Salted Oil Stick without Alum or Alkali

Taste: Salty and Sweet; Cooking Method: Deep-frying; Time: One hour; Difficulty: Easy.

Detailed Steps for Making Salted Oil Stick without Alum or Alkali

Mix the flour, then add water, salt, baking powder, and oil stick essence to the bowl. Mix the baking powder and oil stick essence into the flour and knead the dough. Pour the water into the bowl and mix it with the dough. Use your hands to knead the dough from the bottom up until it becomes lumpy, then fold it.

Drizzle oil on the dough, then forcefully fold and knead the dough. The key to kneading the dough is to keep folding and kneading continuously. If the dough is small, knead for a shorter time; if the dough is large, knead for a longer time.

Knead the dough for about three to four minutes per pound. After the first kneading, let the dough rest for 30 minutes, then knead it again. After another 30 minutes of resting, divide and shape the dough.

Adjust the water temperature by about 15 degrees when kneading the dough. Let the dough rest on the table for about 12 hours at 20 degrees Celsius using cold water, and for about 10 hours at 25 degrees Celsius. If the temperature is above 25 degrees Celsius, use cold water and refrigerate the dough, adjusting the resting time based on the dough amount and refrigerator temperature.

Do not knead or fold the rested dough; only stretch and flatten it. The oil stick should not be fried as a single piece, and the small dough pieces should not stick together too much, as it will affect the expansion. Also, do not separate them too early, as it will affect the expansion or result in stick-like oil sticks.

When making the oil sticks, take your time. Start by brushing a line of water, then fry one oil stick at a time instead of brushing many at once and frying together. Fry the oil sticks at a temperature between 180 and 200 degrees Celsius for about two minutes. The oil sticks should have the right color when the oil temperature is just right.

When cutting the sticks, the width should be 2.5 times the thickness of the small dough pieces, and the length can vary. Note that this is a proportion, so adjust based on the desired size of the oil sticks.

If you have any questions during the oil stick making process, or if you prefer less salt, you can omit or reduce the amount of salt. You can also add a suitable amount of sugar, milk, or powdered milk to make a milk-flavored version, which is also delicious.