Off the Map

Really miss San Francisco House of Pancake‘s beef pancake and decided to mimic and make our own! Secret of delicious beef pancake, I think lies in:

• (1) crispy pancake resulting from dough resting long enough in oil, wrapping with oil mixture
• (2) delicious and well-flavored braised beef. If you add some egg on pancake while cooking, it might taste like 煎餅果子 savory chinese crepe!

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QUICK TAKEAWAYS

• This recipe calls for both boiling hot water and room temperature water to mix with flour. Overall water to flour ratio is 1 : 1.6.
• Mix hot water in flour and let it absorb completely first before adding in cold water.
• Rest dough covered in oil for at least 2 hours, otherwise it will not be stretchy enough when reshaping.
• Do not forget to add flour in oil mixture and pour hot oil over the mixture, this is what gives the pancake multi-crispy layers.
• Cook pancake over medium heat with little oil and do not burn pancake.

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RECIPE

Scallion Pancake Recipe adopted from 小高姐’s Scallion Pancake, filling’s choice referred from MadeinTimwan’s Beef Rolls.

Time estimated: 3 hours. (resting/proofing needs 2.5 hours)

Ingredients for 6 beef pancakes:

Pancake dough:

• 400g All Purpose flour
• 2g salt
• 83g boiling hot water
• 167 room temperature water
• 12g oil

Oil mixture to create layers~:

• 3 green onions
• 1g five spice powder 五香粉
• 4g salt
• 20g All Purpose flour
• 30g hot oil

Fillings:

• egg (optional)
• braised beef 鹵水牛肉
• 1 onion
• a few cilantro

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Procedure:

Part I: the PANCAKE DOUGH

1. Mix 400g and 2g salt.
2. Boil water, add 87g hot water in flour, mix well and let all water be absorbed.
3. Add 113g room temperature water, mix well. Knead till dough forms, no extra dry flour on hand, bowl or dough. 揉麵三光: 盆光，手光，麵糰光.
4. Rest for 20mins at room temperature.
5. Add 12g oil, knead till no oil on the surface of dough.
6. Divide dough into 6 pieces, reform from sphere/bun shape to cylinder/sausage shape to long flat oval dough shape.
7. Cover each dough with oil, rest for 2 hours, let gluten rest and easy to stretch OUUTTTT later.

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Part II: the OIL MIXTURE 油酥

1. Chop 3 green onions into small pieces
2. Mix green onion with 1g five-spice powder, 4g salt and 20g all purpose flour
   • Do NOT forget flour~~ I forgot once, maybe that could be one reason why my 2nd time beef pancake is less crispy?
3. Over medium-high heat, warm up oil and carefully pour hot oil onto the oil mixture, mix well.

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Part III: PANCAKE RESHAPING

1. Roll out each flat oval dough into long, narrow rectangle
2. Spread some oil mixture on dough evenly
3. Fold dough, gently press down after each fold to squeeze out air bubbles
4. Before final fold, roll out the two open ends/wing sides, and fold back to prevent leaking oil mixture later
5. Wrap dough tightly with last fold
6. Squeeze in four corners to form into a circular shape
7. Press down and roll out into thin circular shaped dough

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Part IV: COOKING AND FILLING

1. Braise beef till soft, break into small edible pieces
   • I braised beef for 2 hours with garlic, ginger slices, green onion, premium soy sauces 生抽, traditional soy sauce 老抽, rice wine 米酒/紹興酒, spicy been paste 豆瓣醬, a bunch Szechuan peppercorn 花椒, a bunch cumin 孜然, a bunch funnel seeds 小茴香, a few star anise 八角, 2-3 bay leaves 香葉, 1-2 cinnamon 桂皮, or other spices you have.
2. Chop a few cilantro.
3. Slice 1 onion into thin slices, season with some salt and cook till golden and transparent – caramelize onion.
4. Heat pan over medium heat, add a little oil, do not need to much as dough has ENOUGH oil as well!
5. (If wants egg on the scallion pancake like 煎餅果子 savory chinese crepe style~), whisk 2 eggs, pour some egg on pancake as photo below
6. Cook pancake over pan till both sides are golden and crispy, do not overcook or burn.
7. Remove from pan, roll in beef, caramelized onion and cilantro. HOT! Do not burn yourself~
8. Cut into pieces and transfer to plate.

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READY TO SERVE~

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