Wheat Starch Dough
- 4 1/2 ounces (1 cup) wheat starch
- 2 1/4 ounces (1/2 cup) tapioca starch
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- About 1 cup just-boiled water (see Note, page 23)
- 4 teaspoons canola oil
- In a bowl, combine the wheat starch, tapioca starch, and salt.
- Make a well in the center and pour in about 14 tablespoons of the water.
- Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to stir the ingredients together.
- Work at a moderate speed to prevent the fine, lightweight starches from flying.
- The dough will look translucent first and then become mottled, whitish, and lumpy.
- You will smell the wheat starch.
- Once the water has been incorporated (there may be steam rising from the dough, which is fine), add the oil.
- Stir to work in the oil.
- If the dough looks dry, add a little more water.
- Aim for a medium-firm texture, not a soft and mushy one; work in additional wheat starch by the tablespoon if you add too much water.
- Press the ingredients together into a rough ball that feels a bit bouncy.
- Transfer the warm dough to an unfloured work surface and knead for 1 to 2 minutes, until snowy white, smooth, and resembling Play-Doh in texture.
- When you squeeze on it, it should not crack.
- If it cracks, very lightly oil one hand and knead it into the dough to increase the doughs suppleness.
- Depending on the recipe instructions, cut the dough into 3 or 4 pieces.
- Put them into a zip-top plastic bag and seal well.
- Set aside for 5 minutes to rest before using.
- Dim sum master cooks press pieces of wheat starch dough with an oiled cleaver to make perfect circles, but you can achieve perfection with minimal effort and experience.
- Have ready two 6 to 7-inch plastic squares cut from a zip-top bag; smear a little oil on one side of each plastic square to avoid sticking.
- As specified in the recipe, take a piece of wheat starch dough, roll it on an unfloured work surface into a log, and then cut it into small pieces.
- To prevent drying and sticking, dab your finger in some canola oil and rub a tiny bit on each of the ends of the dough pieces, pressing each one into a 1/4-inch-thick disk as you work.
- Place a disk between the squares.
- Apply moderate pressure with a tortilla press, the flat side of a cleaver, or the bottom of a large measuring cup, a skillet, or a plate.
- You may have to press more than once to arrive at the desired size.
- If using the tortilla press, you may turn the dough and press again to arrive at the desired size.
- With the other implements, press and twist while the pressure is still on to create nice thin circles.
- Unpeel the plastic and set the slightly shiny wrapper aside.
- Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.
- There should be no need to re-oil the plastic between pressings.
- It is fine to let the wrappers overlap a tad.
- To prevent the dough from drying out, assemble a batch of dumplings before forming more wrappers from another portion of dough.
starch, tapioca, salt, water, canola oil
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/wheat-starch-dough-379783 (may not work)