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Taiwanese Sesame Shao Bing

Shao bing (燒餅) · Taiwanese sesame flatbread · Taiwanese shao bing · Taiwanese shaobing

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A Taichung family recipe uses a hot-and-cool water dough, vegetable-oil roux, repeated folds and sesame seeds for crisp, layered shaobing.

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Three golden Taiwanese sesame shaobing, folded into compact rectangular breads with white sesame on top; one opens to reveal close layers.

A Taichung family recipe for Taiwanese breakfast

This version follows Hsiao-Ching Chou's family shao bing: a plain, layered sesame flatbread baked in eight pieces. Chou says her uncle and his family run a shao bing shop in Taichung, where they make the bread for a breakfast sandwich with you tiao. She learned the method there while visiting family. Her recipe comes from that Taiwanese shop context and is not presented here as the only form of shao bing made in Taiwan.

A Taiwan Ministry of Education learning resource independently lists shao bing among familiar Taiwanese breakfast foods, alongside soy milk and fried dough sticks. The Ministry's dictionary defines the word more broadly as a thin flour bread baked with sesame on the surface and gives the same breakfast pairing as an example. These sources support both the local name and breakfast use, but they do not date the first Taiwanese shao bing.

The batch itself stays plain. You tiao, egg and soy milk appear as service context, not additions to the dough. Chou describes splitting a finished bread while leaving one side joined so it can hold the fried strip. Keeping the bread separate lets a reader make and judge the layered shao bing on its own terms before assembling a breakfast sandwich.

The Taichung connection is narrow and useful. Chou ties this recipe to one family shop and a Taiwanese breakfast pattern; the Ministry of Education material gives broader evidence that shao bing belongs in the Taiwanese breakfast vocabulary. Neither identifies the first shop or first baker. The period remains unknown, and the location record distinguishes Taiwan-wide use from the family's documented Taichung preparation.

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How the Taiwanese and Beijing forms differ

The Beijing recipe is a useful contrast because the names overlap while the methods do not. Sean St John's Old Beijing sesame-paste shaobing uses a yeast-and-baking-soda dough, spreads a sesame paste through the rolled dough, cuts the roll into spiral buns, seals each piece and briefly fries it before an oven bake. Beijing Tourism describes sesame-paste shaobing with sesame inside a layered bun.

Chou's Taichung family method uses no yeast, no sesame paste and no frying stage. Boiling and cold water are mixed into the flour, a cooked flour-and-oil roux is spread across a sheet, and the dough is rolled, portioned and folded into repeated flat layers. Sesame seeds go on the outside. The loaves bake directly on a tray at 450°F. Both are layered sesame breads called shaobing, but the dough, filling, shaping and heat path are distinct.

These differences matter when a recipe or regional label is chosen. This page does not call Chou's bread a Beijing pastry or borrow Beijing's sesame-paste filling and shallow fry. It records the Taichung family method and keeps the older Beijing style as a comparison. The shared Chinese characters and sesame topping do not make two formulas interchangeable.

The Beijing comparison also differs at the ingredient stage. St John's dough includes yeast and baking soda, then carries a sesame paste with sesame oil, soy and Sichuan pepper. Chou's dough uses boiling and cold water but no leavener, and its roux contains only vegetable oil and flour. Chou's bread is seed-coated after folding; St John's buns are sealed around a sesame-filled spiral. This entry does not combine the Beijing paste or its browned pan stage with the Taichung formula.

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Mix the hot-and-cool water dough

Measure 3 cups all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon kosher salt into a large bowl. Add ⅔ cup boiling water and stir quickly so the hot liquid is distributed through the flour. Then add ⅓ cup cold tap water and combine it with the mixture. Chou's account says that the boiling water helps make the dough more pliable, while the cooler water lets the cook handle and knead it.

Bring the dough together by hand once it is cool enough to handle. Knead on the counter for about two minutes until smooth. It should remain damp without sticking to the hand. The recipe includes 1–2 tablespoons of warm water for adjustment if the flour still feels dry; add it as needed rather than automatically pouring in the entire amount. The formula gives no dough rest or proof.

This method differs from a straight room-temperature water dough. The two water temperatures are deliberate and both belong in this version. The instructions do not use yeast or baking soda, so a cook should not wait for a rise or look for a proofing cue. The dough goes from mixing and brief kneading to rolling once it is cohesive and smooth.

The water adjustment is modest and conditional. The recipe first supplies set quantities of boiling and cold water, then gives 1–2 tablespoons of warm water only if the dough remains dry. Chou describes the desired dough as damp rather than sticky. Because flour absorbs water differently, the small additional amount is a tactile correction in her directions; it is not a new hydration target or an invitation to add water until the dough becomes soft and slack.

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Cook the roux and roll out one sheet

Make a flour-and-oil roux from ¼ cup vegetable oil and ¼ cup all-purpose flour. Heat the oil for about a minute in a small pan over medium heat, until its surface starts to shimmer. Stir in the flour, then lower the heat and keep stirring for about three minutes, until the mixture resembles peanut butter in color. Take the pan off the burner and continue stirring for about a minute while its remaining heat deepens the color. Transfer it to a heatproof bowl.

Dust the work surface lightly and roll the dough into a rectangle about 18 inches long, 12 inches wide and ¼ inch thick. Spread about 4 tablespoons of roux over the sheet, leaving a half-inch border at its edge, and sprinkle the teaspoon of salt across the roux. The source gives ¼ cup each for the roux batch and directs the cook to use about 4 tablespoons; it does not say to apply all the roux.

This oil-flour paste creates a thin fat layer between portions of dough. Chou's article describes the roux and folds as the steps that create the interior layers. Keep the paste cooled enough to spread and leave the border so the rolled cylinder can be pinched closed. The recipe does not call for sesame paste, scallions or a stuffed center.

The roux includes equal ¼-cup measures of oil and flour. Chou's method cooks the oil briefly, stirs in flour, lowers the heat, and stirs until the color changes, then keeps stirring after removing the pan. These stages matter because the flour paste is spread over the full sheet before rolling. The recipe card lists about ½ cup combined starting ingredients, while the shaping step calls for about 4 tablespoons to spread; the page does not say how to use or store any remaining roux. The record keeps both quantities visible instead of increasing the amount applied.

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Portion, fold and coat with sesame

Start at the long side and roll the sheet into a cylinder. Pinch the ends together to make a closed seam, then cut the cylinder into eight equal portions. Turn each portion so its seam faces down and the cut coil faces the cook. Roll it into a small rectangle about 5 inches by 3½ inches and ¼ inch thick.

Turn the piece so the seam faces up and fold it in thirds like a letter. Turn it so the open sides face up and down, roll it to about five inches long, and fold the lower edge toward the middle. Bring the upper edge down until it sits about half an inch from the lower edge. Repeat this pattern across the remaining pieces, keeping the folded flap facing down when they are set aside.

Put ¼ cup sesame seeds on a plate. Brush water on the exposed face, dip that face into the seeds and press lightly with a rolling pin so they stick. Lay the seeded side down and roll each piece to about 5 inches by 3½ inches and ¼ inch thick. The repeated folds establish internal layers; the sesame stays on the outside rather than being tucked between the layers.

Each portion is folded repeatedly after being rolled into small rectangles, then finished with the sesame-coated face rolled outward. The sequence makes a series of folds rather than the sealed spiral bun shape of the Beijing recipe. Keep the portions that are not being shaped under cover if the work takes time; the source repeats the same set of actions for each piece but does not give a separate covered rest between folds.

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Bake, serve and handle raw flour safely

Preheat the oven to 450°F (about 232°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment. Place each formed bread on the tray with its sesame coating facing up. Bake for 15 minutes, turn each bread over, and bake for 4 minutes more. Chou gives puffing and light browning as the finish cue. Let the breads cool briefly before serving.

The family shop serves shao bing with you tiao and soy milk, and Chou describes slicing the bread along one side so the cruller can fit inside while the bread remains joined. Egg is another familiar breakfast pairing in Taiwan, but it is not part of this formula. The recipe produces eight plain breads and supplies no total preparation time, storage period or batch-scaling instructions.

Raw flour can carry germs. CDC advises against eating raw dough and recommends cooking flour-containing foods according to the recipe, then washing hands, bowls, utensils and work surfaces after handling flour. This recipe's dough should not be tasted before baking. The roux is hot while it cooks, so use a heatproof pan and keep stirring as directed; its color cue belongs to the roux, not to the baked bread's safety.

The 450°F oven setting belongs to the Chou family formula. Her instructions bake the breads for 15 minutes, turn them and continue for 4 minutes, looking for puffing and light browning. The recipe gives no pan fry, internal temperature or total elapsed time. Those are meaningful limits for planning: the reader can prepare the measured batch and use the supplied oven cue, but should not infer a tested scale-up, a specific bake time for another size, or the Taichung shop's commercial oven settings.

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History

Hsiao-Ching Chou describes shao bing as a common Taiwanese breakfast and says she learned the recipe at her uncle's family shop in Taichung. Taiwan's Ministry of Education resource also lists shao bing among Taiwanese traditional breakfast foods. These sources support regional use and one family's method, not an origin date for the wider shaobing family.

Ingredients

Yield 8 flatbreads · Scaling: source batch only

All-purpose flour
710 mL3 cup as recorded
Plus more for dusting the work surface.
Vegetable oil
59 mL¼ cup as recorded
For the roux.
All-purpose flour
59 mL¼ cup as recorded
For the roux.
Boiling water
158 mL0.67 cup as recorded
For the hot-water dough.
Cold tap water
79 mL0.33 cup as recorded
For the dough.
Warm tap water
Amount not stated
1–2 tablespoons as needed if the dough feels too dry, plus more for brushing the folded breads.
Kosher salt
4.9 mL1 tsp as recorded
Sprinkled over the roux on the dough.
Sesame seeds
59 mL¼ cup as recorded
For coating the outer surface.

Method

Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Raw flour dough before baking

The dough contains uncooked flour during mixing, kneading and shaping. Do not taste it raw.

Hazard source
Hot roux

The roux uses heated oil and flour; it is stirred over medium and low heat and continues to brown after leaving the burner.

Hazard source

Do not taste the raw dough. Bake the breads following the recipe, then wash hands, utensils, bowls and work surfaces after handling flour.

Control source

Use a heatproof pan and utensil for the roux, lower the heat after adding flour, and keep stirring during cooking and while residual heat continues to brown it.

Control source

Contains wheat and sesame. Check ingredient labels and disclose sesame seeds when serving.

This recipe is a plain sesame bread. Egg and you tiao are cited as breakfast pairings, not ingredients in this batch.

  1. Make the roux first. Warm ¼ cup vegetable oil in a small pan over medium heat for about 1 minute, until it begins to shimmer. Add ¼ cup all-purpose flour and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low and stir continuously for about 3 minutes, until the roux is the color of peanut butter. Remove the pan from the heat and keep stirring for 1 minute as the residual heat darkens it slightly. Scrape into a heatproof bowl and let it cool.
  2. Put 3 cups all-purpose flour in a large mixing bowl. Add ⅔ cup boiling water and stir quickly with a wooden spoon or spatula to distribute it through the flour. Add ⅓ cup cold water and mix again. Bring the dough together by hand. If it still feels dry, add 1–2 tablespoons warm tap water as needed.
  3. Knead the dough on a work surface for about 2 minutes, until smooth. It should feel damp but not sticky.
  4. Dust the work surface lightly with flour. Roll the dough into a rectangle about 18 inches long, 12 inches wide and ¼ inch thick, with its long edge parallel to the counter. Stir the cooled roux, then spread about 4 tablespoons over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon kosher salt evenly over the roux.
  5. Starting at the long edge, roll the dough into a cylinder. Pinch the ends to seal the seam, then cut it into 8 equal portions.
  6. Preheat the oven to 450°F (about 232°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  7. For each portion, place the seam underneath and a cut spiral face toward you. Roll it to a rectangle about 5 inches by 3½ inches and ¼ inch thick. Turn it over so the seam faces upward and fold it in thirds like a letter. Turn the folded dough so its open edges are at the top and bottom, then roll to about 5 inches long.
  8. Fold the bottom edge toward the middle, then bring the top edge down to about ½ inch from the bottom. Repeat the folds and shaping for the remaining portions, setting them aside with the folded flap down.
  9. Put ¼ cup sesame seeds on a plate. Brush a little warm water on the top of each folded piece and dip the moistened face into the seeds. Press gently with the rolling pin so the seeds adhere. Place the seed side down and roll each piece to a rectangle about 5 inches long, 3½ inches wide and ¼ inch thick.
  10. Place the breads on the lined tray with the sesame side up. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip the breads and bake for 4 minutes more, until puffed and lightly browned. Cool briefly before serving.

Conditions

Yield8 flatbreads
Temperature232°C

Places

Taiwan

Documented use · Country evidence

Chou and a Taiwan Ministry of Education resource document shao bing as Taiwanese breakfast food; this does not assert origin.

See Taiwanon the mapLocation source 1 → · Location source 2 →

Taichung

Documented preparation · Locality evidence

Chou locates her uncle's family shop in Taichung and says she learned this family method there; it is not a claim that all Taiwanese shaobing are made there.

See Taichungon the mapLocation source 1 → · Location source 2 →

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