Wife Cake 老婆餅

Kung Hey Fat Choi ! Good Wishes to all of You in the Year of Rabbit !!

Traditional food to celebrate Chinese New Year involves a lot of deep frying. Since I seldom do any deep frying at home, I'll stick to baking for the new year.
There are many stories about the origin of this pastry. But whatever it was, the inventor was very creative. Like other kinds of traditional pastries, it is loaded with lard. I'm so glad that there are many versions nowadays that use other forms of oil/fat which produces comparable results.
Sweetened winter melon is the original filling for wife cakes. They are widely available now during Chinese New Year.

make 12 (3 inches in diameter) cakes

"Water" dough
150g /1 2/3 cup cake flour
30g /2.5 tbsp sugar
30g /2.5 tbsp vegetable shortening, preferably Spectrum, non-hydrogenated
80g/0.3 cup water

"Oil" dough
100g / 1 cup cake flour
80g /6.5 tbsp vegetable shortening, preferably Spectrum, non-hydrogenated

filling:
30g/4-5 pieces sweetened winter melon slices, diced
60g / 1/3 cup sugar
10g / 1 tbsp sesame seeds
20g / 4 tbsp coconut shreds
55g / 1/3 cup cooked glutinous flour
25g / 2 tbsp vegetable oil
65g / 0.25 cup water

1)  Make the water dough by mixing the flour, shortening and water together into a smooth ball. Cover and rest for 1 hour.
2)  Make the oil dough by mixing the flour and shortening into a ball. Cover and rest for 1 hour as well.

3)  Make the filling by rinsing the melon slices, drying with paper towels and cutting into small pieces. Then mix all the ingredients together and divide into 12 balls. Set aside.
4)  Divide the two doughs into 12 equal balls each.
5)  Flatten a ball of water dough and wrap it around a ball of oil dough. Roll out gently to an oval shape and roll it up. Do the same for the rest of the balls.

6)  Flatten the dough and put the filling ball in and wrap it up. Gently flatten it and use a fork to carefully poke holes for steam to release.

7)  Brush with beaten egg and bake in a preheated 410 F oven for 10 minutes, then lower it to 350 F for another 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes:

1)  If sweetened winter melon is not available in your area, it is ok to omit it. 

2)  The shortening I use is non-hydrogenated, a more healthier version than Crisco. It is available in Henry's Market (now it is called Sprouts) or other specialty food stores.

3)  If the cooked glutinous flour is not available, make your own by cooking some in a pan (without any oil), stirring often until it is slightly yellow or brown.
4)  Be careful when rolling out the dough. Try not to let the oil dough to break out from the water dough.
5) Don't forget to poke holes, otherwise it will puff up in the oven like a ball.

恭喜恭喜!恭祝大家兔年快樂,心想事成,主恩滿溢!

老婆餅

因為我很少開油鑊做炸的食品,所以雖然很喜歡食油角煎堆等新年食物,但都沒有做。但為了應節,怎樣也要做點中式食物。

關於老婆餅來源的說法眾多,但無論如何,我覺得發明這餅的人很有創意。這些傳统糕點,大部份都是用豬油做,但現在流行用菜油做,味道及質感都差不多,但就健康得多。

我曾經做過的食譜是用糖、牛油及糯米粉做餡料,口感不及傳统的用糖冬瓜的好,現在農曆新年期間,中式糖果到處都有,正好買些糖冬瓜做老婆餅 !

此份量可做約十二個約三寸大的餅

水皮材料:
150g / 1 2/3 杯 低筋麵粉
20g / 1.5湯匙 糖
30g / 2.5湯匙 固體菜油
80g /0.3杯 水

油皮材料:
100g /1杯 低筋麵粉
80g / 6.5湯匙 固體菜油

餡材料:
30g  糖冬瓜
60g / 0.3杯 糖
10g / 1湯匙 白芝麻
20g / 4湯匙 椰絲
55g / 0.3杯 糕粉
25g / 2湯匙 菜油
65g / 約四份一杯 水

1)  分別將水皮及油皮搓成光滑粉糰,用保鮮紙蓋着,靜待一小時。
2)  將糖冬瓜清洗一下,用刀切碎,加入其他材料,攪勻,分十二份。
3)  將水皮及油皮各分成十二份,壓平水皮,包起油皮成球狀,再壓平捍成長條形,輕輕卷起。
4)  將粉糰壓平捍成圓形,包入餡料,再輕輕壓扁,用叉輕插小孔。
5)  掃上蛋液,放入已預熱410F焗爐,焗10分鐘,將爐温降至350F, 再焗10分鐘至金黄色。

注意事項:

1)  如沒有糖冬瓜,可以不落,但口感會稍差。
2)  我用的固體菜油是有機及沒有氫化的植物油,比較健康。
3)  如找不到熟糕粉,可以自已用白鑊抄熟糯米粉至微黄色便可。
4)  捍麵糰時要小心,盡量不要讓油皮爆出來。

5)  謹記用叉插孔,否則焗後會變成一個球狀。