Chinese-Islamic Sesame Scallion Bread

In Mandarin Chinese, these not-so-flat breads are called zhima dabing. This recipe was adapted from Carolyn Phillips’s All Under Heaven (Ten Speed Press, 2016).

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: Chinese-Islamic dishes, sesame scallion bread

Servings: 8

Ingredients

Dough

¾ cup warm water
1 teaspoon fast-rising dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 ⅓ cups (6 ⅝ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, such as Gold Medal
⅔ cup (2 ⅞ ounces) unbleached pastry flour
1 teaspoon peanut or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon baking powder

Seasonings

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ cup finely chopped green onions
½ cup raw white sesame seeds

Instructions

Place the water in a bowl or cup and sprinkle the yeast and then the sugar on top. Gently mix the yeast into the water and give it about 20 minutes to foam.
Meanwhile, in a medium work bowl, combine the all-purpose and pastry flour in a bowl. Scoop up ¼ cup and set aside.
When the yeast mixture is ready, stir it into the flour to form a soft dough. Knead the dough until it no longer sticks to your hands, adding a bit more flour as necessary. Form the dough into a ball. Coat the inside of a clean work bowl with the oil, place the dough in the bowl, cover, and let it rise for 45 to 60 minutes, until doubled in size.
Sprinkle the baking powder on a smooth work surface. Punch down the dough, form it into a ball, and place it on the baking powder. Knead these together until smooth. When the dough is as soft as an earlobe, cover it and let it rest for around 20 minutes.
Cut the dough in half and roll each piece into a 10 x 12–inch rectangle shape. Brush the sesame oil all over the surface of both pieces and then evenly sprinkle on the salt and green onions. Fold the top and bottom thirds of each piece over the middle like a business letter. Then fold the left and right sides over the center to form a square packet. Cover the dough and let it rest for about 20 minutes.
Form each half of the dough into circles by gently rolling them out from the center toward the edge until they are about 8 inches in diameter.
Pour the sesame seeds into a rimmed dish. Lightly moisten the top of 1 dough circle with water, and then press the circle upside down on top of the sesame seeds. Moisten the other side of the circle and press this side, too, into the sesame seeds. (The bread can be made ahead of time up to this point and frozen. Defrost the bread before cooking it so it can rise properly.) Place 1 circle in a cool, clean, nonstick frying pan and the other on a baking sheet, cover both, and let the dough rise for 15 to 20 minutes.
Place the pan over medium-low heat, cover, and slowly cook the bread until it is browned on the bottom and the seeds begin to pop, 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully flip the bread over, cover again, and fry the second side until it, too, is golden. Cool on a rack (or slide into a warm oven to keep hot) while you cook the other bread. Cut the bread into wedges and serve. To reheat, recook lightly on both sides or use the toaster oven. This bread is great hot, warm, or at room temperature.