Shao Bing Jia Dan
燒餅夾蛋·(shāo bǐng jiā dàn)
Zao Can (早餐) – The Morning Hustle
The secret to a real Taiwanese breakfast isn't a massive clay oven—it's knowing exactly how to treat the dough. We use warm water to coax out tenderness, and a cooked oil-and-flour roux to build shatteringly crisp layers without a single pat of butter. Swipe the inside with a quick, homemade garlic soy paste before sliding in a blistering wok-seared scallion egg. One bite, and you're standing on a chaotic, beautiful street corner in Taipei at six in the morning.
Before you start
Simmer the garlic soy paste.
In a small saucepan, bring the soy sauce, 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar, 4 tablespoons of water, and grated garlic to a gentle simmer, then whisk in the cornstarch slurry and cook for 30 seconds until glossy and thick.
Toast the oil roux.
In a small skillet, heat 1/4 cup of oil over medium-low, stir in 1/2 cup of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the five-spice, and cook for 5 minutes until golden and nutty, then let cool completely to room temperature.
Ingredients
- soy sauce3 tbsp
- sugar1 1/2 tbsp
- water4 tbsp
- garlic clove1 large
- cornstarch1 tsp
- neutral cooking oil1/4 cup
- all-purpose flour1/2 cup
- fine sea salt1/2 tsp
- five-spice powder1/4 tsp
- all-purpose flour2 1/2 cup
- instant yeast1 tsp
- sugar1 tbsp
- fine sea salt1/2 tsp
- water3/4 cup
- neutral cooking oil1 tbsp
- sugar1 tbsp
- raw white sesame seeds1/2 cup
- eggs6 large
- scallions3 med
- salt1/8 tsp
- white pepper1/8 tsp
- neutral cooking oil2 tbsp
Method
- 01
Whisk the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl.
Pour in the warm water and oil, stirring with chopsticks until a shaggy dough forms.
- 02
Knead the dough on a work surface for about eight minutes until smooth and elastic.
Cover it with a damp towel and let it rest for an hour until noticeably puffed.
- 03
Roll the rested dough into a large rectangle and spread the cooled oil roux evenly across the surface.
Starting from the long bottom edge, roll the dough up tightly into a long log and pinch the seam shut.
- 04
Divide the log into six equal pieces and pinch the exposed cut ends shut to trap the roux.
Flatten each piece gently, roll into a short oval, fold into thirds like a letter, then roll out one last time into a three-by-five inch rectangle.
- 05
Brush the top of each dough rectangle with sugar water and press firmly into a plate of raw sesame seeds.
Place them seed-side up on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 425°F for 12 to 15 minutes until puffed and golden.
- 06
Sear the scallion eggs in a hot, oiled skillet just before serving.
Toss the chopped scallions with a pinch of salt to draw out moisture, whisk in the eggs and white pepper, and fry in hot oil, folding the egg into rough rectangles to match the bread.
- 07
Slice the warm flatbread open, smear the inside with garlic soy paste, and slide in the hot scallion egg.
Eat immediately while it is delightfully messy and flaky.
Notes
Freeze baked flatbreads for chaotic weekday mornings.
Bake a full batch on Sunday, cool completely, and freeze in an airtight bag; reheat directly in a 350°F toaster oven for eight minutes.
Rescue store-bought flatbreads with scratch-made fillings.
If you are short on time, use frozen shao bing from the Asian grocer, but never skip the homemade garlic soy paste and the freshly seared scallion egg.