Making mooncakes is a traditional and fun activity. Here is a simple and easy-to-understand guide for making mooncakes.
First, make sure you have all the ingredients ready: the mooncake skin requires flour, golden syrup, corn oil, and lye water; as for the filling, you can choose red bean paste, salted egg yolk, or your personal favorite flavor.
Next, mix the golden syrup and corn oil evenly, add a small amount of lye water, and whisk thoroughly. Then, slowly sift in the low-gluten flour and gently fold with a silicone spatula until a dough forms. Cover and let the dough rest for about two to three hours.
During this time, you can roll the filling and dough into small balls weighing 25 grams each for later use.
Once the dough has rested, take a small piece and flatten it, wrap it around the filling, and use the tiger mouth technique to slowly seal it, placing the sealed side facing up in the mold. Clean and dry the mold in advance, place your favorite pattern template inside, sprinkle some dry flour inside the mold to prevent sticking, and then place the wrapped mooncake dough inside, gently pressing to shape it.
Next, put the molded mooncakes into a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius. First, spray a little water mist, preheat for five minutes, then adjust to 190 degrees and continue baking for five minutes to set the shape. After that, remove the mooncakes, brush the surface with a layer of egg yolk or egg white, and put them back in the oven. Adjust the temperature to 170 degrees and bake for 15 minutes until the surface of the mooncakes turns golden brown.
Finally, let the baked mooncakes cool down, and once the surface becomes shiny with oil, you can enjoy your homemade sweet mooncakes. By following the steps above, even beginners can easily enjoy the fun and achievement of making their own mooncakes.
