【Yantai】Jujube Pastry

Overview

Every New Year in Jiaodong area, almost every household will steam a pot of jujube dumplings. I heard from my mother-in-law that almost all the men and women in the older generation’s jujube-making family had to participate in the physical work of kneading the dough. Only when the dough is kneaded properly can the pastry taste better. Make a big pot at once and share it with relatives and friends when visiting relatives during the New Year. The jujube dumplings made by my mother-in-law were very beautiful, and I followed suit. Jujube dumplings are a type of steamed bun unique to the Jiaodong Peninsula. They were used as offerings by Jiaodong people to worship their ancestors during the Chinese New Year. In the past, when the twelfth lunar month came, every family would make steamed buns to pray for their ancestors to bless them with good harvests and prosperity in the coming year. The pastry is made from refined white flour ground in the same year and added with fine golden jujubes. The finished product is beautiful and has a rich jujube aroma. It is a representative work of Jiaodong pasta.

Tags

• staple food
• pasta
• home cooking
• clear water
• flour
• gray dates
• yeast

Ingredients

Steps

1. 1 Place flour into a food bowl.

   

2. 2 First melt the yeast in warm water, then slowly pour the yeast water into the flour, stirring while pouring.

   

3. 3 Stir until fluffy.

   

4. 4 Knead into a smooth dough.

   

5. 5 Let the dough rise for the first time in a warm place until it doubles in size.

   

6. 6 Take out the dough, press it with your hands to deflate the dough, add an appropriate amount of dry flour and knead evenly. Divide the dough into small portions and knead each portion evenly.

   

7. 7 Use the little fingers of both hands to pinch out a small nose.

   

8. 8 Peel the red dates and cut into small pieces lengthwise.

   

9. 9 Insert the red date into the small nose.

   

10. 10 Place in a steamer for secondary fermentation. After fermentation, bring to a boil over medium heat and steam for twenty minutes.

    

11. 11 There is a big difference in the texture of pastry and steamed buns. The steamed buns are fluffier and softer, and the pastry has a firmer and chewier texture.

    

12. 12 Adding some red dates makes a huge difference in taste and can be used as a staple food.