Scallion Pancakes – A simple dough is rolled and layered with scallion oil and freshly chopped scallions and fried until perfectly golden brown. The final product is a chewy scallion pancake that can be eaten alone or along with your meal.
When it comes to bread, I don’t discriminate. It can be yeasted, fried, baked – I love them all! These Scallion Pancakes are cooked on the stove with a little bit of oil to make them slightly crispy on the outside but perfectly chewy on the inside.
I fell in love with these scallion pancakes at first bite. I love having them around for snacks. They hold up in the fridge really well so I can have them in there all week long. They’re the perfect treat when I want something salty and also carb-ilicious.
Without further ado, here are my scallion pancakes!
What are scallion pancakes?
They are a Chinese bread made with just water, flour, and salt. It’s brushed with oil as it’s rolled and folded to creaty beautiful layers in the dough. The final layer is folded with chopped scallions before rolling out into a thin, round pancake and cooked.
They are typically served with a meal or as an appetizer. I love snacking on it alone. It’s really that good!
How to make the dough
The dough is EXTREMELY simple. It’s just flour, water, and salt mixed together. No yeast at all. The most important thing you need to remember about this dough is to use hot, boiling water.
Hot water breaks down the proteins in the flour. This makes the dough easier to roll out since the dough won’t bounce back as you roll it out.
Once the dough is formed, it’s left to rest for about 30 minutes.
Scallion oil
To infuse the scallion flavor all throughout the dough, I made a scallion oil with the scallion whites and some canola oil. This is what we’ll brush on the dough and skillet before cooking. The oil and scallions are cooked together for a few minutes to help infuse the scallion flavor into the oil and then removed from heat to steep while the dough rests.
Making the pancakes
Once the dough is ready, it’s divided into 5 even pieces. Each piece is rolled out, brushed with the homemade scallion oil and rolled into a log. The log is then rolled into a bun shape and then flattened again into a pancake. It’s brushed with more oil and then some scallions are added. It’s rolled up again and then finally flattened into the final pancake.
Frying the pancakes
A couple tablespoons of scallion oil is placed in the cast iron skillet and heated to medium. Once hot, the pancakes are added one at a time to cook for about 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
Tips & Tricks
- Hot water is a must. The hot water creates the perfect texture for the dough to make it easy to roll out.
- Very little oil. Do not brush on lots of oil when rolling out the dough. Too much oil will make it impossible to roll back out because the edges won’t seal into each other.
- Roll tightly. The dough must be rolled tightly to keep out air pockets and keep in the scallions.
- Low heat. Do not cook the pancakes on heat higher than medium. We want the outside perfectly crispy, while also making sure the inside is cooked.
Scallion Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 bunch scallions (about 1 cup chopped)
- ½ cup canola oil
Instructions
- Add flour and salt to a bowl of a stand mixer. Using a dough hook attachment, mix them together on low. With the mixer still on, slowly drizzle in hot water. Continue mixing until dough forms. If the dough is still sticking to the bowl, add another 2 tablespoons of flour.
- Once the dough is smooth, remove from the bowl and knead a few times on a clean counter. Smooth into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Leave to rest for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, chop the bunch of scallions and discard the bottom roots. Place canola oil in a small sauce pan, along with scallion whites. Set over medium heat. Cook the scallion whites for 5 minutes and then turn off heat. If the scallions are getting too browned, turn off heat sooner. Let scallions steep in the hot oil.
- Separate the dough into 5 even sections ( weigh my dough to get this exactly right). Working with one section at a time, roll into a 7-inch, thin pancake. Strain the oil to remove the scallion pieces and keep the oil. Lightly brush with a ultra-thin layer of the scallion oil. Roll up the pancake into a log. Starting at one end, tuck into the center and roll into a snail-like shape. Flatten the roll with the palm of your hand, aiming the seal all the edges into a cohesive disk. Finish rolling with a rolling pin, making it into a 7-inch disk again. Brush with another thin layer of oil. Top with about 3 tablespoons of chopped scallions. Roll again in the same way. Finish by rolling into a 7-inch disk again. Repeat with the other 5 sections of dough.
- Place cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Brush a couple tablespoons of oil on the bottom. Once hot, add a pancake and cook until it starts to turn deep golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Flip and cook for about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Repeat with the other 4 pancakes.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate and reheat within the next 5 days.
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In pre-Covid days, I used to buy these scallion pancakes from the Korean church down the block whenever they held a street fare. Now, thanks to this recipe, I can just make them at home whenever I want!!!
Here in italy we have really good scallions and I use them often in cooking. These scallion pancakes look and sound so good, eay to make too. On my to-try list!
I do not like sweet pancakes so this recipe is perfect for me! So savory and full of flavor and easy to make! Enjoyed them!
I love scallion pancakes. This with a drizzle of soy and I’m in heavy..that crispy outer crust is perfection.
We enjoyed this scallion pancake for a snack! Such easy and delicious pancakes. Thanks for the recipe.
They look so delicious! My family with love these pancakes. Great tip to use only hot water.
I really appreciate your tips for this recipe! So helpful for getting the perfect pancake every time!
OOH these look so good! I can’t wait to try them
Oh my these were so delicious! And way better homemade. Who knew they were so easy?
Enjoyed these with dinner last night and they did not disappoint! Turned out perfectly light, fluffy and delicious; easily, a new favorite recipe!
I loved these pancakes, so yummy and such a great snack! Perfect vegan treat!
So easy and much better than take out!
It’s been a while since I made scallion pancakes at home. I love them. Easy and absolutely delicious!
Perfection! And using scallion oil instead of regular oil is a revelation.
A savory treat for sure. I took the time to make scallion oil and what a game changer. You are so right, a grab and go snack is a great way to enjoy these.
These savory pancakes look so simple to make and so delicious! I’m excited to give this recipe a try. Thanks for sharing.
Never tried pancakes with scallion. WHat an interesting version. Thanks for sharing.
Once in a while I crave for salty breads and this scallion pancakes are perfect! Glad you can store this in the fridge!
These pancakes look so good and with only 5-Ingredients I am definitely going to give them a try!! The rest of your recipes look great also.
I haven’t tried pancakes like this before! I will have to make them. They look delicious!