Du Chengqi Huoshao (Baked Flatbread)

Du Chengqi Huoshao

　　　A Tianjin-style snack. During preparation, green onions, star anise, and cooking oil are first boiled together to eliminate any unpleasant odor from the oil, then the dough is layered with fat to achieve a pure and fragrant taste. The red bean filling is made from high-quality adzuki beans, while brown sugar is sifted to remove impurities and simmered until it reaches the thread stage before being mixed with the beans and stir-fried repeatedly until most of the moisture has evaporated. The resulting bean filling looks glossy and tastes sweet and crumbly. The flour is steamed, sifted, and combined with sesame oil to form a flaky dough, which is then kneaded evenly, rolled into a fan shape, filled with the bean paste, and molded in a wooden mold. The top is brushed with sesame oil and then baked. It features a crispy outer layer, a soft inner texture, a delicate filling, and a rich, mellow flavor.

Named after its founder, Du Chengqi Huoshao has a history of over sixty years. In 1922, Du Chengqi and his wife started selling steamed buns and baked flatbreads from a small stall at Yaojia Xiachang near the South Gate West Fish Market in Tianjin. He had a unique technique for baking huoshao: first refining the oil with green onions and star anise before mixing the dough layers. This method gave his huoshao an exceptionally pure and fragrant taste, attracting many customers. Thanks to his dedicated management, his business expanded from a street stall to a rented shop, and he hung up a signboard bearing his name “Du Chengqi,” further enhancing the reputation of his huoshao. After the liberation, Du Chengqi introduced new varieties, including hawthorn filling, red bean filling, and sweet-savory options. In the early 1950s, the Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang, during a visit to Tianjin, even sent someone to buy Du Chengqi’s huoshao upon hearing of its fame and praised it highly. After Du Chengqi passed away, his son inherited the family craft. Following the establishment of Nanjing Food Street, Du Chengqi’s son Du Mao, along with three disciples—Zhou Rongxian, Duan Yuqi, and Liu Yunqi—who had mastered his techniques, were invited to open a branch there, allowing more domestic and international visitors to enjoy this traditional snack. The huoshao has multiple thin layers, a thick appearance, a crispy exterior with a soft interior, contains oil, and offers a delicious mix of sweet, savory, flaky, and crunchy textures. It comes in five flavors: assorted, red bean, sweet-savory, hawthorn, and rose, all of which are very popular and considered one of Tianjin’s finest baked delights.

The following introduces the assorted filling huoshao.

Ingredients:

(For ten pieces) Premium wheat flour – 1 lb; orange cubes – 0.15 oz; soft brown sugar – 2.5 oz; candied melon strips – 0.15 oz; walnut kernels – 0.15 oz; green plums – 0.15 oz; melon seeds – 0.15 oz; osmanthus – 0.15 oz; roasted sesame seeds – 0.15 oz; sesame oil – 2 oz

Preparation:

1. Mix 3 oz of premium wheat flour with 1.5 oz of sesame oil to make the flaky dough. Place 5 oz of premium wheat flour in a bowl, add 2.5 oz of water, and knead into a moderately soft dough. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 10 minutes.

2. Finely chop the walnut kernels, melon seeds, roasted sesame seeds, orange cubes, candied melon strips, and green plums. Place them in a bowl, mix in the soft brown sugar and osmanthus, then drizzle in 0.1 oz of sesame oil and stir well to form the filling.

3. Place the rested dough on a floured surface brushed with sesame oil and knead evenly. Flatten it, then roll it into a fan-shaped dough sheet measuring 12 inches long and 3.5 inches wide at one end (with the right half of the sheet 0.1 inch thick and the left half 0.3 inch thick). After rolling, spread 0.1 oz of the flaky dough on the right half, then roll it up lengthwise from right to left (stretching as you roll). Next, roll the left half to a thickness of 0.1 inch, spread 0.2 oz of the flaky dough, and continue rolling (stretching as you roll). Once rolled, turn the dough horizontally, stretch it into a 1-inch diameter log, and divide it into ten dough pieces.

4. Flatten each dough piece, fill it with 0.36 oz of assorted filling, and seal the edges. Then place the sealed edge down into a round wooden mold, press lightly, eject the shaped huoshao, and brush the top with sesame oil.

5. Preheat a flat griddle over low heat, brush with sesame oil, and place the huoshao with the sealed side down. Brush the back with sesame oil. When the sealed side turns golden brown, flip it over and brush the top with sesame oil. Once the back also turns golden brown, flip it again and brush the back once more. When the huoshao begins to puff up, bake it in the oven for two minutes. Finally, when the edges turn white and the huoshao puffs up further, remove it from the oven.

Features:

Approximately 0.7–0.8 inches thick, with a crispy outer layer, a soft inner texture, a sweet filling containing a variety of fruits, suitable for all ages.