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Chinese Sesame-Scallion Bread
This bread, known as zhima dabing—which translates as “large sesame pancake”—is similar to Chinese scallion pancakes, but is larger, thicker and has a lighter, fluffier crumb. The addition of sweet (also called glutinous) rice flour gives the crust a unique crispness and the interior a satisfying chew. If you can't find sweet rice flour with the baking ingredients, check the Asian aisle for a white box labeled “mochiko,” the Japanese term for the flour. Chop the scallions by thinly slicing them first, then running the knife over them a few times to further break them down. To keep the scallions fresh, prep them toward the end of the dough's one-hour rising time.
4
Servings
Tip
Don't use regular rice flour in place of the sweet rice flour, as it won't produce the same texture. Don't use pretoasted sesame seeds, as the seeds brown deeply as the bread cooks; already toasted seeds may end up scorched and bitter. Don't worry if some scallions are exposed on the surface of the dough as you flatten it into a round; this is normal.
2 hours
30 minutes active
Ingredients
-
217
grams (1⅔ cups) all-purpose flour, plus more if needed
-
39
grams (¼ cup) sweet (glutinous) rice flour
Directions
-
01In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix both flours, the yeast and ½ teaspoon of salt on low until combined, about 30 seconds. In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, whisk the water and honey until dissolved. With the mixer on low, slowly pour the honey water into the flour mixture. Continue mixing on low until an evenly moistened dough forms, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and check the dough; if it feels wet or very sticky, add an additional 1 to 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Continue mixing on low until smooth, about 4 minutes. The dough should feel tacky but not stick to your fingers.
Reviews
November 22, 2024
Delicious!
I’ve made this several times and love the taste and texture. I also like that it’s made on the stovetop. This is my go-to bread during the summer when I don’t want to use the oven. If you haven’t made it yet, I encourage you to do so. My one piece of advice would be to ensure you make a tight coil; otherwise, it may come apart when you flip it (I learned that the first time I made it).
December 2, 2023
Delicious treat
Didn’t have the glutinous rice flour so used potato starch. Worked out fine!
July 9, 2023
Try it with garlic scapes
This is a great recipe, but in all honesty, I have never exactly made it as written. I used garlic scapes from my garden instead of scallions the first time and loved it so much that I have never made it with scallions, though I’m sure it would be delightful as well. The only issue I sometimes have is trying to get the coils of dough to stay together when baking. It sometimes pulls apart, but that’s not a huge deal for me.
February 23, 2023
Love it!
Cooked one minute more on each side and it was just done. Maybe use some Maldon for the last 1/2 t of salt? Or some soy sauce powder?
February 20, 2026
Fantastic texture
We’ve eaten this in restaurants many times and loved it. It was very satisfying to easily reproduce it at home.
I was going to make the same comment. I've made this bread about 4 times before, trying different stovetop heats and burners, and it never worked to my liking. Either it was cooked through and a bit burned on the outside, or a nice caramel brown and slightly raw in the inside. I did mine at 375 for 30 and it was perfect.
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I found that cooking the bread on the stove top left it too moist. I brown it in the skillet and then place it in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until the inside temperature reaches 200 degrees.