Huaiyang Flaky Pastry / Chinese Flaky Pastry 淮揚酥皮

There are two main types of layered Chinese Flaky Pastry, the Huaiyang-style (淮揚酥皮) and the Cantonese-style (廣式擘酥). The pastry snacks made with Huaiyang-style pastry are more common and can be found in streets and shops, whereas the Cantonese-style pastry snacks are more of a speciality and usually only found in dim sum restaurants. In this post, I will be concentrating only on the Huaiyang-style flaky pastry, I will leave the Cantonese-style to a future date, if when I do decide to try my hand on making some snacks using that pastry.
The Huaiyang-style flaky pastry is the generic layer pastry in Chinese-speaking world and well known to every Chinese. It is also easier and quicker to make than the Cantonese-style – the Cantonese-style flaky pastry is more comparable to the western puff pastry where it is more time consuming to prepare. When Chinese talk about Chinese flaky pastry (酥皮), they most probably refer to the Huaiyang-style pastry, so I will refer to the Huaiyang-style flaky pastry as ‘Chinese Flaky Pastry’ from here on.
The Chinese flaky pastry is basically made up of two separate dough, one referred to as the water dough (水油麵皮), the other the lard or shortened dough (油酥麵皮). The basic water dough consists of flour, water and lard in the proportion of roughly 5 : 2-2.5 : 1-1.25 depending on recipes. In some recipes, a little bit of sugar or salt is added for flavour, but traditionally no flavouring is added. Although lard is the traditional fat used, nowadays shortening, butter or margarine, or even liquid cooking oil could also be used instead of lard, depending on recipes. The lard dough consists of flour and lard in the proportion of roughly 2 : 1.
After the water dough and lard dough are mixed separately, the lard dough is wrapped inside the water dough, then the combined dough is layered by rolling and folding similar to making puff pastry. Two methods are used to accomplish the layering of the dough, the large-scale method (大包酥) or the small-scale method (小包酥). The large-scale method is quick and able to produce a larger quantity in a shorter time frame but the resultant layers are not as distinct and delicate. The small-scale method is slow and more suitable for preparation in domestic homes in small quantity, but it produces a more distinct and delicate layering effect. I will only show the small-scale method here in this post, as I had previously done the larger-scale method shown here.
Once the layering is done, the resultant dough pieces can be used to produce three different types of shaping – hidden layering (暗酥), half-hidden layering (半暗酥) and visible layering (明酥).
With the hidden layering, the layering cannot be seen on the outside of the end product, as the layering is in the cross-section. This is the easiest and most common method for beginners to master.
The half-hidden layering is one where only half of the layering is visible on the outside of the end product. I have only read about this and have not seen the actual end product with this shaping, so I will not show how to do this here at the present time.
As the name implies, the visible layering is one where the layering can be seen on the outside of the end product. Within the visible layering, there are spiral layering (圓酥) and parallel layering (直酥).
So now, here are the basic techniques of making and shaping Chinese Flaky Pastry.

Technique for Making Chinese Flaky Pastry using Small-Scale Method
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1. First make the water dough and lard dough separately according to recipe. Divide the water dough and lard dough into small equal portions according to the recipe. Take a piece of water dough and a piece of lard dough. Roll out the water dough into a flat circle. Place the rounded lard dough in the centre of the flat circle.
2. Gather the outer edges of the water dough circle and wrap up the lard dough ball.
3. Pinch and seal the edges.

4. With the heel of your palm, gently press the dough down to flatten it lightly.
5. Using a small rolling pin, roll out the dough.
6. Roll the dough up Swiss-roll style.
7. Make sure you roll it tight.

8. Turn the rolled dough 90 degrees.
9. Roll out the dough again.
10. Roll up Swiss-roll style again
11. Cover the dough and rest for 15 minutes and then it is ready for filling and shaping.

Technique for Hidden Layering shaping 暗酥

12. With the heel of your palm, gently press the dough down to flatten it lightly.
13. Roll out the dough.
14. Place filling in the centre.
15. Gather the outer edges of the dough circle and wrap up the filling.

16. Pinch and seal the edges making sure the seal is tight. (This is ready for baking if the recipe calls for pau shape.)
17. Turn the dough upside down so the sealed end is underneath.
18. Egg wash the surface if desired and bake or deep-fry according to recipe.

Baked Hidden-Layering Pastry (with egg wash).

The cross-section of Baked Hidden-Layering Pastry.

Technique for Visible Layering – Spiral (Escargot) shaping 圓酥

1. Proceed with Technique for Making Chinese Flaky Pastry using Small-Scale Method up to step 11.
2. Cut the dough crosswise into two pieces.

3. The cut surface reveals the spiral layering.

4. Turn the dough so the cut surface is facing downward.
5. With the heel of your palm, gently press the dough down to flatten it lightly.
6. Roll out the dough.
7. Place filling in the centre.

8. Gather the outer edges of the dough circle and wrap up the filling.
9. Pinch and seal the edges making sure the seal is tight.

10. Turn the dough upside down so the sealed end is underneath. Bake or deep-fry according to recipe (do not egg wash as it will destroy the layering effect).

Baked Spiral-Layering Pastry.

Technique for Visible Layering – Parallel shaping 直酥

1. Proceed with Technique for Making Chinese Flaky Pastry using Small-Scale Method up to step 11.
2. Cut the dough lengthways into two pieces.

3. The cut surface reveals the parallel layering.

4. Turn the dough so the cut surface is facing downward.
5. With the heel of your palm, gently press the dough down to flatten it lightly.
6. Roll out the dough.
7. Place filling in the centre. Gather the outer edges of the dough circle and wrap up the filling.

8. Pinch and seal the edges making sure the seal is tight.
9. Turn the dough upside down so the sealed end is underneath. Bake or deep-fry according to recipe (do not egg wash as it will destroy the layering effect).

Baked Parallel-Layering Pastry.

Finally, for turnovers like Spiral Curry Puffs, here’s a YouTube tutorial I found teaching you how to crimp the edges.