DUMPLING DOUGH

Makes: about 1 lb (454 g) dough (for about 48 dumplings)

2 1/2 cups (625 mL) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp (195 mL) warm water (about 105-110 F/41-43 C)

1. Put the flour in a large bowl. Add all of the water. Using a rubber spatula, a wooden spoon, a pair of chopsticks, or your fingers, stir the water and flour together until a shaggy ball of dough starts to form.

2. Now, use your hands to start kneading the dough and incorporating any remaining flour. The dough should feel slightly tacky but not damp. It should not stick to your fingers.

3. Dust your work surface with flour. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead for about 2 minutes. It should feel smooth.

4. Cover the dough with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let it rest on the counter for a minimum of 20 minutes. (While it doesn’t need much longer than that, it won’t hurt the dough if it happens to rest longer.)

5. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer to form the dough. Add the flour to the bowl of the stand mixer, and add the water gradually while running the dough hook at medium-low speed.

6. Once the dough comes together, knead for about 2 minutes. Cover the dough and let it rest for 20 minutes.

7. This dough will hold for several hours at room temperature. It will get stickier, so you will have to knead in about 1 to 2 tbsp

(15 to 30 mL) of flour to refresh it. (It’s best to make this dough the same day you want to use it.)

8. Once the dough has rested, divide it in half. On a surface lightly dusted with flour, roll each half into a rope that’s about 3/4 inch (2 cm) in diameter and about 18 inches (45 cm) in length.

9. Cut each rope into pieces that are about 3/4 inch (2 cm) long. See note.

10. Roll each piece of dough into a small ball and then flatten it between your palms to create a disc that resembles a wafer cookie. Press your thumb gently into the dough to create a small indentation.

11. Position your rolling pin between you and the base of the wafer of dough. Dust lightly with flour as needed. Roll the pin forward across the dough and back. You do not need to lift the rolling pin.

12. Turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat the forward-andback rolling. Turn the dough 90 degrees again and repeat the rolling. This forms the beginning of a circle.

13. Repeat this for the second revolution, but, for subsequent turns, roll the pin only halfway up. For the third revolution, roll the pin only a third of the way up.

14. The idea is to leave the centre of the circle just slightly thicker than the outer edges. The wrapper should end up being a circle about 3 1/4 inches (9 cm) in diameter.

15. Don’t worry if the circle isn’t perfect; it only needs to be roundish. If it looks like an oval, then round it out. If it’s lopsided beyond repair, then bunch up the dough into a ball and start again.

16. Unless you have an assembly line of friends or family helping you, roll out about six wrappers at a time. If you roll out too many, they start to stick to each other and the edges will dry out, which makes them harder to seal.

Note: These dimensions are meant as a guideline. You could make these larger if you’d like. You would end up with fewer dumplings and each would require more filling. The key is to keep the size consistent, so the dumplings cook consistently. I wouldn’t make these smaller, however, because it makes it more challenging to fold the dumplings, especially if you have big hands or you are a beginner.