Taiwanese Sesame Shao Bing
A Taichung family recipe uses a hot-and-cool water dough, vegetable-oil roux, repeated folds and sesame seeds for crisp, layered shaobing.
Modern method
Youtiao
油条 (yóutiáo) · Chinese fried dough · Chinese crullers
Youtiao are Chinese breakfast crullers made from soft baking-powder dough, chilled overnight, stretched into paired strips and fried until light golden.
A baking-powder household formula
Youtiao are long fried dough sticks often eaten at breakfast in China. Judy Leung's home formula uses baking powder rather than the older leavening systems used in other versions. It is a distinct recipe: a soft dough with egg, milk and butter rests briefly, chills overnight, then returns to room temperature before it is stretched and fried. This page does not describe yeast fermentation or substitute historic additive formulas.
The recipe card lists about one-third cup of water, while its accompanying notes allow one-third to one-half cup because measuring and kitchen humidity change how much the flour absorbs. Add it gradually and use the dough cue—very soft but not sticking to the bowl—rather than treating one amount as exact. The card says it serves ten, while its notes give eight to ten pieces.
Sources for this section
Chill, then bring the dough back carefully
After kneading for fifteen minutes in a mixer, cover the dough for a thirty-minute rest. Roll it into a uniform slab about one-quarter inch thick and four inches wide, wrap it completely in plastic, and refrigerate it overnight. The next day, let the wrapped slab warm until it is at room temperature and very soft; Leung's instructions allow one to three hours or longer in a cool kitchen.
This dough contains egg and milk. A one-to-three-hour or longer counter rest can exceed FDA guidance for perishable foods: no more than two hours at room temperature, or one hour if the air is above 90°F (32°C). This version keeps the wrapped overnight chill and caps the counter rest at those limits. If the dough has not reached the soft, room-temperature cue by then, do not leave it out longer; no safe alternative is established here. CDC advises against tasting raw dough and recommends cleaning hands, bowls and surfaces after handling raw flour or eggs.
Sources for this section
Pair, stretch and fry at a measured heat
Use a deep wok or a deep pan and a thermometer to follow the narrow frying range. Leung's method heats oil slowly over medium heat to 400–425°F (205–220°C), without going above that oil's smoke point. The recipe does not specify oil type or volume; use an oil whose smoke point is higher than the target. Health Canada recommends adding oil with the burner off, heating it slowly, watching the pan, and never leaving it unattended.
Cut the slab into an even number of one-inch strips. Stack them in pairs, press each pair lengthwise with a chopstick, and stretch gently to about nine inches. Do not twist the strips. Lower one or two at a time into the oil and keep rolling them with chopsticks or tongs for about a minute until light golden. Avoid over-frying. Keep people clear of splashes and a metal lid or kitchen fire extinguisher close; never use water on an oil fire. The recipe suggests freezing cooked leftovers and warming them in an oven or toaster oven.
Sources for this section
History
The Woks of Life describes youtiao (油条) as a Chinese breakfast food served with foods such as congee and soy milk. It also records a Cantonese name, yàuhjagwái, but does not assign this baking-powder formula to a specific region or date the bread's earliest history.
Ingredients
Yield 10 pieces · Scaling: source batch only
473 mL2 cup as recorded
2.5 mL½ tsp as recorded
7.4 mL1½ tsp as recorded
15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
Unsalted buttersoftened, not melted
30 mL2 tbsp as recorded
Amount not stated
1/3–1/2 cup (80–120 mL); the source says the amount varies with measuring and kitchen humidity; add gradually until the dough is very soft but does not stick to the bowlAmount not stated
for deep frying; the source does not specify a volume or oil typeMethod
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Raw flour and egg dough before frying
Uncooked flour and raw egg can carry germs before the dough is cooked.
Hazard sourceHot deep-frying oil
The recipe heats oil to 205–220°C; hot oil can splatter, cause severe burns or start a cooking fire.
Hazard sourceRoom-temperature warming after refrigeration
The source dough contains egg and milk and instructs a 1–3 hour or longer counter rest; the FDA room-temperature limit for perishable foods can be exceeded.
Hazard sourceDo not taste raw dough. Cook it according to the recipe and wash hands, bowls, utensils and counters after handling flour, egg or dough.
Control sourceKeep the wrapped dough refrigerated at or below 40°F (4°C) overnight; limit total room-temperature time to 2 hours, or 1 hour if the room is above 90°F (32°C). If the source texture cue is not reached within that limit, do not extend the counter rest.
Control sourceFor stovetop frying, add oil while the burner is off, heat it slowly and monitor it with a cooking thermometer. Stay with the pan, keep people away from splashes and keep a metal lid or kitchen fire extinguisher nearby; never use water on an oil fire.
Control sourceThe recipe's original 1–3 hour or longer return-to-room-temperature instruction can exceed FDA's room-temperature limit for perishable foods. This version applies the two-hour limit, shortened to one hour above 90°F (32°C); if the dough is still too cool or firm, the source provides no safe workaround.
Use oil whose smoke point is above the recipe's 205–220°C (400–425°F) frying range; the source does not name an oil type.
The source gives a one-minute fry and a light-golden visual cue, but no measured internal-cooking endpoint.
- With a dough hook on the mixer’s lowest setting, mix the flour, egg, salt, baking powder, milk and softened butter. Add 1/3–1/2 cup water gradually in several additions; use only enough to make a very soft dough that does not stick to the bowl. Hand mixing is also an option; knead 5–10 minutes longer.
- Knead for 15 minutes in the mixer, or 20–25 minutes by hand. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a uniform flat slab about 1/4 inch thick and 4 inches wide. Set it on a long tray or plate, wrap it fully in plastic, and refrigerate overnight.
- Leave the wrapped dough at room temperature until it feels very soft, usually 1–3 hours or longer. Because the dough contains egg and milk, keep total room-temperature time within FDA guidance: no more than 2 hours, or 1 hour if the room is above 90°F (32°C). If it has not softened by then, do not extend the counter rest; no safe alternative is established here.
- Use a deep wok or pan, a frying thermometer and long chopsticks or tongs. Add oil while the burner is off, then heat it slowly over medium heat to 400–425°F (205–220°C). Keep the oil below its own smoke point; smoke points vary by oil.
- Unwrap the dough onto a lightly floured surface and dust its top lightly. Cut an even number of 1-inch strips. Stack them in pairs and press each pair lengthwise down the middle with a chopstick. Hold the ends and stretch each pair gently to about 9 inches without twisting.
- Lower pieces carefully into the oil; fry one or two at a time, rolling them continuously for about a minute until light golden. Maintain the frying temperature without exceeding the oil’s smoke point; avoid over-frying.
- Repeat with the remaining pieces. Serve fresh. The recipe page suggests freezing cooked leftovers in a sealed bag and warming them in an oven or toaster oven.
Conditions
Yield10 pieces
Temperature205–220°C
Places
China
Documented use · Country evidenceThe recipe page describes youtiao as a breakfast favorite in China. It does not assign the home formula to a specific Chinese region.
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Sources
The Woks of LifeHousehold recipe · Geographic context
Youtiao Recipe (Chinese Fried Dough)The recipe card lists 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 tablespoon milk, 2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter, water and frying oil.
The page gives a water range of 1/3–1/2 cup (80–120 ml) and says it varies with kitchen humidity; it describes a soft dough that does not stick to the bowl.
The method mixes and kneads for 15 minutes, rests for 30 minutes, shapes a 1/4-inch by 4-inch slab, wraps and refrigerates overnight, then warms wrapped dough for 1–3 hours or longer until room temperature and very soft.
The recipe fries paired 1-inch strips stretched to 9 inches at 400–425°F (205–220°C), below the oil's variable smoke point, rolling them for about a minute and limiting batches to one or two at a time.
The card says it serves 10; notes say 8–10 pieces. It suggests freezing fried leftovers and reheating in an oven or toaster oven. The page describes youtiao as a Chinese breakfast food and mentions a Cantonese name without assigning a region to this recipe.
Cited in: A baking-powder household formula; Chill, then bring the dough back carefully; Pair, stretch and fry at a measured heat
Centers for Disease Control and PreventionFood safety guidance
Raw Flour and DoughRaw flour and eggs can contain germs; do not eat or taste raw dough; cook flour-containing dough according to recipe directions; clean hands, bowls, utensils and counters after handling.
Cited in: Chill, then bring the dough back carefully
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationFood safety guidance
Are You Storing Food Safely?The FDA advises keeping the refrigerator at or below 40°F (4°C) and keeping perishable foods at room temperature no more than 2 hours, or 1 hour when the air temperature is above 90°F.
Cited in: Chill, then bring the dough back carefully
Health CanadaDeep frying safety guidance
Cooking safetyHealth Canada says a controlled electric deep fryer is safer than stovetop frying; in a pot or pan, add oil with the element off and monitor with a cooking thermometer.
It advises heating oil slowly, watching it while heating and cooking, keeping people away from hot oil, and never leaving a fryer unattended.
For an oil fire, use a kitchen fire extinguisher or cover the fryer with a metal lid; never use water.
Cited in: Pair, stretch and fry at a measured heat