Classic Taiwanese Shao Bing 燒餅
I’m bringing Classic Taiwanese Breakfast to my Vancouver kitchen for my Taiwanese grandma with this Shao Bing 燒餅, or Baked Sesame Flatbread recipe. It’s super crispy, with fragrant sesame on the outside, and hot, fluffy layers inside. You won’t believe it takes only 5 ingredients to recreate that nostalgic Taiwanese flavor. And, it will make your kitchen smell amazing while it bakes in the oven. It’s the perfect meal prep breakfast to keep in the freezer!
Baked Taiwanese Flatbread
Homemade Taiwanese Baked Sesame Flatbread
A while ago, I got to try a bunch of Taiwanese Breakfast in Tainan, and I’ve been craving that classic Taiwanese flavor ever since. This week, my Taiwanese grandma is visiting Vancouver for a bit longer. Last time she visited, I cooked her a bunch of familiar Taiwanese recipes that she really enjoyed! This time, My mom and I wanted to make her some breakfast that makes her feel extra at home. So, we’re making Shao Bing 燒餅, or Taiwanese Sesame Flatbread, from scratch.
燒餅 shao bing, also known as sesame flatbread, is a baked layered flatbread that is a classic Taiwanese breakfast stand menu item. It is most famously served with You Tiao 油條 and egg. But, it can be enjoyed plain or stuffed with sweet or savory ingredients. The perfect Shao Bing should be crispy, but puffy with lots of layers inside. If you follow these tips, you’ll get those same fluffy layers as the street vendors in Taiwan!
Sesame Flatbread Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons for dusting
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup hot water
- ½ cup room-temperature water
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Flaky Paste
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup raw sesame seeds for coating
Shao Bing Dough
The dough for Shao Bing is actually super simple, and uses a technique called 燙麵 or hot water dough. It’s only made of 4 ingredients: flour, salt, hot water and room temperature water, and vegetable oil. The most important part is actually the two different temperatures of water. The hot water steps softens the dough so it is nice and fluffy, and can roll into thinner layers without breaking. The room temperature water then keeps it from getting too soft.
Flaky oil Paste
The key to the many many layers inside these sesame pastries is Flaky Oil Paste, or 油酥. This is a mixture of flour and vegetable oil cooked together slowly into a paste of toasted roux. This is spread on top of the dough, so it becomes a thin layer of fat that keeps the layers separated as you roll and stack them repeatedly. Then, you’ll get those fluffy layers you love in Shao Bing!
What To Eat with Shao Bing
Shao Bing is delicious alone, but it’s the perfect flatbread to sandwich all your favorite fillings, like scallion scrambled eggs. A popular pairing you can find at Taiwanese breakfast shops is Shao Bing You Tiao 燒餅油條, or Shao Bing with Chinese doughnuts (Want to make your own? Check out my Youtiao 油條 recipe in my COOKBOOK ON AMAZING!). It’s crispy, but fluffy. Or, you can pack it with Pork Floss or Braised Beef Shank 滷牛腱 for some extra protein!
Looking for Chinese Doughnut 油條 Recipe?
Check out my cookbook TIFFY COOKS, which includes Chinese Doughnut 油條, and 87 more of my favorite simple Asian recipes, from family favorites to my own creations, now available on Amazon!
How To Make Taiwanese Baked Sesame Flatbread
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, stir together the 2 cups of flour and salt. Slowly pour in the hot water while mixing with a pair of chopsticks until it forms a rough texture. Pour in the room-temperature water and vegetable oil and mix again with the chopsticks. Let sit until cool enough to handle.
- Knead the dough in the bowl into a ball. The dough will be sticky but should be able to peel off the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too sticky to knead, cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes before kneading. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the flaky paste: In a small saucepan, combine the flour and vegetable oil. Stir until smooth. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes, or until fragrant. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Roll and shape the dough: Lightly oil a work surface with a drizzle of vegetable oil and rub some on a rolling pin. Place the dough on the oiled work surface. Use the rolling pin to roll out the dough into an 18 by 10-inch rectangle.
- Using your fingers, evenly spread about 1½ teaspoons of the flaky paste all over the surface of the dough leaving a ¼-inch border at the bottom edge. Evenly dust the dough with 2 tablespoons of flour.
- Orient the dough with a long side facing you. Tightly roll the dough down from top to bottom into a log. Make sure that there are no air bubbles (prick any with a toothpick) and that the paste is tucked inside. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F / 230°C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the log crosswise into eight equal pieces, each 2 to 3 inches wide. Working with one piece at a time, and leaving the rest of the dough covered, use the rolling pin to roll the dough into a 4-inch square, rolling the dough from the middle to ensure an even thickness (photo 1).
- Fold the bottom edge of the dough to the middle, and bring the top edge down to the bottom (photo 2).
- Turn the dough 90 degrees so the two openings are at the top and the bottom. Use the rolling pin to roll the dough until it is 5 inches long, rolling from the middle to ensure an even thickness (photo 3).
- Fold the bottom edge to the middle, then fold the top edge down to ½ inch from the bottom.
- Spread the sesame seeds on a plate. Gently press the folded side of the dough into the sesame seeds to coat the surface (photo 4). Using the rolling pin, gently press the sesame seeds so they stick to the dough (photo 5).
- Place the dough sesame-side down on the work surface, then roll out the dough until 6 inches long (photo 6). Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Bake the shao bing: Arrange the shao bing sesame-side up on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, until crispy and golden brown on the bottom.
- Serve warm or let cool completely, then store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freezing and Reheating Shao Bing
Taiwanese Sesame Flatbread is actually super convenient for freezing and reheating. It takes a bit of effort to make, but once frozen it’s an easy way to meal prep for a quick grab-and-go breakfast. I absolutely recommend it if you’re looking for something quick and tasty in the morning to save you time!
- To freeze your flatbreads after baking, cool them completely. Then, you can store them in a resealable plastic bag in the freezer for up to 1 month.
- To reheat, defrost overnight in the fridge. Then, in the morning you can toast them in the toaster oven at 325°F / 160°C for 5 minutes!
Pair this Shao Bing with These Taiwanese Breakfast Options
Classic Taiwanese Shao Bing 燒餅
By Tiffy Cooks
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons for dusting
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup hot water
- ½ cup room-temperature water
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Flaky Paste
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup raw sesame seeds for coating
Instructions
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, stir together the 2 cups of flour and salt. Slowly pour in the hot water while mixing with a pair of chopsticks until it forms a rough texture. Pour in the room-temperature water and vegetable oil and mix again with the chopsticks. Let sit until cool enough to handle.
- Knead the dough in the bowl into a ball. The dough will be sticky but should be able to peel off the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too sticky to knead, cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes before kneading. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the flaky paste: In a small saucepan, combine the flour and vegetable oil. Stir until smooth. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes, or until fragrant. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Roll and shape the dough: Lightly oil a work surface with a drizzle of vegetable oil and rub some on a rolling pin. Place the dough on the oiled work surface. Use the rolling pin to roll out the dough into an 18 by 10-inch rectangle.
- Using your fingers, evenly spread about 1½ teaspoons of the flaky paste all over the surface of the dough leaving a ¼-inch border at the bottom edge. Evenly dust the dough with 2 tablespoons of flour.
- Orient the dough with a long side facing you. Tightly roll the dough down from top to bottom into a log. Make sure that there are no air bubbles (prick any with a toothpick) and that the paste is tucked inside. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F / 230°C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the log crosswise into eight equal pieces, each 2 to 3 inches wide. Working with one piece at a time, and leaving the rest of the dough covered, use the rolling pin to roll the dough into a 4-inch square, rolling the dough from the middle to ensure an even thickness (photo 1).
- Fold the bottom edge of the dough to the middle, and bring the top edge down to the bottom (photo 2).
- Turn the dough 90 degrees so the two openings are at the top and the bottom. Use the rolling pin to roll the dough until it is 5 inches long, rolling from the middle to ensure an even thickness (photo 3).
- Fold the bottom edge to the middle, then fold the top edge down to ½ inch from the bottom.
- Spread the sesame seeds on a plate. Gently press the folded side of the dough into the sesame seeds to coat the surface (photo 4). Using the rolling pin, gently press the sesame seeds so they stick to the dough (photo 5).
- Place the dough sesame-side down on the work surface, then roll out the dough until 6 inches long (photo 6). Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Bake the shao bing: Arrange the shao bing sesame-side up on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, until crispy and golden brown on the bottom.
- Serve warm or let cool completely, then store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Shao bing sounds delicious. I remember trying them at a night market once, so crispy and good!
You make 2/3 cup of the oil and flour mixture but only use 1 1/2 teaspoons?