Bánh bao
Vietnamese steamed wheat buns wrapped around seasoned pork, mushrooms, Chinese sausage and hard-boiled quail eggs. This from-scratch version uses yeast and self-rising flour.
Modern adaptation
Bánh tiêu
Bánh tiêu is a lightly sweet Vietnamese fried bread coated with sesame. A yeast-raised dough with baking powder is rolled into small rounds and fried until puffed and golden.
Vietnamese sesame fried bread
Interflour Vietnam presents bánh tiêu as a Vietnamese cake and publishes a measured version that adds egg to the dough. This formula combines yeast and baking powder, then coats the small rounds in sesame before frying. The source gives a specific weight range for each piece and a target oil temperature, which makes this version reproducible at home.
The dough and shaping influence how much the rounds expand, while this recipe's 3–4 mm thickness and 180°C oil temperature come from the chosen source. The atlas describes airy or hollow centres as a familiar result, but the source recipe does not guarantee every piece will form a complete pocket.
Bánh tiêu contains wheat, egg and sesame. Sesame and eggs appear in the dough and coating respectively; the FDA recognizes sesame as a major food allergen. Raw flour and egg also mean that uncooked dough should not be tasted, and the fried centre should be cooked through.
History
Interflour Vietnam describes bánh tiêu as a traditional Vietnamese cake and says its published version adds egg. It gives no date for the first attestation or precise place of origin; this record represents that measured egg-enriched method.
Ingredients
Scaling: source batch only
All-purpose wheat flourThe source specifies Globe all-purpose flour.
500 g
7.5 g
110 g
230 g
50 g
3 g
Sesame seedsFor coating.
50 g
Neutral frying oilFor deep frying.
Amount not stated
Amount not specified; use enough for frying in a fryer or suitable deep pan.Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Raw flour and egg dough
Uncooked flour and egg can carry harmful germs; raw dough should not be tasted and the pieces must be cooked through.
Hazard sourceHot frying oil
Oil at 180°C can cause severe burns or ignite if overheated or left unattended.
Hazard sourceSesame allergy
The sesame coating is a major food allergen.
Hazard sourceDo not taste raw dough. Cook the egg-containing centre to at least 71.1°C (160°F), checked with a clean food thermometer. Wash hands, bowls, utensils and surfaces after handling raw flour or egg.
Control sourceStay beside the fryer; keep a lid or baking sheet nearby. If oil smokes, turn off the burner. If it catches fire, turn off the burner, cover the pan without moving it, and never use water.
Control sourceThis recipe contains sesame; people with sesame allergy should avoid it and check packaged ingredient labels.
Control sourceContains wheat, egg and sesame. Do not taste raw dough. Fry at the source-specified 180°C and cook the centre fully; sesame can brown quickly.
- Weigh the ingredients separately. Put the flour, yeast, baking powder, sugar, water, egg and salt in a mixing bowl, leaving out the sesame. Mix until the ingredients come together and the dough no longer sticks to your hand.
- Cover the dough and let it rest for 60–90 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 40–60 g pieces. Coat each piece with sesame and let the pieces rest for 10 minutes.
- Roll each piece into a round 3–4 mm thick.
- Heat frying oil to 180°C. Fry the rounds for 2–3 minutes, turning them and continuing until golden. Keep the oil at the source-specified temperature and fry in batches so it does not cool sharply.
- Check the centre of the thickest fried piece with a clean food thermometer; if it has not reached 71.1°C (160°F), continue frying at 180°C until it does. Drain the oil from the fried pieces and let them cool before serving, as the source directs.
Conditions
Fermentation1–1.5 h
Temperature180°C
Temperature controlMulti-stage
Places
Vietnam
Documented preparation · Country evidenceThe recipe publisher identifies the dish as Vietnamese and provides no more precise location.
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Sources
Interflour VietnamMethod · Geography
Bánh TiêuThe publisher describes bánh tiêu as a Vietnamese cake and says its version adds egg to a traditional preparation.
Measured ingredients: 500 g all-purpose flour, 1 g high-sugar dry yeast, 7.5 g baking powder, 110 g sugar, 230 g water, 50 g egg, 3 g salt and 50 g sesame.
Rest the dough 60–90 minutes, portion 40–60 g pieces, coat with sesame, rest 10 minutes, roll 3–4 mm rounds, and fry at 180°C for 2–3 minutes, turning until golden.
The final source step says to remove the fried pieces, let them cool, drain the oil and enjoy.
Cited in: Vietnamese sesame fried bread
Centers for Disease Control and PreventionSafety
Raw Flour and DoughRaw flour and raw eggs can carry germs; do not taste raw dough, and wash hands, bowls, utensils and surfaces after handling flour, eggs or dough.
Cited in: Vietnamese sesame fried bread
USDA Food Safety and Inspection ServiceSafety
By what methods can you cook eggs safely?Egg dishes should reach 160°F (71.1°C), measured with a food thermometer.
Cited in: Vietnamese sesame fried bread
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationSafety
Food AllergiesFDA recognizes sesame as a major food allergen.
Cited in: Vietnamese sesame fried bread
U.S. Fire AdministrationSafety
Cooking Fire SafetyDo not leave frying unattended; turn off the burner if leaving or if oil smokes. Keep a lid or baking sheet nearby; cover a pan fire after turning off the burner, do not move the pan, and never use water.
Cited in: Vietnamese sesame fried bread