Bánh Tiêu
Vietnamese Hollow Sesame Fried Bread
Bánh tiêu is a simple Vietnamese street food made from a lightly sweet dough, generously coated with sesame seeds and deep-fried until golden. As it fries, the dough puffs into a beautiful round bread with a light, hollow center, slightly chewy texture, and crisp sesame-covered exterior.
This recipe became especially meaningful to me during my visit with my mother last summer. I made bánh tiêu for her at home, making them quite large and covering both sides generously with sesame seeds.
My mother took one and said she was only going to eat half.
She ate the first half—and then finished the other half too.
She told me, “Homemade is better than the ones from the store. It's fresh, and it has lots of sesame seeds.”
That made me happy because those are exactly the things I like about making bánh tiêu at home. You can eat it while it is still freshly fried and warm, and you don't have to be shy with the sesame seeds.
My Favorite Way to Make It
I like my bánh tiêu large, thin, well puffed, and generously covered with sesame seeds.
The oil should be around 350°F (175°C). Once the dough goes into the oil, turn it from side to side as it fries. This encourages the dough to expand evenly and creates the hollow pocket inside.
Serve it while it is still warm, when the outside is fresh and crisp and the sesame seeds are fragrant.
Ingredients
280g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
100g (½ cup) granulated sugar
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp dry yeast
½ tsp baking powder
120–150ml water, as needed
Sesame seeds, enough to generously coat both sides
Neutral cooking oil, for deep-frying
Method
Combine the flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and baking powder in a mixing bowl.
Gradually add 120ml water and begin mixing. Add more water as necessary, up to approximately 150ml, until a soft, workable dough forms.
Mix until the dough is smooth and evenly combined.
Cover and allow the dough to rest for 20–40 minutes.
Divide the rested dough into 6–8 equal pieces.
Shape each portion into a small ball and flatten slightly.
Press both sides into sesame seeds, making sure the seeds adhere to the dough.
Roll each piece into a thin, flat circle.
Heat the frying oil to 350°F (175°C).
Carefully place a piece of dough into the hot oil. As it begins to puff, turn it frequently from one side to the other. This helps both sides cook evenly and encourages the bánh tiêu to inflate and become hollow inside.
Continue turning and frying until the bánh tiêu is fully puffed and golden on both sides.
Remove from the oil and allow the excess oil to drain.
Repeat with the remaining dough and serve warm and freshly fried.
The Secret to the Hollow Center
The fun part of bánh tiêu is watching a thin circle of dough suddenly inflate into a little sesame balloon.
Keep your oil around 350°F and turn the bánh tiêu back and forth as it fries. You want both surfaces exposed evenly to the hot oil so the dough expands rather than cooking heavily on one side before the other has a chance to puff.
And don't roll it too thick. You're trying to create a hollow pocket, not a sesame-covered throw pillow. 😄
