Mooncakes, as a traditional Chinese delicacy, are particularly beloved by people all over the country during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Although the making of mooncakes is relatively complex and most families opt to buy them from stores, baking enthusiasts enjoy the fun of making their own mooncakes. Here is a brief introduction to three common types of mooncake crusts: traditional mooncake crust, Cantonese mooncake crust, and snow skin mooncake crust.
Traditional mooncake crust requires ingredients including 200 grams of low-gluten flour, 160 grams of malt syrup, 50 grams of oil, 3 grams of lye water, green bean paste filling balls, and egg yolk liquid. First, mix the heated melted syrup with lye water, then add the edible oil and mix well. Next, sift in the low-gluten flour and gently mix until it forms a dough, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to relax. When making the mooncake, you can follow a ratio of 6:4 for the filling and crust, flatten the dough to wrap the green bean paste filling, seal and roll it into a ball, sprinkle a small amount of dry flour on the surface, and press it into shape with a mold. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees, bake for 8-10 minutes, brush with egg yolk liquid, and then bake at 200 degrees for another 8-10 minutes. After cooling, seal it to reabsorb the oil.
Cantonese mooncake crust requires 100 grams of low-gluten flour, 80 grams of inverted syrup, 25 grams of vegetable oil, and 1 gram of lye water. Mix the sifted flour with inverted syrup, lye water, and gradually added oil to knead into a dough and let it rest for two hours. When wrapping the filling, flatten the crust, place the filling, gradually push the crust to seal it, and roll it into a ball. Place it in the mold to compress into shape, brush with egg yolk liquid before baking, and bake at 200 degrees for 15 minutes.
Snow skin mooncake crust requires ingredients including glutinous rice flour, sticky rice flour, plain flour, powdered sugar, condensed milk, milk, oil, and red bean paste filling. Mix all the dry and liquid ingredients until there are no lumps, steam until cooked, and cool down. Some of the flour needs to be cooked over low heat to serve as dusting flour. Divide the snow skin and filling, wrap the red bean paste filling with the snow skin, shape it using the dusting flour, and refrigerate for a few hours to enjoy, which enhances the texture.
Above are the simple making processes of three different styles of mooncake crusts, each carrying rich cultural significance and festive atmosphere, adding warmth and sweetness through handmade creations to the Mid-Autumn Festival.
