Pretzels (homemade salt and pepper and sesame filling)

Overview

Salt and pepper, as the name suggests, is made from salt and Sichuan peppercorns. It is a common seasoning method in various regions. Its dishes are various and can be found on various dining tables in the north and south. Salt and pepper snacks are different from salt and pepper dishes. It is not just salt and pepper, but also contains sugar, sesame, peanuts, and flour, combining various flavors of sweet, salty, and sesame. Everyone will be familiar with hemp when they see it. It is a characteristic of Sichuan taste. Therefore, the real salt and pepper pastry originated from the Sichuan and Chongqing regions and is also the most distinctive type of Sichuan snacks. The salt and pepper and sesame filling we made today is one of the most commonly used fillings in Sichuan and Chongqing pastries. I went to Chengdu a while ago and my friend bought me local traditional palace pastries. The pretzels were sweet, salty and numb, and the crispy pastry made them fall apart. By the way, many snacks in Chengdu are salty, sweet, numb and spicy, a combination of the four flavors, oh, and fragrant. For example, I will never forget the sweet water noodles and red oil noodles that I will never forget once I eat them. In short, this is the first time I have seen such a perfect combination of salty and sweet. I’m going to make this salt and pepper and sesame-filled shortbread today to remember those days when I was shopping and eating in Chengdu and had a great time not thinking about Shanghai. Reference serving size: 12 pieces.

Ingredients

Steps

The flour, sesame seeds and peanuts required to make salt and pepper sesame filling need to be cooked, so we fry them separately. First, fry the sesame seeds, wash the raw sesame seeds with water and drain them. (Because while slowly drying out the water, the sesame seeds will be cooked naturally. So this step is not only for cleaning, but also to better avoid frying)
There is no water or oil in the pot, add sesame seeds and dry fry. The whole process is on low heat, and the spatula should be turned constantly to ensure that the sesame seeds are evenly heated. After about seven or eight minutes, the sesame seeds begin to smell fragrant and make a slight crackling sound. At this time, turn off the heat and stir-fry with the remaining heat. You can taste a little. If it is crispy and has no moisture, take it out of the pot immediately and set aside. Otherwise it is easy to feel bitter.
Then came the fried peanuts. Blanch the peanuts in freshly boiled water, then drain the water immediately. Be quick. (This is also to ensure that the fried peanuts are not burnt and crispy to the greatest extent. However, you can also omit this step and fry the dried peanuts directly)
Heat a pot over medium heat with no water or oil in the pot, and add an appropriate amount of salt. Put the peanuts in the pot and stir-fry over high heat. Likewise, the spatula must be turned constantly. Stir-fry until the peanuts crackle and peel slightly, then turn to medium-low heat and stir-fry constantly.
Continue to stir-fry for two more times, strain out the salt with a slotted spoon and set aside. (Because the peanuts have been blanched in boiling water, they will not change color too much. In the picture, I added dried peanuts and fried them directly. It can be seen that the color is darker and the skin peeling is more serious. In short, if the dried peanuts are fried directly, the time is shorter than blanching them in boiling water, and you must always be careful not to fry them.)
Rub the skin off the fried peanuts, take the other half of the fried sesame seeds, and mash them together with the peanuts in a mortar. Mash the crushed peanuts and sesame seeds and set aside.
Then stir-fry the flour. Just like frying sesame seeds, there is no water or oil in the pot, add flour, and dry fry. Slight fire throughout. The spatula kept turning. Fry until the flour turns slightly yellow (not obvious) and the aroma of cooked flour wafts out (noticeable). Set aside the fried cooked flour.
Pour the oil, sugar, and salt used to make the salt and pepper filling into a bowl. Mix well.
Add Sichuan peppercorns. Continue to stir evenly.
Add the fried flour, black sesame seeds, black sesame seeds and chopped peanuts.
Mix well. At this point, the basic pepper, salt and sesame filling is ready.
Add chopped candied fruit to your liking. Winter melon strips, candied dates, etc. are all fine. Stir well again. In this way, the pepper, salt and sesame filling is completed. Set aside. If leaving overnight, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Next make the dough. Pour the all-purpose flour, lard, and white sugar 2 used to make water-and-oil crust into a bowl. Beat the eggs into a liquid, pour part of it into a bowl and cover it with flour. (Eggs are optional in the water-oil skin. I just used eggs here just to brush the surface with egg wash later... If eggs are not used, the amount of water should be increased appropriately)
Pour 80-degree hot water into a bowl (almost boiling enough to shake a few times in the cup), and stir quickly to combine the flour and water into a snowflake shape. (Using hot water can partially mature the flour, making the dough easier to work with. Burying the eggs in the previous step is also to prevent them from being cooked all at once)
Pour the flour lumps onto the chopping board and knead vigorously into a smooth dough. Oily skin needs more kneading before it can withstand various tossing later on. Cover the kneaded dough with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and set aside.
Next make the puff pastry. Mix cake flour and lard. Pour onto a chopping board and knead until the lard and flour are completely combined into a dough. It will be dry and loose at first and not form a ball. Just keep kneading and don't add water.
Knead into smooth pastry dough and set aside.
Let the water-oil skin and puff pastry dough rest for 20 minutes to relax. Remember to cover watery and oily skin with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. The pastry does not need to be covered and can be left open.
Divide the relaxed water-oil skin and puff pastry dough into 12 equal parts, roll into balls and set aside. During the process of dividing the water-oil skin, always remember to cover it with a damp cloth or plastic wrap.
Take a piece of water-oil dough, flatten it and roll it into a round piece. Place a piece of puff pastry in the middle. Wrap the pastry with water and oil.
Close the mouth tightly.
Flatten the wrapped dough and roll it into a beef tongue shape with a rolling pin. Be gentle when rolling. (Apply some oil on the rolling pin to prevent the oil skin from peeling off)
Roll up the ox tongue-shaped dough from top to bottom.
After everything is rolled, cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 minutes. (Due to the hot water used, the flour is partially cooked, so the resting time here can be shortened, but just in case, it is still recommended to rest)
Flatten the relaxed dough roll and use a rolling pin to roll it into a long strip for the second time, making it thinner and longer than the first time.
Roll it up from top to bottom again
Cover the rolled dough again with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and rest for 15 minutes. (This needs to be relaxed for enough time, otherwise the pastry will be easily pressed out)
While the dough is resting, divide the previously prepared salt-and-pepper sesame filling into 12 portions and shape into balls.
Take a portion of the relaxed dough and make an impression in the middle with your fingers.
Push the sides toward the center and press flat.
Use a rolling pin to roll it into a round piece that is thick in the middle and thin around the edges. Place a portion of the salt and pepper and sesame filling in the middle.
Wrap the stuffing with dough.
Close the mouth tightly.
Turn the edge downwards, shape it into a round shape, and press it gently with the palm of your hand to flatten it a little. (If you want to bake the shortbread into a ball-shaped top, you don’t need to press it)
After everything is wrapped, the shortbread embryo is finished. At this time preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Then place the shortbread embryos on a baking sheet, brush the surface with a thin layer of egg wash, and sprinkle with black sesame seeds.
Put it in the oven at 200 degrees and bake for 20 minutes, until obvious layers appear on the surface of the puff pastry and the color is golden.
At this point, the salt and pepper and sesame filling shortbread is completed.

Overview

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Ingredients

Steps