Tang Huo Shao (Sweet-Fried Pastry)

Tang Huo Shao

　　Tang Huo Shao is one of the common breakfast snacks enjoyed by locals in Beijing, with a history of over 300 years. The version from Da Shun Zhai is the most famous.

　　　First, brown sugar is mixed with flour, rubbed apart, and baked until cooked. Then, sesame paste, osmanthus, and oil are added to make the sesame paste filling. Dry flour is mixed with fermented dough, which is then allowed to ferment and neutralized. After resting, the dough is divided into 500-gram pieces, kneaded into long strips, and then swung into strands. The sugar paste is spread on top, rolled up into a cylindrical shape, cut into 50-gram pieces, shaped into small round buns, flattened, arranged on a baking tray, and baked in the oven. Once cooked, they are cooled, then placed in a wooden box to soften before serving.

　　Tang Huo Shao has a richly sweet and soft texture, not sticky, making it suitable for the elderly. Gang Lu Shaobing (Jar-fired Sesame Cake) originally comes from Hebei Province and was later introduced to Beijing, becoming a local snack. It gets its name because it is baked directly against the inner walls of an earthen jar used as an oven.

　　Method Two of Preparation

　　　　Salt is dissolved in water, then mixed with wheat flour to form the dough. Oil is heated, cooled to warm, and mixed with millet flour to make the crispy filling. The prepared dough is kneaded into a long strip, flattened, and pressed into a large sheet. The crispy filling is evenly spread on the sheet, then rolled from the outside inward into a log. The log is flattened into a long strip, divided into 8 cm long and 3 cm wide pieces, and pressed into large sheets measuring 8 cm horizontally and 18 cm vertically. These are folded into three layers front to back. They are then flattened into 8 cm horizontally and 12 cm vertically sheets, folded again with the middle overlapping, forming a dough piece with three layers in the middle and two on the sides. Sesame seeds are evenly sprinkled on top, then flipped and sprinkled with some water. A starchy slurry is brushed onto the surface on the board before it goes into the oven. When placing the dough in the jar-shaped oven, it is held horizontally in the hand and pressed against the jar wall from right to left, then from top to bottom. The lid is then closed. After a short while, half of the fire is opened, and after 3–5 minutes, all the fire is turned on for baking. The cakes are ready to come out when they turn a tiger-skin color.

　　Method Three of Preparation

　　　　Ingredients: 500g flour, 5g yeast powder, 350ML warm water, 500g brown sugar, 500g sesame paste. (The filling amount here is very generous—typical Tang Huo Shao would use only about half of these quantities. Adjust the amount of sesame paste and brown sugar to your personal taste.)

　　It’s a very large amount—regular sugar fire-baked cakes usually use only half of this. Adjust the amount of sesame paste and brown sugar to your own taste.

　　Instructions:

　　1. Mix the flour and yeast powder, pour in warm water, and knead into a dough. Let it rest for 30 minutes.

　　2. Break up any hard lumps in the brown sugar, mix it together with the sesame paste.

　　3. Roll the dough into a rectangle, evenly spread the sesame paste and brown sugar mixture on top, then roll it up.

　　4. Slightly flatten the rolled-up dough, then fold it inwards from both sides toward the center.

　　5. Roll it out into a rectangular thin sheet and cut it in half.

　　6. Take one of the halves, fold it twice from the 1/4 positions on both sides toward the center, then roll it out again and roll it into a log.

　　7. Divide it into small pieces, pinch the ends together underneath to form a round shape.

　　8. Flatten slightly. Preheat the oven to 180°C and bake for about 25 minutes.