Guo Kui (Crispy Stuffed Flatbread, 军屯锅盔)

Filling 1: Mix the butter (or shortening), flour, salt, and pepper together until smooth. Set aside.
Filling 2: Combine ground pork, light soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, salt and ground Sichuan peppercorn. Beat until the ingredients are well incorporated and the pork is streaky. Add the chopped green onion whites. Mix to evenly distribute and set aside.
Dough: Combine the yeast and a pinch of sugar in a small bowl and add 2 tablespoons warm water. Stir briefly and let the yeast activate for 5 to 10 minutes.
Knead the dough using a mixer: While the yeast activates, combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Slowly drizzle in the 1/2 cup of boiling water while stirring to evenly distribute. Once the water is incorporated, add the dough hook to the mixer and begin kneading on setting 2. Add the yeast to the dough and continue kneading, scraping any dry flour from the bowl. Turn the setting to 4 once the water is fully incorporated and knead until the dough is sticking to itself and somewhat smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Knead the dough using your hands: Combine the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Slowly drizzle in the 1/2 cup of boiling water while stirring to evenly distribute. Once the water is incorporated, slowly drizzle the yeast mixture into the dry flour, mixing until the water is fully incorporated and soft dough flakes form. Start to gather the dough using your hands until a ball forms and there’s little dry flour left. Transfer the dough to a clear working surface. Knead until the dough is somewhat smooth, about 5 minutes.
The dough should be a little soft but keep its shape and not be sticky at all. If your dough is too soft, sprinkle more flour onto it and knead again.
First rest: Oil a bowl, add the dough, and cover. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
Second knead and rest: Knead the dough briefly, 30 seconds to 1 minute, to smooth out the dough, then divide it into 6 even pieces. Round each piece into a ball, oil each piece, place them back into the bowl and cover, and let rest for another 5 minutes.
Create layered dough: One at a time take a piece of dough and roll it out into a 3x10” (7x25cm) oval. Gently spread 1 teaspoon of “Filling 1 - butter flour paste” across it, leaving a little space along the edges and bottom. Roll the top of the oval towards yourself, occasionally lifting and tugging the dough as you go. Once fully rolled up, pinch both ends to seal well. Set aside and repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.
Form with meat filling: Beginning with the first piece that was rolled up, flatten it with your palm. With the roll up dough parallel to the table, roll the dough out to 3x12” (7x30cm). Take 1 1/2 tablespoons of “Filling 2 - ground pork mixture” and spread it onto the dough, concentrating it slightly more at the top than at the bottom and again leaving a small edge free along the sides. Roll it up with the same motion from step 6, taking extra care to pull and stretch as you roll to create more layers. Tuck the end of the dough into one of the swirled sides, then pinch both ends to seal. Turn the rolled dough on its side (swirls facing up and down) and press it down to make a fat disc. The dough will likely be taut at this point so don’t worry if it springs back a bit. The gluten will rest while you roll the remaining pieces. Cover the formed bread with plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Coat with sesame seeds: Again beginning with the first piece you rolled, take the disc and dip the swirled sides into the sesame seeds. Then flatten the dough again with your palm and roll gently into a 5” (12cm) disc, trying to keep the filling sealed in without tearing the dough (*Footnote 1). Set aside, covered, and repeat with the remaining dough. Always keep the assembled bread and unused dough covered with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.
Cooking: Preheat the oven to 325°F (160ºC). Preheat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1/4 cup of oil. Prepare a baking tray lined with parchment.
Once the oil is heated, add as many guokui as will fit, first placing them where the oil has concentrated in the pan then sliding them to a less oily section. Let fry for about 30 seconds then begin flipping regularly. Once both sides are crispy and evenly browned, remove from the skillet and place on the lined baking tray. Continue until all the guokui are fried, adding more oil as necessary.
Bake the guokui for 15 to 20 minutes, until very crispy and evenly browned. Serve while still warm.

Guo Kui (Crispy Stuffed Flatbread, 军屯锅盔)

Ingredients

Filling 1:

Filling 2:

Dough:

Cooking:

Instructions

Notes

Nutrition