Chinese Islamic Sesame-Scallion Bread

Mandarin speakers will know this bread as zhīma dà bǐng. It's from northwestern and northern China. Check the main post for info on Korean flour.

Servings: 8

Ingredients

180 ml | 186g | ¾ cup warm water
1 teaspoon fast-rising dry yeast
184 g | 2 cups Korean unbleached all-purpose flour or 190g standard unbleached all-purpose flour plus 94g pastry flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ fine sea salt divided
35 g | ½ cup very finely chopped green onions white and green parts
Scant 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil divided
About 120ml | ½ cup raw white sesame seeds divided

Instructions

Make the dough: Place the water in a bowl or measuring cup and sprinkle the yeast on top. Gently mix in the yeast and let sit about 5 minutes to soften and dissolve. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the flour(s), sugar, baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, add all the dissolved yeast, then stir to form a very soft, sticky dough. Knead the dough in the bowl to form an earlobe soft ball. Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl (I normally pause to wash, dry and reuse the bowl). Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot for 45 to 60 minutes, until doubled.
Roll and fill the breads: Combine the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt with the green onions. Halve the dough into 2 pieces (about 230g each). Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it into a 10 x 12-inch (25 x 30cm) rectangular-ish shape. The dough should slightly stick to the surface but pull off like a Post-it note.
Brush 1 scant tablespoon of sesame oil on the dough to about ½ inch (1.25cm) of the edge. Distribute the seasoned green onions on top and use your fingers to spread them out as evenly as possible. Bring up the top third of the dough and fold it over, then bring up the bottom third to cover the top portion; the result is a wide folded up business letter. Roll the dough jellyroll-style into a 1-inch-thick log then coil it into a round. (Or, fold the left and right sides over the center to form a square packet.) Repeat with the other piece of dough. Loosely cover the shaped breads and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
Final bread shaping: Put half of the sesame seeds on a rimmed dinner plate or pie plate. Very lightly dust your work surface, then pat and gently roll dough piece into a circle a good 7 inches (17.5cm) wide. Lightly brush the top with water, then pick up the dough circle and carefully flip it onto the sesame seeds; gently press and pat the circle to ensure sesame seeds adhere to the moistened surface.
Brush water on the top side of the circle then carefully turn the dough circle over to coat the other side with sesame seeds; repeat pressing and patting the dough to ensure lots of sesame seeds adhere. Transfer the bread circle to a heavy skillet (carbon steel, cast iron, or stainless steel). Cover with a lid.
Repeat with the other piece of dough and place the finished sesame coated circle on a piece of parchment, then loosely cover. Let the sesame seed coated dough circles rest until they have slightly puffed up, 15 to 20 minutes.
Cook the breads: Set the pan over medium-low heat (I used a 9.5K BTU burner), cover, and slowly cook the bread until the sesame seeds are golden brown on the bottom (use a spatula to lift it to check), 10 to 15 minutes. The bread will puff up to a good 1-inch (2.5cm) thick! Carefully flip the bread over, recover the pan (slightly lower the heat if you think cooking is going too fast); fry the second side until the sesame seeds are golden, 5 to 10 minutes. 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.

Notes

After coiling and coating the bread in sesame seeds, freeze the breads: set them on parchment and freeze atop a small sheet pan until hard. Wrap tightly in plastic and keep frozen for about 1 month. Thaw before cooking.