Sesame layered pancake is one of the three most popular snacks/street food from Beijing. Its cooking process, especially the rolling out dough, spreading paste and rolling back tightly steps, are very similar as the Jewish babka I made last time. After all, this is the necessary step to include any paste throughout the dough! Baking/cooking techniques on different lands shares similarity is very interesting, human nature and human intelligence are from the same species 🙂
QUICK TAKEAWAYS
- using tahini as substitute for sesame sauce might not as fragrant, can mix in peanut sauce next time!
- brushing flour on the cutting board before rolling dough out helps the final roll out as dough would not stick to the board and roll as a pretty cylinder
- thin dough –> crispy, thicker dough –> bread like
RECIPE
Estimated time: 2-3 hours (proofing most of the time)
Portions: 8 (some use 50g AP flour per layered pancake so 300g for 6 pancakes, I use less flour, 37.5g per layered pancake and made 8 pancakes out of 300g AP flour)
Dough:
- 300g AP flour / 8 = 37.5g pancake
- 3g yeast / 8 = 0.375g per pancake
- 3g sugar /8 = 0.375g per pancake
- 180g warm water / 8 = 22.5g per pancake
- 90-100F, 30-40C, too high will kill yeast
- crispy outside, soft inside texture
Fillings:
- 120g tahini
- 30g sesame oil (1/4 of tahini)
- pinch of salt
- 2tsp five/thirteen spice powder 五香粉/十三香
- 2tbsp soy sauce
- sugar if needed
- brown sugar
- 120g ground peanuts
- whole sesames
Step 1: mix 300g AP flour, 3g yeast, 3g sugar and 180g warm water; knead as a soft dough, rest and proof till size doubles.
- if very rough/not smooth, rest for 15mins and knead till smoother dough
at first very NOT smooth 
rest 15mins and knead
Step 2: mix the following ingredients till forming flowy texture, taste and adjust for personal preference:
- 120g tahini
- 30g sesame oil (1/4 of tahini)
- pinch of salt
- 2tsp five/thirteen spice powder 五香粉/十三香
- 2tbsp soy sauce
- sugar if needed
Step 3: roast and grind peanuts, set aside (do not need to add to sesame sauce from step 2)
Step 4: when dough size doubles, degas, roll into smooth dough, divide into 4 pieces; brush the board with flour and roll out each to large rectangle of 2mm thickness
Step 5: spread sesame paste evenly on rectangle sheet, also spread on the edges; sprinkle brown sugar and ground peanuts evenly
paste, salt, sugar 
ground peanuts
Step 6: roll up tightly, pinch the end tightly so it would not dissemble
roll
Step 7: cut into 2 even pieces; for each one, pinch and close both ends so sesame paste would not leak out when cooking, twist each piece, and gently press down from one end to another forming a circular pancake (refer to attached vide); another way is to just bring both ends together and press down
cut 
pinch both ends and the edges 
twist 
press 
or just bring two ends together
Step 8: brush some water on both sides and the side surface of pancakes, dip in plate with whole sesame, coat completely with sesame seeds
brush with water 
coat with sesame 
roll into ideal shape
Step 9: over low heat, add oil in a pan and fry pancake till both sides are golden. If pancake bounces back when pressing down, it is cooked!! (~5mins)
READY TO SERVE!! for the pancakes made first, they proofed and became “fatter”, thicker; the ones that made last, they were flatter. The cut side of both are shown below. I personally like the proofed one more because they are softer and more bread like! Both types have crispy outer layers.
proofed and thick ones 
thin ones
RESOURCES
