or a pinch of chicken bouillon powder
- ¾ tsp sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅛ tsp white pepper powder
Topping
- 1 teaspoon fine sugar
- 2 tsp water
- 4 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
- a small handful black sesame seeds for decoration optional
Instructions
Make the sponge the night before
- In a big bowl or container, mix all the sponge ingredients together, stir until combined with no dry flour left in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter for 8-14 hours. You can also store it in the fridge after 8 hours and use it within 24 hours.
Prepare the scallion right before making the dough
- Wash the scallions and pat dry with paper towel or dish towel. Chop and let them dry on the chopping board or a shallow plate. We will need 2 full cups of chopped scallion.
Prepare the sugar water for brushing
- Mix sugar and water (preferably hot water) in a small bowl and set it aside to allow it to dissolve.
Shaobing dough
- In a stand mixer, add all the dough ingredients and knead with medium low speed until the dough is formed, then continue to knead for another 5 minutes.
- Form the dough into a ball by tucking the edges into the bottom. The dough will be very sticky, but after it's formed into a ball, it shouldn't be as sticky when you touch it with a clean hand. If it's too sticky to handle, add a little bread flour and knead for another 1~2 minutes.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. This step will allow the dough to be easier to work with later.
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C)
- After the dough is done resting, transfer it onto a floured working surface, roll the dough into an approximately 10" by 17" rectangle with long edge closer to you.
- Mix the lard and chicken base before mixing with chopped scallion, and then stir in salt and pepper. Mixing in oil first will prevent the scallion from becoming too wet and hard to work with. You want to do this step right before you put it in the dough.
- Place the the scallion mixture in the middle part of the rolled out dough and fold the top ¼ down and bottom ⅓ up. Please see the gif in the post for reference.
- Brush the top and sides with sugar water. You will need to use up all the sugar water.
- Spread a thick layer of the sesame seeds on the surface, and use a rolling pin to roll the folded dough a bit flatter to eliminate the air.
- Cut the dough into 6-8 even pieces and transfer them onto a lined baking sheet (it will be easier to do it with a turner spatula). Feel free to use the bottom of the shaobing to pick up any sesame seeds that fell off the shaobing.
- Pick up any scallions that fell out of the shaobing and stuff them back in. Let the shaobings rest in the room temperature for 5-10 minutes before baking. If you prefer a more bready (and less crunchy) texture, then let it sit for 20-30 minutes instead.
- Bake the shaobings for 16-18 minutes until the top and sides are golden brown.
- Transfer the shaobings onto the cooling rack and enjoy while they are warm.
Storing and reheat
- Once the shaobings are cooled, store them in an airtight container if you plan on finishing them within one day, otherwise store in the freezer.
- To reheat, simply bake them in a 350°F (180°C) oven for 3-5 minutes, or 10-12 minutes from frozen. You can also try heating up with a air fryer for the extra crispiness.
Different ways to enjoy
- You can eat it directly or stuff it with a fried egg or omelet, for a perfect breakfast/brunch. My daughter loves spreading some cream cheese in her shaobing, which is also very delicious and satisfying.
Notes
If you use active dry yeast, mix the yeast with water first and let it sit for 5 minutes before you add other ingredients.
Replace lard with sesame oil and omit the chicken base if you want to make it vegan/vegetarian.
If you plan to stuff an egg into the shaobing, cut the shaobing into six pieces instead of eight, as that will leave more room for the egg.
It's very important that you mix the scallion filling right before adding into the dough. If you mix it too early, the salt will begin to drawn moisture out of the scallions and the wetter mixture will be more difficult to use in assembly
I recommend measuring ingredients for this recipe using a kitchen scale, as it is more precise.
The top shell becomes extra crunchy after reheated. I actually prefer these reheated (as opposed to fresh baked) because of this!
Nutrition
Calories: 210kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 385mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 342IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 2mg