Youtiao: the recipe for Chinese fried bread

If you are looking for one breakfast different from the usual we offer you the recipe for youtiao: he Chinese fried bread which will amaze you. Used not only in China but in all Asian countries under various names, youtiao is a bread long e strictsimilar to our breadsticks but more soft, slightly salty.

It is generally used at breakfast and this is the reason why it is never present on the menu of Asian restaurants: traditionally it is accompanied by rice congee (a typical soup) or dal soy milk.

Youtiao is also used to make other dishes, such as lo shaobing youtiao: a shaobing, a characteristic type of bread, filled with various youtiao. It can also be inserted into rice noodle rolls: in this case it is called zhaliang.

Follow our process to prepare it to perfection.

If you like this recipe, also try baozi, classic steamed buns that can be stuffed with meat, fish or vegetables, and fried wontons, a pasta format stuffed with shrimp or pork.

How to prepare youtiao

Mix flour, eggs, salt, baking powder, milk and softened butter at room temperature 1. If you can, use the food processor on the lowest speed or blend with a blender.

Add the water little by little, in stages (2): the dough should be soft but not liquid and should not stick too much to the bowl.

Cover the dough with a clean tea towel and let it rest for 15 minutes. Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 1cm thick and 4cm wide. Wrap the dough in cling film 3, gently tucking the two ends of the plastic under the bread. Make sure the dough is completely covered, then place it in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, take the dough out of the fridge and let it rest in its film for a few hours. 4 or until it is at room temperature, a step not to be missed to fry your bread well.

Pour the frying oil into a wok or a very large heavy frying pan – if you have a cooking thermometer, check that the temperature is around 200°C. While the oil is heating, remove the dough from the paper aluminum foil and transfer it to a silicone or lightly floured work surface: Sprinkle the top with flour as well. Cut the dough into an even number of 1 cm wide strips 5.

Stack the youtiao on top of each other, two by two, and press towards the center, lengthwise, with a stick 6.

Then, hold both ends of each piece and gently stretch the dough to stretch it: the youtiao should measure about 20 cm 7.

When the oil is at the right temperature, gently drop the youtiao into the pan – they should immediately float to the top 8.

At this point, quickly swirl the dough several times in one continuous motion for about a minute. 9using a ladle or long tongs.

When the youtiao turn golden you can remove them from the oil and let them drain on a plate with paper towel ten.

Your youtiao are ready to be served and tasted 11.

Advice

It’s always better to fry uno youtiao alla voltaat most two. Avoid frying the youtiao for too long, otherwise it will become too crispy. It is best to prepare them in pairs: one person forms the youtiao, while the other rolls the dough in oil.

storage

We advise you to eat youtiao immediately after preparing them. If you have leftovers, you can store them in the refrigerator for a few days, but they will lose their crunch.