[arugula]

I have searched the site and googled, as I want to make chinese crispy duck with pancakes and I can't buy the pancakes locally while I have a couple of lovely locally reared ducks in my freezer.. The recipes I've found use plain flour, but I always thought they were made with rice flour. Can anyone put me on the right track and confirm or deny them being made with plain flour and how do those made at home from plain flour compare before I go out and buy some online?

Thanks.

[joyfull]

all the recipes I can find say they should be made with plain flour too so guess they must be right 

[Lardman]

Wouldn't the rice flour make them crispy when you cooked them ?

[arugula]

Not sure Lardman, they're normally steamed aren't they?  The concern I have Joy, is that the plain flour recipe is basically the same as my flatbread recipe and that certainly isn't right, unless they worked out OK steamed.  Perhaps someone who has tried them, can advise.

[Ice]

I watched James Martin make them recently on saturday kitchen best bits.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/crispyduckpancakeswi_93114

[arugula]

So did I, there was at least a pound of butter in there too, wasn't there?

[Ice]

So did I, there was at least a pound of butter in there too, wasn't there?

Every recipe starts with a pound of butter.

[arugula]

Indeed, every one of his does.

[Lardman]

I do love a good experiment.. I've just knocked up 2 balls of dough.

Ball #1
75g plain flour
45g hot water

Ball #2
75g rice flour
60g hot water

I can't say I've used rice flour on it's own before, and the first thing I noticed was how much more water it needed to get a dough ! (that and the smell of wet dog)

I'll let them rest for 30mins and then try rolling them out.

[arugula]

Good man!

Now where do I get rice flour  , I'll even have to order that online.

[mumofstig]

Tesco online has 3 different sorts of rice flour, your local one might have one?

[arugula]

I don't remember seeing it there before, but I'll certainly have a close look.

[Lardman]

If your local trashco doesn't have any, I bought mine from the online spice shop I use.

Better go and see if I can roll stuff out then.

edit...

Right then.

Ball 1
Rolled well, got a good pan covering circle.
Cooked evenly, and ballooned up.
Split apart without too much trouble.
Still flexible.

Ball 2
Difficult to roll - rather like marzipan, tended to tear so was thicker.
Cooked evenly but didn't rise like the ball 1.
Needed to use a sharp knife to split.
Still flexible - but more leathery around the edges, probably as it was thicker.

Neither taste like my flat breads, a result of the sesame oil. I would be hard pressed to taste test the difference, perhaps the rice flour having a slightly more grassy note.

I have about 1/2 the balls left - shall I try a 50/50 mix ?

[arugula]

Neither taste like my flat breads, a result of the sesame oil. I would be hard pressed to taste test the difference, perhaps the rice flour having a slightly more grassy note.

I have about 1/2 the balls left - shall I try a 50/50 mix ?

Sesame oil? Did you fry them? If so, how about steaming them? 50/50, why not.

[joyfull]

I thought they were just steamed to reheat them.