White Sugar Sesame Flatbread · ingot-shaped Guokui

White Sugar Sesame Flatbread · ingot-shaped Guokui

　　White Sugar Sesame Flatbread · ingot-shaped Guokui

　　　Baoning White Sugar Sesame Flatbread is a snack made by the Hui people of Langzhong using an ancient Persian flatbread baking method. It has been famous across the region for three to four hundred years. In 1927, it won a gold medal at the Chengdu Flower Fair in Sichuan and enjoys a high reputation both within and outside the province.

　　Baoning Flatbread, also known as Hui-style Flatbread, is made with locally grown "youtiao wheat" flour, mixed with white sugar, vegetable oil, and osmanthus flowers. The dough is stirred with water, kneaded repeatedly, and allowed to rest before being shaped. The dough is rolled into a cylinder, then scored with a knife to create a spiral pattern on the surface. Sesame seeds are placed on top, and the dough is pressed into round flatbreads about nine centimeters in diameter. These are then baked until firm in a dry-bottomed pan and further roasted in an oven. The finished flatbreads are dark reddish-brown with visible spiral patterns, firm in texture, and make a crisp sound when tapped, yet they are as flaky as biscuits and sweetly delicious. They can be eaten either cold or warmed up. They retain their quality even when stored for long periods and are not prone to breaking when carried over long distances.

　　The Hui people of Langzhong also produce a type of "ingot-shaped Guokui." Made without alkali, fermentation, or added sugar, it relies entirely on hand-kneading to form a concave round flatbread, which is then shaped and baked. The surface of this guokui is as white as silver and as hard as stone, producing a clear "dong-dong" sound when tapped. When served hot, the crust is fragrantly crisp; when cold, the inside remains soft and flaky. It can be stored for up to five days, and travelers often eat it with hot water or noodle soup, enjoying its fragrant, sweet aftertaste that lingers in the mouth.