Sourdough discard Ji Dan Bing (Chinese Egg Flatbread)
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Chinese
Prep Time: 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 40 minutesminutes
Resting the dough:: 2 hourshours
Total Time: 3 hourshours
Servings: 8pancakes
Calories: 323kcal
Author: Marvellina
If you are looking for ideas to use up your sourdough discard, make these Chinese style flatbread filled with eggs. They make a delicious breakfast or snack.
spicy bean saucenon spicy sauce like hoisin sauce works too
lettuce
slices of hamor meat of your choice
Instructions
Prepare the dough:
Combine all of the ingredients for the dough and knead into a rough dough. It won't be smooth yet.
Cover and let it rest for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, knead it a few times and you will see how the dough is smooth now
While waiting prepare the flour paste by mixing the flour, oil, salt and five-spice powder. Set aside
Shaping:
Roll the dough into a log.
Divide the dough into 8 pieces.
Round each one into round balls. Cover them and let them rest for 15 minutes so they can be rolled out easily
Lightly oil your rolling pin and work surface. Work with one dough at a time, keeping the rest covered. Roll the dough out to about 5 inches square (don't have to be exact)
Spread the paste in the middle.
Fold the top down, slightly over the middle line.
Fold the bottom over to overlap it a bit
Flatten both ends a bit with a rolling pin.
Fold one side over, slightly over the middle line. Fold the other side over to overlap it a bit.
This is how it looks like from the side
Now you have a rectangle package. Repeat with the rest of the dough
Put the dough on an oiled plate or container. Rub some oil on the shaped dough too to prevent them from drying. Cover with a plastic wrap or a lid. Cover and let them rest for 45 minutes to 1 hour. This helps rolling out the dough much easier
You can also rest them overnight in the fridge and cook them the next day
Cooking:
Prepare the filling. Whisk five eggs with finely chopped green onion, salt, and pepper
If you have rest the dough in the fridge overnight, get them out from the fridge 30 minutes before you plan to start cooking to let them come to a room temperature
Preheat a large non-stick pan with about 1 teaspoon of oil over medium-low heat
Get one dough, with the open end facing you
Use a rolling pin to gently roll out the dough. Roll in the direction of the two open ends. Roll into about 8-10 inches long and about 4-5 inches wide. If the dough keeps retracting back, stop rolling and rest it a bit to relax the gluten. But this shouldn't be a problem if you have rested the dough long enough
This rolling and cooking part can be a bit time-consuming. So I recommend to roll about 3-4 dough and then cook them and then continuing with the rest.
Cook one flatbread at a time. Gently drape the dough over a rolling pin to pick it up and gently lay the dough on a preheated pan
Let it cook over medium-low heat. You don't want the heat to be too hot as the bread will form a crust too quickly and won't have a chance to puff up. Cook for about 1 minute and then flip over.
Let the bread cook until it starts to puff up really big
Use a chopstick to poke a hole and the puff will deflate
Use a chopstick to help you keep the hole opened and pour about 1/8 of the egg mixture into the hole.
Use a chopstick to move the flatbread a bit to "distribute" the egg mixture inside the bread.
Let it cook for about 10 seconds, flip over and cook for another 10 seconds or until the eggs are set
Remove from the pan to a cooling rack. You can keep them warm in the oven while rolling and cooking the rest. Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling
Prepare the dipping sauce (optional):
Mix all ingredients for the dipping sauce in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Set aside
To serve with a dipping sauce:
The flatbread is best when served warm. You can cut into smaller pieces and serve with a dipping sauce
To serve as a flatbread sandwich:
The flatbread can also be used as a wrap. Smear with some spicy bean sauce on the flatbread, put some veggies like lettuce, a few thin slices of deli meat on top and then fold in half and eat it