Homemade Soft and Crispy Fried Pancakes Recipe
Let's proceed with frying.The pancake!! Just eating pancakes can be boring, so I'll make a side dish of Stir-fried Tenderloin Sprouts and scrambled eggs with bean threads to go with it. Be sure to read the afterword; it's important!
It's very long! Let's follow the pictures:
Ingredients:
Flour 400 grams, warm water 300 grams (around 60 degrees Celsius) Seasonings: an appropriate amount of oil and salt
1. Mix flour with warm water until well combined, form a dough and let it rest for 15 minutes. Knead the dough again to make it smooth and let it rest for another 30 minutes.
2. Dust your hands with dry flour before taking out half of the dough. Roll out the remaining dough into long strips, then add a little cooking oil.
3. Spread the oil evenly on the strip. Sprinkle an appropriate amount of salt and a small amount of dry flour to ensure better layers.
4. Roll up from left to right or right to left to form a thick roll.
5. Bend both ends downward, using the method of rolling with bread to shape it into a ball.
6. Roll out the dough evenly and thinly.7. Preheat an electric griddle, brush it lightly with oil, and place the dough on it. Cover for about 3-4 minutes; when you see the pancake puffed up, the layers are good enough. 8. Flip the pancake over to fry another 2-3 minutes until both sides are golden brown. It's done at this point.
9. Rinse the Chinese cabbage and chop it finely. Mix with eggs and season with a little salt.
10. Heat a pan, add an appropriate amount of oil, and stir-fry the egg mixture until both sides are slightly burnt yellow.
Afterword:
To achieve crispy outside and tender inside in pancakes, the water-to-flour ratio when mixing dough is very important. I usually use more water than recommended, as you can see from the proportion. However, it's harder to knead the dough towards the end due to the excess moisture; it feels like clay. Don't rush to make the dough smooth during the initial kneading; just ensure it forms a ball. After 15 minutes of resting, your hands should be dusted with flour again to knead until smoother. During the kneading process, you may need to dip your hands in water occasionally to avoid sticking.
The dough needs more time to rest. When properly rested, it will no longer be a dough but almost like a paste. This is ideal.
When outside pancake sellers handle soft dough that they can't pick up with their hands, this is the reason; soft dough makes for good pancakes. Excess moisture results in tenderness. If your dough is too hard due to less water, it will become dry and tough after frying, making it unappealing.
Be careful not to drop the pancake on your foot or use it as a frisbee target. Throwing should be done with caution..
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It's crucial to mix warm water, not cold water, when making the dough. Water at around 60-70 degrees Celsius can remove some of the gluten in flour while maintaining a certain level of elasticity. This prevents overly chewy dough and ensures a good texture.
After resting, the dough is very soft; dust it lightly with flour before taking out pieces to avoid sticking. Move quickly as it may stick otherwise. Dust the work surface similarly for the same reason. With smaller work surfaces like mine, I divide the dough into two parts, but if you have ample space, you can roll them out and cut accordingly.
To apply oil evenly on the rolled-out dough, fold over a section of the uncoated side to dip in the oil. Sprinkling some flour on top helps achieve better layers, similar to making an oil-based filling. However, for pancakes, there's no need to fry oil separately; it's a hassle.
After rolling and forming into dough balls, be sure to roll out evenly without being too thin; otherwise, the pancake will dry out or lack texture.
Check if the pancake has layers by lifting halfway through cooking. If it puffs up, that means the inside air is active, ensuring good layering. If not, consider having some
mutton soup with family today! Don't hesitate! Some friends prefer their pancakes to be more charred on the outside; they keep cooking them longer. The consequence is having to play frisbee with the dog.
Be sure not to overcook the pancake, or it will lose its moisture and become too hard. Don't worry about me anymore! To achieve a slightly charred exterior, preheat the griddle more before frying. It should be done quickly; no worries. That's why I use an electric griddle until it reaches maximum heat before placing the pancake on it. If you add too early and the surface chars while the inside is still raw, the moisture will have already escaped. So I usually wait for the skillet to get very hot before placing the pancake on it. If the skillet is not yet very hot, you place the pancake and the outer skin will really become crispy while most of the moisture escapes.
