Scholar Walnut Pastry

Saw this pastry in a Dim Sum cookbook in a bookshop and was fascinated by its look. The pastry looked like a real walnut. Couldn't put the book down, hehehe, was going through the details of the recipe. The recipe uses puff pastry and the amounts in the ingredients were for 390 pieces. Oh gosh! Why publish a cookbook with such humongous amount?

Never mind the recipe, I'll just use the simple water and oil dough to re-create the walnut pastry.

Why is this known as Scholar Walnut Pastry (狀元合桃酥)? I have no idea at all! Anyone got the story behind this snack?

Do they resemble the real walnut?




Ingredients: (11 pieces)
Water dough
60g plain flour
30ml water
15g oil
brown coloring

Oil Dough
30g plain flour
15g shortening

Filling
90g Walnuts (break into small pieces)
65g Lotus seed paste

Method:
1. Mix all ingredients for water dough together till a pliable dough is formed. Rest dough for 30 minutes. Divide dough into 9g pieces.
2. Mix all ingredients for oil dough together till a pliable dough is formed. Rest dough for 30 minutes. Divide dough into 4g pieces.
3. Mix all ingredients for filling together and divide into 14g pieces.
4. Wrap oil dough in water dough.

5. With sealed edges facing upwards, roll this into a flat long sheet.

6. Roll it up swiss-roll style.

7. Make a dent in the middle of the rolled dough.

8. Make first fold from the right as in photo.

9. Fold over again.

10. With edges facing upwards, flatten into a round disc and wrap in the filling and shape it into a ball shape.

11. Use a pincher to pinch in the middle of the dough ball.

12. Pinched on both sides to form the walnut pattern.

13. Finally, bake walnut pastry on a lined tray at 200C for 15 - 20 minutes.