Shaobing (Sesame Flatbread)
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 6 flatbreads
Country of Origin
China (Northern / Beijing Style)
Description
A brilliantly flaky, baked flatbread that is a hallmark of traditional Chinese breakfast. It features dozens of microscopic, flaky interior layers seasoned beautifully with savory five-spice powder, covered completely on the outside by a dense, crunchy armor of toasted white sesame seeds.
Presentation & How It's Eaten
Served warm or at room temperature. It is flaky and crumbly, picked up with fingers and often sliced open along its edge to be stuffed with cold braised beef slices, scrambled eggs, or eaten alongside hot bowls of soy milk.
Ingredients
300g (2.5 cups) all-purpose flour
180ml warm water
3g (1 tsp) instant dry yeast
1/2 cup raw white sesame seeds
1 tbsp honey mixed with 1 tbsp water (for the sesame glue)
The Savory Spice Paste (Rou Bing):
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 tbsp vegetable oil (heated until hot)
1 tsp salt
1.5 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
Step-by-Step Directions
Mix Base Dough: Mix the yeast into the warm water. Pour into the 300g of flour and knead for 5 minutes until a soft, uniform dough ball forms. Cover and let it rest for 20 minutes (it should only puff up slightly, not fully double).
Build Spice Paste: In a small heatproof bowl, combine the 3 tablespoons of flour, salt, and five-spice powder. Pour the 3 tablespoons of smoking hot oil over the spices and stir vigorously to form a smooth, intensely fragrant paste.
Stretch and Spread: Roll the rested dough out into a very large, thin rectangle sheet. Use a spatula to spread the savory five-spice paste evenly over the entire surface of the sheet.
Roll and Tuck: Roll the sheet up tightly into a long cylinder. Pinch the open long seam closed. Stretch the cylinder out slightly by hand, then divide it into 6 equal segments. Pinch the raw, open edges of each segment shut tightly to seal the paste inside.
Apply Sesame Armor: Flatten a segment into an oval. Brush the top surface generously with the honey-water mixture. Face the wet side down into a shallow bowl filled with white sesame seeds, pressing firmly so the seeds form a dense, unbroken layer.
Bake: Roll the sesame-crusted oval lightly with a rolling pin to lock the seeds into the dough. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) for 12 to 15 minutes until the exterior turns an opaque, hollow, and crispy golden-brown.
Cooking Tips
Locking the Seeds: White sesame seeds love to fall off during baking. Brushing the dough with a sticky mixture of honey and water before dipping creates a durable edible glue, and rolling over the seeds gently with a rolling pin presses them into the dough walls so they stay locked in place.
Nutrition Facts
(Estimated per flatbread)
Calories: ~290 kcal
Total Fat: 11g
Saturated Fat: 1.5g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: ~380mg
Total Carbohydrates: 38g
Dietary Fiber: 3g
Sugars: 2g
Protein: 8g
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