A comforting breakfast staple loved by many, Chinese doughnut sticks (Youtiao) are light, airy and pleasantly chewy. Follow my recipe to make it at home without fail.
Last summer I took two young food critics from our Red House to China and this trip turned out to be the most memorable event of the year. During the one-month-stay with my family, they were spoiled with all sorts of wonderful food that they never tasted before. After the holiday, Chinese doughnut sticks (Youtiao, 油条) became one of the specialities that they miss and crave most. After several “trial and error” testing sessions, I’ve finally found the perfect version. Light, airy, chewy, “Just like what we had in Beijing.” My young critics approved.
One of most popular breakfast items in China
“What do Chinese families have for breakfast?” This is a question that I’ve been asked many times and I often find it difficult to answer. There are just too many varieties! However, if I had to choose one particular dish, Chinese doughnut sticks (Youtiao, 油条) would be the one synonymous with breakfast across the country. Queuing up at a street stand to buy warm doughnut sticks is an early morning routine for many Chinese, just like how French people love fresh croissants from their favourite bakery.
Making doughnut sticks is not a popular home cooking practice in China because:
- It’s time-consuming. You need to allow the dough to rest during several different stages.
- It requires lots of attention to detail, otherwise, it can easily go wrong.
- It’s available everywhere so there is no need to make it yourself!
Home-made doughnut sticks can be very easy
But for me, it’s truly a labour of love. When I had the first bite of my home-made doughnut stick, I knew that it was worth all the effort! Last Sunday, I served it with red bean rice congee, cucumber salad, fried eggs, fermented bean curd (aka Chinese cheese) and some preserved Chinese mustard.
The sight and smell of this morning treat immediately evoked nostalgic memories of my childhood. As a child, I always loved watching the street vendor frying up Chinese doughnut sticks. It’s fascinating to see thin strips of dough magically expand to chunky sticks in just a few seconds.
Tips to help you achieve the best result
The well cooked doughnut stick is light, airy and slightly chewy. To achieve the desired texture, I suggest you follow every step of the recipe without alternation. Here are some helpful tips:
- After initially combining all the ingredients for the dough. Leave it to rest for 10 minutes before you knead it the second time. This helps you achieve a very smooth texture if kneading by hand.
- Then leave the dough to rest for at least 2 hours. If you plan to cook them in the morning, you can make the dough the night before and keep it refrigerated overnight.
- After taking it out of the fridge, let it come back to room temperature (when soft enough to stretch).
- Control the oil temperature when deep frying. It’s best to use a kitchen thermometer (it’s an inexpensive, handy tool worthing having). Otherwise, use a small piece of dough to test first. When the temperature is high enough, the dough should come up to the surface very quickly (in 3 seconds or so).
Other Chinese breakfast you may also like
Interested in other Chinese breakfast choices? Have a look at my “introduction to Chinese bread” where you can find links to my recipes for many flour-based breakfast items, such as:
- Mantou (Chinese steamed bunsm, 馒头
- Baozi (Steamed bao buns with pork filling, 包子)
- Cong You Bing (Spring onion pancakes, 葱油饼)
- Sheng Jian Bao (Pan-fried pork buns, 生煎包)
Chinese doughnut stick (Youtiao, 油条)
Ingredients
For the dough
- 360 g all-purpose flour, 2.5 cups, see note 1
- 240 ml milk, 1 cup
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
You also need:
- 1 teaspoon cooking oil, for coating the dough
- 500 ml cooking oil, for deep frying, see note 2
Instructions
Make the dough
- IF KNEADING BY HAND: In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients for the dough. Knead with until combined. Leave to rest for 10 minutes. Then knead again to form a soft and smooth dough.
- IF KNEADING WITH A STAND MIXER: Put all the ingredients for the dough into the mixing bowl. Knead on low speed until a very smooth dough forms (about 8 minutes).
Rest the dough
- Divide the dough into two equal portions. Flatten each portion into a rectangle shape (about 10×20 cm / 4×8 inch).
- Coat all around with a thin layer of oil, then wrap with cling film. Keep in the fridge overnight (or at least 2 hours at room temperature).
- Next morning, transfer the dough pieces (still wrapped) to a warm place for about 1 hour until they come back to room temperature (very soft to the touch).
Shape the sticks
- Place the two pieces of dough on a chopping board then cut each piece into 10 equal strips.
- Lay one strip on top of another. Press the centre with a chopstick lengthways to stick the two strips together. Repeat the procedure with the rest of the dough.
Fry the sticks
- Meanwhile, heat up the oil for deep frying over medium heat. The oil is ready when it reaches 180°C / 356°F (see note 3).
- Pinch both ends of the dough with thumb and index finger. Then gently stretch it to double the length. Carefully lower it into the oil.
- After the doughnut stick comes up to the surface, roll it frequently with a pair of chopsticks.
- When evenly golden brown, transfer into a heatproof colander (with a plate underneath to collect excessive oil). Repeat the procedure to cook the rest (see note 4).
NOTES
Thank you for taking the time to read my post. If Chinese doughnut sticks are part of your food nostalgia too, I hope my recipe is exactly what you are looking for. For those who are new to this delectable dish, I hope my recipe has inspired you. Remember to tag me @red.house.spice on Instagram if you share pictures of the dish.
Happy cooking!
Wei, They look delicious!! I need to get a thermometer first. Want to try these! Thanks for the recipe.
Glad you find it appetizing! It’s M & O’s favourite. I bet your boys will love it.
Me too! 😉
So kind of u tqsm I like chinese stick so much n my little grand doter hard to stop when she start eating it.. Even I know that it is not a proper CS. TQ
Can it be baked instead?
Hi Cora! I’m afraid that baking is not an alternative cooking method for this recipe.
hello wei, that looks amazing!
Just wondering, can we make it and fry it at the same day? (because it’s written down to keep it overnight, and what’s the purpose of it?)
And also, can I change milk into water?
Thank you in advance!
Hve a great day~
Hi Jimmy! You may make the dough and fry it on the same day. I suggest you leave the dough to rest for at least 4 hours though. Otherwise the dough stick won’t expand properly when deep frying. And you are free to replace milk with water. Hope this is helpful.
Followed the recipe and instructions but it did not rise. Are you sure it is half teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate?
Hi Paul. Yes this recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate and 1 tablespoon of baking powder. Unlike using yeast as leavening agent , the dough won’t rise much. But when deep fried, the dough stick will expand a lot. Another note: make sure that the dough comes back to room temperature (very soft to stretch) before deep frying. Hope this is helpful.
Thank you for sharing your recipe for Chinese doughnut stick (Youtiao, 油条). I did see a cooking showing with a similar recipe where a egg was inserted during the frying. Do you know what receipt that is?
Hi Steve! I think you are talking about a speciality from Henan province (河南). It’s called You Tiao Guan Ji Dan (油条灌鸡蛋) , literally meaning doughnut stick filled with egg . The doughnut stick is deep fried half way then hollowed with chopsticks from one end. A lightly beaten egg is poured into the hole. Then you put the doughnut stick back into the hot oil to fry until fully cooked. I’ve never cooked this way. but I might give it a try one day.
Just attempted your recipe and while looks and taste are perfect, I did not get the desired texture. It was dense inside as opposed to being hole-ly. I did feel my dough was quite dense . Does that mean I should add more milk to achiever a softer texture? Also do you roll it quite thin?
Sorry to hear that Jessica. Next time you can add a little more milk to make the dough softer (The flour milk ratio varies a little depending on the brand/type of the flour). I don’t roll the dough very thin (Have a look at the images shown in my post). Another possible reason is that the oil temperature might have been too low when you put in the dough.
Thank you for sharing your recipe. I always have this question on the back of my head. What do you do with the oil afterward? It seems like a waste of oil after one use. Can you re-use the oil to fried again? If so, what’s the procedure to save it and how many times can you re-use it?
Thank you in advance.
I totally understand your concern Jack. You can reuse the oil under certain conditions. If you google “reuse deep fry oil”, you will find a few good results on this topic which provide all the information you would need (from Epicurious, Serious Eats, Bon Appetit, etc.). Personally, I reuse the oil for a couple of times maximum if cooking Youtiao only.
In Australia we have a TV cooking program MKR. ONE of the winners did you tiao. All ingredients the same except it uses water n no baking soda just one n a half teaspoon of baking powder. I just tried n do not know result yet. Hope it will turn out well without the baking soda. Thank u for sharing yr recipe with us. Gwen
You’re welcome Gwen. Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge with my blog readers.
These look so good! I have tried a few recipes but I’m always on the hunt for more variety! I may make some and bring them to one of my professors. He studied in China for a long time so I think he would like the gift! Also go you have a recipe for what looks like red bean congee you took the photos with? I have a hard time finding a good recipe for that and my experiments are ok, but not there yet!
Hi Sheena thanks for visiting my blog! I haven’t yet shared a red bean congee recipe. Here are a few tips: Use short grain rice as they tend to be more starchy. Soak the red beans overnight prior to cooking. Use a clay pot if available (it really makes a difference). Always simmer instead of boiling. If you prefer a stickier texture, you may also replace 1/4 of the regular rice with glutinous rice. Hope this is helpful. Happy cooking!
This is our 5th attempts from other recipes and we nailed it with yours! Is fluffy and easy to make without the need to wait for 24 hours! We make delicious youtiao in 2 hours! Thanks so
Much!
Thank you very much for letting me know. I understand how tricky it can be to make perfect Youtiao. Glad my recipe worked out for you.
Can You put cinnamon and sugar on them and use them as a dessert
Yes, you can. In this case, you might wish to reduce the amount of salt used in the dough.
Oh my god. This makes me soooooooo happy! I would love to make my own 油条。I can’t wait!
I totally understand your excitement. Have a good time making them!
Your receipe calls for 1 cup milk? But in the tips section u wrote flour to water ratio depends on the humidity in the room? But ur recipe doesnt have water so is milk correct?
Sorry, it was a typo. What I mean is the flour milk ratio (corrected in my recipe). However, I didn’t say the ratio depends on the humidity in the room. I said: it depends on the brand of your flour and how you measure it. Hope this helps.
Thank you for the recipe.
Something I would love to try during this pandemic period. Just one question I cannot seem to find Baking Powder in my neighborhood so will that be okay if I substitute it with yeast?
You may replace the baking powder with 1.5 tsp of dried yeast for my recipe. Use lukewarm milk (or water) to make the dough. Rest until it doubles in size. Then shape and fry the doughnut stick as usual. Hope this helps. Stay safe!
Hello, I do not have baking powder and will use yeast as you mentioned. However, what did you mean by lukewarm water to make the dough? The recipe has milk but not water. Thank you in advance.
Hi Adriana! You can use either lukewarm milk or lukewarm water. They are interchageable. Happy frying!
Thank you for the recipe. I can’t get baking powder. Can I use self raising flour for this recipe instead? I do have baking soda but not baking powder.
Self-raising flour contains plain flour, baking powder & a little salt. So I think you can use it for this recipe (although I haven’t tested this way). The result might be a little different as the flour baking powder ratio is different from my recipe (different brands have different ratios too). Hope this helps!
Thank you for the recipe I tried 2 other recipes from 2 different blogs and they don’t work. Something wrong with their hydration ratio. Your recipe is the only one with correct hydration. I made it a month ago and everyone at home loves them.
That’s great to hear!
Hi Wei,
Thx so much for the recipe. Very excited to try. What is the temperature of the oil? I just bought a thermometer 🙂
Will tag your Instagram once I made them. Fingers crossed 🙂
xxx
Hi Ainz! I’ve mentioned in the recipe instructions that you should start frying when the temperature reaches 180°C / 356°F. Happy cooking!
In your recipe it doesnt say when to take the cling wrap off, do i cut the dough into strips still covered in cling wrap?
Hi Allan! You need to remove the cling film right before you cut the dough into strips. Happy cooking!
Thank you!
can i put the dough in the fridge for more than 2 days to rest?
Hi Ruth! No, you can’t leave the dough for too long as baking powder and baking soda will lose their effectiveness.
Approximately How long would you knead the dough? 20 minutes?
Hi Donald! There is no set time on kneading. As long as the dough becomes smooth, you are ready to shape it.
These turned out great and were so easy to make! I made them same day after resting the dough x 6 hours at room temp. The dough was wonderfully soft and supple. I don’t live near any shop that makes these so being able to make them at home is awesome. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
You’re welcome Lily! Delighted to know my recipe has satisfied your craving.
Hi! I really want to try out this recipe but unfortunately I only have self rising white flour, will this substitute work?
Hi lily! Yes, you can use self rising flour which contains baking powder. In this case, you can omit the baking powder in the ingredient list. The end result might be a little different as the flour baking powder ratio in your self rising flour could be different from my recipe (it depends on the brand). Good luck!