How to Make Chinese Dumpling Dough (7 Steps)
Chinese dumplings always call for a basic unleavened dough because the gluten strands stay tight and keep the wrappers from expanding during cooking, which allows the filling to heat through quickly and evenly. Homemade Chinese dumplings, or jiao zi, use the standard 4-parts-flour-to-1-1/2-parts-water formula shared by other Asian dumplings, and only differ in the wrapping technique used to encase the filling. You can use homemade jiao zi wrappers as you would store-bought, except you don't need to moisten the edges with water when you seal them around the filling.
Instructions
-
Sift 4 parts all-purpose flour into a mixing bowl and pour in 1 1/2 parts boiling water in a steady stream. One cup of flour yields approximately 15 dumpling wrappers. Start the dough a couple of hours before you want to make the dumplings.
-
Stir the water and flour until it just comes together. Use your hands to knead the dough in the bowl until it becomes smooth and lump-free, about 3 minutes.
-
Cover the dough with a moist paper towel and let it relax for 30 minutes to 2 hours at room temperature. You'll find the dough easiest to work with if you let the gluten relax for 2 hours, but you can get started after 30 minutes if you're pressed for time.
-
Dust your work surface with flour. Pull off a piece of dough about the size of a small orange and immediately cover the dough again with the moist paper towel. Roll the dough ball into a 5- to 6-inch-long, 1-inch-wide cylinder using your palms.
-
Cut the cylinder of dough into 1-inch pieces and flatten them into 1 1/2-inch disks using your fingers.
-
Roll each disk out to 3 to 3 1/2 inches using a rolling pin. Make the edges of the wrapper thinner than the center.
-
Keep the dough covered while you work. Store the prepared wrappers in single layers separated with parchment paper in a parchment-lined container or on a parchment-lined pan. Keep them in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days, or until you notice the dough start to dry out. Otherwise, fill and cook the dumplings immediately.
Baking Techniques
- How do you make Vanilla sugar?
- Why is dough wrapped in plastic wrap when preparing?
- Do you churn butter or turn butter?
- How do you adjust the oven temperature for dark nonstick pan when baking angel food cake?
- If pure baking soda is heated to great temperatures it transforms into a gas plus lighter but very alkaline solid Does this suggest that an element or compound?
- When baking bread in a dark glass pan do you need to change the over temp or cooking time?
- What is cornstarch in baking?
- What is the function of an baking tin?
- What does a 2.5 quart baking dish look like?
- Can you use three-fourths cup of shortening instead butter when baking cookies?
Baking Techniques
- Bakeware
- Baking Basics
- Baking Techniques
- Cooking Techniques
- Cooking Utensils
- Cookware
- Easy Recipes
- Green
- Produce & Pantry
- Spices
