BEST CHINESE POTSTICKER DUMPLINGS

The perfect dumpling wrapper uses both hot water AND cold water.
Adding boiling hot water to flour cooks the flour just enough to denature the protein and prevent much of the gluten from forming. Asian dumplings wrappers don’t need a lot of gluten – we want our wrappers to be soft, relaxed enough to fold easily, but still with enough structure to hold its shape. The right combination of hot water and cold water will do the trick. Too much hot water and the dumplings will sag and be too soft. Too little hot water will make the dumplings too chewy.

Ingredients2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup boiling hot water
1/3 cup cold water

To a large bowl, measure in the flour and salt, give it a little stir.

Add the just-boiled hot water (tip: water in a coffee cup, microwaved until just about to boil is just fine)

Quickly stir with chopsticks or a wooden spoon.

Once it becomes a crumbly mixture, add in the cold water (tip: use ice-cold water, or water from your refrigerator)

Quickly stir vigorously.

Until the flour becomes a scraggly mess.

Put your wooden spoon down and it’s time to work the dough with your hands. Begin kneading the dough in the bowl, working to pick up all of the dough on the sides of the bowl. Use the heel of your hand to knead.

This should take 2 minutes. You’ll see the dough turn from crumbly to forming a large ball of dough.

Once you’ve got a rough ball of dough (and there’s barely any dough left in the bowl) turn the dough out onto your clean work surface to continue kneading. You shouldn’t need any additional flour on your counter, the hot water makes the dough much easier to work with and less sticky. But, if the dough really sticks to your counter, feel free to use a small amount of flour to dust the surface.

Remember to use the heel of your hands and the meaty parts of your thumbs. In kneading, there are no fingers involved – you can put your fingers away 

Knead, push, rotate, fold and repeat.

In just a couple of minutes, your dough will become smoother. It’s not quite ready yet.

So keep kneading.

After 3-5 minutes of kneading, it should be ready. Smooth, stays round, firm yet gives slightly when poked and will ease back slooooowly.

Place ball in a bowl.

Cover with a barely damp paper towel (tip: this keeps the soft dough moist as it rests)

Cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 20 minutes on the counter.

While the dough rests, we’ll make the potsticker filling.

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