Classic Chinese Pastry Peach Crisp
The first time I made peach crisps was three years ago. I made them for my dad to take back to my great-grandmother, as I heard she loved this classic flavor. Recently, someone in our group mentioned wanting to learn how to make them, and I realized it had been ages since I last made them. With a delicate lard aroma, a hint of soda flavor, a crispy exterior, and a slightly crunchy interior, the more you chew the more aromatic it becomes. In traditional Chinese pastries, lard is typically used for layering. A vegetable oil version is a simplified version and not as authentic. Therefore, this recipe uses lard. You can render some pork fat ahead of time, cool it down, and store it for use. ❗️ Note: Do not over-render the lard. You can scoop out some of the clear portions as you render it, leaving the browned and fragrant part separately for stir-frying—it’s fantastic for that purpose!
Ingredients
Steps
Measure all the ingredients. The baking soda and baking powder can be measured directly with the flour. ❗️ If you don't have cake flour at home, regular flour will work too, but the result will be slightly crunchier.
Mix granulated sugar and lard together. ❗️ If the lard has been stored in the fridge, you can bring it to room temperature beforehand to make it easier to work with. High-quality lard is very white, almost the same color as the sugar in the picture.
Use a manual whisk or your hands to combine the lard and sugar thoroughly. Turn it a few extra rounds, and it will become a beautiful white and slightly whipped consistency. ❗️ But don't overwhip it. There's no need to specifically whip it; just mix until it's evenly combined and changes color to white.
Gradually add the egg yolks to the lard mixture, stirring until combined.
After adding the egg yolks, the mixture will look similar to butter whipped for cookies. This highlights the equal importance of the roles of the two fats—lard and butter—in Chinese and Western pastries respectively.
Sift the mixture of flour, baking soda, and baking powder into the lard mixture.
Combine the mixture using a pressing motion. ❗️ Do not knead. ❗️ Do not knead. ❗️ Stop when there’s no visible dry flour—though it may still be slightly crumbly, that’s okay.
Divide into portions of 36g each, making 9️⃣ pieces with the recipe. Roll into small balls and use your finger to make a small indentation in the center. Don’t poke all the way through; aim for a 'cone' shape. Many people who’ve made peach crisps before might find this shaping method new, but it's the magic of lard-based pastries. You’re about to witness the miracle 🤩🤩🤩
Decorate the indentations with some black sesame seeds. At this stage, the sesame seeds and dough are still relatively separate. Don’t worry, they’ll stick together after baking 😉
📣 A series of GIFs to show you the magical transformation of 'cones' into 'sunflowers'. Bake at 155-160℃ for 20 minutes, and the perfect peach crisps are ready~~~
Aren’t they beautiful~~