Chinese Donut Recipe (Youtiao)

By Souped Up Recipes · 90 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine 250 g all-purpose flour, 6 g baking powder, 3 g baking soda and 3 g salt, and stir to mix.
2. Stir 10 g vegetable oil into 165 g water, then pour it over the flour.
3. Mix into a rough dough, then fold it with your hand 3 to 5 times until no dry flour remains. Cover with plastic wrap and rest for 20 minutes.
4. Oil your hands and the work surface with 1 tsp vegetable oil. Shape the dough into an almost rectangular sheet, fold the left side to about one third, then fold the right side over it like folding a blanket.
5. Press and enlarge the rectangle, then repeat the folding 3 times in total. Wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
6. Dust the surface and your hands lightly with flour and stretch the dough into a long rectangle about 20 by 3 inches.
7. Cut into 12 slabs about 1.5 inches wide, flouring the cut surfaces to prevent sticking.
8. Wet a chopstick and press a line through the centre of every other piece, then stack two pieces together and press with chopsticks at the middle.
9. Stretch the stacked piece until it is 2 to 2.5 times longer, then lower it into 400°F oil. Quickly turn it with chopsticks until its surface sets and is light golden, then stop turning.
10. Fry until golden brown, flipping every 10 seconds, 3 to 4 times, to strengthen the crust. Stretch and fry the remaining pieces the same way while the first ones cook.

Summarized from Souped Up Recipes's video. Watch it for the details.