{"id":4029,"date":"2023-05-02T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-01T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fd5.b5b.myftpupload.com\/?p=4029"},"modified":"2025-06-23T09:24:08","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T01:24:08","slug":"youtiao-chinese-doughnut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chinasichuanfood.com\/youtiao-chinese-doughnut\/","title":{"rendered":"Youtiao-Chinese Doughnut Sticks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Youtiao, possibly is the most well-known Chinese breakfast<\/a>. It is usually served with congee or soy milk. Chinese youtiao and soy milk are believed to be the best partners. With this recipe, you can learn how to make youtiao at home with that beautiful golden brown color and crispy shell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why you need to try this<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I have simplified the process and require the least effort in kneading the dough. With this simple method, you can make super fluffy youtiao with beautiful colors. All we need is to knead the dough until almost smooth, stretch, resting and assembling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s Youtiao- y\u00f3uti\u00e1o (\u6cb9\u6761)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Youtiao<\/strong><\/em> also known as Chinese oil stick<\/strong><\/em>, Chinese doughnut or Chinese cruller<\/em><\/strong> is a traditional Chinese breakfast. Youtiao in fact is a deep-fried Chinese breadstick<\/strong><\/em>. The perfect match with Youtiao is soy milk. Once the breadstick soaks in the soy milk, the bouffant texture will absorb the soy milk and thus creating a very special taste. It is also a street food in China like many other options like tanghulu<\/a>, jian bing<\/a> and etc. You can get it in breakfast restaurants or from street vendors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since Youtiao is deep-fried, it is not as popular as in the old days. We eat this possibly only once a month because of our weight problems. But it can always bring happy memories. We ate youtiao and soy milk almost everyday in high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Some background theory of making youtiao at home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After testing and reading, I finally get my youtiao recipe figured out. let’s start with my conclusions: t<\/span>he inflation or expansion of youtiao is due to carbon dioxide and ammonia released by the agent (there is a specialized youtiao agent, but we are using baking powder) after chemical reactions. When the gas is generated, the dough expands based on the elasticity and ductility of the gluten. So we need to overlay two pieces together and press a mark in the center.  When heated by the hot oil, the outside gets settled quickly. While the inner part is still cooler and soft, the dough can continually expand with the effects of the air pockets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The dough variations <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are two variations of the youtiao dough. One is with yeast and the other is using baking powder. I started my journey by using a yeast version, but sooner or later, I find it quite hard to handle the yeast youtiao dough. So after reading several \u201cacademic\u201d  papers about how to make youtiao, I turn my option to the baking powder version. This is the new version and it is quite easier to handle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udcadTips for a perfect youtiao dough<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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  1. I recommend using all-purpose flour <\/strong>because it contains an appropriate content of gluten and can provide enough support for elasticity, but not too strong to make the dough tough to handle. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Recommend you use a kitchen scale<\/strong> to measure all the ingredients as the amounts of ingredients are crucial to success. If you plan to use cups, remember we use a dip and sweep method. Don’t shift the flour before using it. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. You need to rest the dough for enough time<\/strong> so the gluten can be well relaxed and can expand during the deep-frying process (I will recommend 3 hours). If you plan to rest in the fridge, remember to transfer the dough to come back to room temperature before deep-frying.<\/strong> Cold dough will influence the temperature of the oil and cause failure. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. The dough might be a little bit sticky because it contains lots of liquid content. You may feel the dough is a little bit sticky at first and quite hard to knead, I will recommend using a punching method shown in the video. But please don’t change the ratio or add extra flour to avoid sticky problems. <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    Oil temperature is the key to success <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    I will recommend you use a kitchen thermometer to watch the temperature, it will crease the success rate greatly. The temperature should be around 180 degrees C to 190 degrees C. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But if you don’t have one, I suggest starting with the corners. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Ingredients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n