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Scallion Pancakes with Sourdough Discard
Scallion pancakes, or cong you bing, are flaky and crispy on the outside, and chewy and flavor-packed on the inside. Originally from China, this savory, multilayered unleavened bread has the mild grassy-onion flavor of scallions and the distinctively nutty flavor of toasted sesame oil. Add to that the fermentation flavors of sourdough starter, and these scallion pancakes unforgettable — so worth the effort of rolling and coiling the dough multiple times.
The recipe below is a spin off of the “Extra-Flaky Scallion Pancakes Recipe” of Kenji Lopez-Alt on SeriousEats.com. My modifications consist of adding sourdough starter (discard) and reducing the water to compensate. You can make 4-5 pancakes with the slightly larger dough in my recipe. I made five and they fit nicely in my 10-inch nonstick pan.
Crispy, chewy, and flavorful
Scallion pancakes do take a little more effort because of the layering of the dough, however, they’re a good example of the saying, “Perfection is the enemy of good.” Your circles can be more like amoebas, a few scallions can break through the dough, and the final product will still blow you away. See the photo gallery after the recipe for more photos of every step.
Rolled and coiled to “perfectly” good.
The dipping sauce in the recipe below is a combination of the one included in Kenji Lopez-Alt’s recipe and one I’d made from the food prep list of the dumpling-making class of Mei Mei Restaurant. I have made those delicious dumplings, and at some point I’ll actually take the class to improve my shaping.
Scallion Pancakes with Sourdough Discard
Scallion pancakes are a savory treat bursting with flavor even before you add sourdough starter to the equation. With the added fermentation flavors and the tangy soy-vinegar dipping sauce, these scallion pancakes will wow you. The extra layers and amazing flakiness come from multiple rounds of rolling and spiraling, a technique in the original recipe of Kenji Lopez-Alt.
Ingredients
Dough
Layering
Cooking
Dipping Sauce
Instructions
Shopping List
Scallion Pancakes with Sourdough Discard