Vietnamese Hollow Donut (Bánh Tiêu)
What is Banh Tieu?
- 1 1/2 cups (180g) all-purpose bleached flour
- 1/3 cup (67g) granulated white cane sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 3 cups neutral oil
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder until well combined. Add the milk to the dry ingredients. Use a large spoon or a pair of chopsticks to stir until the mixture begins to clump together. Once the mixture has mostly come together, you can start kneading by hand until it forms a smooth, cohesive dough ball. This process takes about 15 minutes by hand.
- Divide the dough evenly into 5 portions. Roll each portion into a ball. Roll each dough ball in a bowl of sesame seeds, pressing gently to ensure the seeds stick and the surface is fully coated. Use a rolling pin to flatten each sesame-covered ball into a thin, round disc about 2–3 mm thick (similar to the thickness of two stacked quarters). The discs should be approximately 5 ½ inches wide. The dough should be very flat. The flatter it is, the better the chances of it puffing up properly when it hits the hot oil.
- Heat oil in a wide skillet or wok over medium heat until it reaches 350°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, test the oil by dipping a wooden chopstick into it; small bubbles should slowly form around the chopstick. Carefully add one or two dough discs to the hot oil, avoiding splashes. Within 3 to 5 seconds, the dough will puff up. Flip the discs frequently—every few seconds using a pair of chopsticks in one hand and a large utensil like a slotted spoon or spatula in the other hand. Each bánh tiêu takes about 1 minute and 30 seconds to fry completely. Remove from oil and transfer to a wire rack. Repeat until all discs are fried. Allow to cool slightly and enjoy warm.
Bánh Tiêu is one of my favorite Vietnamese desserts. Often called a Vietnamese hollow donut or Vietnamese beignet, it’s made from flattened dough with a sesame seed coating that is deep-fried until it puffs up like a balloon.
Similar fried desserts can be found in other Southeast Asian and Chinese cuisines.
In Vietnam, bánh tiêu is a popular street food, enjoyed on its own or filled with sweet sticky rice (xôi). Its subtle sweetness makes it easy to eat several in one sitting—something I’m not ashamed to admit.
Why You Will Love this Banh Tieu Recipe
Many traditional Bánh Tiêu recipes use yeast, but I’ve found that working with yeast for Bánh Tiêu can be tricky. It also takes much longer to make and with a wetter batter, it can get pretty messy.
Unlike Vietnamese baguette bread, which reliably rises with yeast when baking, Bánh Tiêu tends to be a bit finicky.
Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.
If you’ve struggled with yeast-based Bánh Tiêu recipes like I have, give this recipe a try.
This recipe uses baking powder as the leavening agent for a more reliable result. And because it doesn’t use yeast, we don’t need to proof the dough, which means you can enjoy Banh Tieu quicker.
What You Will Need to Make Banh Tieu
The ingredients for Bánh Tiêu are simple. Here’s what you will need:
Bleached Wheat Flour — This is also known as all-purpose flour.
Salt — A must in anything sweet to enhance the flavor of the other ingredients. I’m using fine ground sea salt.
Sugar — The sweetener. I’m using white granulated cane sugar.
Baking Powder — Our leavening agent that will make the dough rise. I’m using double-acting baking powder here. Do not substitute baking soda for baking powder. Baking soda requires an acid to activate and there is no acid here. Other recipes will call for yeast as well as baking powder, but you will not need yeast in this recipe.
Whole Milk — The liquid needed to make the dry ingredients into dough. You can use water instead of milk, but milk yields a much softer and richer texture.
White Sesame Seeds — You can use either plain or roasted sesame seeds. It doesn’t matter since the cook time is short. The sesame seeds will not burn if you are using toasted/roasted sesame seeds.
Neutral Oil — I’m using vegetable oil to deep fry the dough. You can also use canola oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, or corn oil.
