Three-page Pancake

Three-page Pancake

　　Three-page Pancake

　　The three-page pancake is a unique type of flatbread from Jingzhi Town in Anqiu. About 300 years ago, as the production of Jingzhi liquor flourished and more merchants came to the area, to cater to diverse tastes, the pancake-making technique gradually evolved. Eventually, it developed into a style where three layers are rolled together—each layer as thin as paper, soft as silk, with a perfect balance of crispness and tenderness, fragrant and delicious, and can be easily separated into three pages with a shake. Made with flour, cooking oil, and salt as ingredients, the process begins by mixing white flour with warm salted water to form a dough similar to that used for fried dough sticks. The dough is then folded and flattened into pancakes. Each pancake uses three dough portions, rolled out to the size of a bowl’s opening. The three layers are stacked together with cooking oil brushed between each layer. After rolling them thin, they are cooked on a flat griddle over low heat, flipping them regularly and clearing away any burnt residue from the griddle. They are cooked until both sides are lightly golden without burnt spots, then left to cool completely before stacking. They remain soft and do not crack even after several days.