Hollow sesame doughnuts (banh tieu)
Banh tieu is a well-loved fried street snack that puffs up round like a balloon, with a thin, crisp, sesame-coated shell and a soft, hollow inside. Lightly sweet and fragrant with toasted sesame, it is delicious on its own or stuffed with a piece of steamed rice cake.
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Rising or chilling
- 1 hr 15 min
- Total time
- 2 hr 10 min
- Method
- Fried
Ingredients
Dough
Sesame coating
Frying oil
Instructions
Step 1
Mix 300 g all-purpose flour, 60 g granulated sugar, 4 g instant yeast, 4 g baking powder and a pinch salt in a bowl, then gradually pour in 180 g warm water, stirring with a wooden spoon. Warm water wakes the yeast quickly and dissolves the sugar evenly. The mixture is ready when it comes together into a shaggy dough with no dry flour left at the bottom of the bowl.
Step 2
Add 15 g vegetable oil to the dough and knead on the counter for about 10 minutes. Thorough kneading builds a gluten network strong enough to trap steam, so the doughnuts puff up hollow in the oil. The dough is ready when it is smooth, soft and elastic, and a small piece stretches into a thin windowpane without tearing right away.
Step 3
Shape the dough into a ball, place it in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm spot for about an hour. The yeast needs time to make gas so the shells turn out thin and light. The dough is ready when it has doubled in size and a fingertip dent slowly fills back in.
Step 4
Gently punch the dough down, cut it into twelve equal pieces with a knife and roll each piece into a tight ball. Even portions cook at the same time and puff up the same way. The balls are ready when they are smooth and round with the seams pinched closed underneath.
Step 5
Arrange the balls on a tray, cover with a towel and let them rest for about 15 minutes. Rested dough relaxes, so it rolls out thin more easily without shrinking back. The balls are ready when they have swelled slightly and feel softer to the touch.
Step 6
Scatter 30 g white sesame seeds on a plate, dip one side of each ball in a little water and press it into the sesame, then roll it into a round about three millimeters thick. The thin film of water makes the sesame stick firmly so it does not fall off into the oil. The rounds are ready when they are evenly round, about ten centimeters across, with the top fully covered in sesame.
Step 7
Pour oil for deep-frying (to taste) into a deep pan and heat it over medium heat to about 170°C. Oil at the right temperature makes the doughnuts puff at once without soaking up grease. The oil is ready when a small piece of dough sizzles evenly all around and floats up within a few seconds.
Step 8
Slide in one round at a time and keep ladling oil over the top until it puffs up into a ball, then flip it and fry for about one more minute. Ladling hot oil over the top splits the dough into two layers with steam and creates the hollow center. The doughnuts are ready when they are puffed tight like a balloon and evenly golden on both sides.
Step 9
Lift the doughnuts out and stand them on a rack or paper towels for a few minutes to drain. Standing them up lets all the oil run off so the shells stay crisp. They are ready when the surface is dry, they feel light and they sound crisp when tapped.
Equipment
- Deep skillet
- Thermometer
- Mixing bowl
- Rolling pin
- Bench scraper
- Kitchen scale
- Plastic wrap
- Wire cooling rack
Tips
- Fry one test doughnut first to adjust the oil temperature, because oil that is too hot burns the dough before it has time to puff.
- Roll each round to an even thickness from the center to the edge, since spots that are too thick or too thin keep it from puffing into a ball.
- Banh tieu stuffed with a piece of steamed rice cake (banh bo) is a much-loved way to eat it in southern Vietnam.
Storage
Banh tieu is best within the first few hours after frying. You can keep it in a paper bag at room temperature until the end of the day, then reheat it in an air fryer or oven for about three minutes to crisp the shell again.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The doughnuts do not puff and turn out flat and hard.
- The dough was underproofed, rolled too thin or the oil was not hot enough. Let the dough rise until doubled, roll it about three millimeters thick and keep ladling oil over the top as it fries.
- The doughnuts are greasy and limp.
- The oil was too cool, so the doughnuts sat in the pan too long. Check the oil temperature and fry only one or two at a time so it does not drop.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
