These Hong Kong Egg Tarts (Daan Tat) are a dim sum favorite. The tender pastry has flaky, delicate layers filled with a smooth egg custard.
These Hong Kong Egg Tarts (Daan Tat) are a dim sum favorite and has been on my to-do list for a very long time. I finally made them when I prepared this Dim Sum Charcuterie Board. This was a very challenging recipe and I eventually made it 3 times with different combinations of fat for the perfect Chinese puff pastry. It was worth the effort and I now have a better appreciation of puff pastry and the different kinds of fat affecting its taste and texture.
Chinese Puff Pastry
Chinese puff pastry is slightly different than European puff pastry. The latter is a laminated dough of flour and butter that is repeatedly folded and rolled out, at least 6 times, yielding flaky and crispy layers. On the other hand, the former features alternating layers of “oil dough” made with lard (or shortening) and “water dough” that is also folded and rolled out but for only 2 to 3 times. The alternating oil and water dough create tender, flaky layers. Chinese puff pastry has a lighter and more delicate structure.
The Difference Between Butter, Shortening, And Lard In Chinese Puff Pastry
I made 3 different batches of this puff pastry to see and taste for myself the effects of using butter, shortening, and lard. Since shortening and lard has little to no flavor, I mixed in some butter for added flavor when using these two kinds of fat.
1. Butter has a rich flavor and produces crispy layers like that of European puff pastry. It also browns nicely when baked.
2. Shortening is all fat, with little to no flavor. It is made of hydrogenated vegetable oils and it helps baked goods retain shape while staying tender.
3. Lard is rendered pork fat and has slightly more flavor than shortening. It is traditionally used in all kinds of Chinese pastries and produces tender and flaky layers which are more delicate than those produced by shortening.
Pastry Texture
My taste testers and I came to the following conclusions after eating 48 Hong Kong Egg Tarts (Daan Tat)!! 😳
1. The pastry texture made with purely butter was a little too crispy than what we remembered Egg Tarts at the dim sum restaurants tasted like. I felt that the texture should be a little more tender.
2. In my second try, I used an equal amount of butter and shortening. This dough was very difficult to work with as the shortening made the oil dough too soft and “wet”. It also had a hard time turning brown and so the color was very pale. The texture was tender and more fluffy (for lack of a better word) than flaky.
3. By chance, I came across lard while grocery shopping and decided to make a final attempt at this challenging pastry. This time I reduced the amount of fat used in the oil dough by 40%. I added 20% of the fat (in this case butter) back into the water dough to reduce its crispiness slightly. This dough was so much better to work with. We all agreed that the texture was just right and how we remembered Egg Tarts at the dim sum restaurants tasted like. The layers are thin yet pronounced. They are tender and not too crispy.
The water dough in the first 2 attempts did not have any fat at all.
Pastry Flavor
1. The Egg Tart made with purely butter in the dough was very rich. The Malay word for this is jelak. After eating a few other dim sum dishes, it may be a little overwhelming. You will like this if you are used to rich pastry with a rich buttery flavor.
2. The pastry made with shortening was the least flavorful of the three as it was very pale. It would have been better had I reduced the amount of shortening used.
3. Again, we all agreed that this pastry had the best balance of flavor and texture. It is more flavorful than the pastry made with shortening but not as rich as the pastry made with purely butter.
The Egg Custard In Hong Kong Egg Tarts (Daan Tat)
There are only 4 ingredients (not counting water) used in making the egg custard – eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and sugar. I do not normally have milk on hand as half-and-half (which is half milk and half cream) is my preferred creamer for tea and coffee and so I used this in my first try. The egg custard made with half-and-half was creamy and delicious but paler in color. In my second and third try, I used evaporated milk. This egg custard is not as creamy but it has a more golden color.
I did have about a quarter cup of egg mixture left after filling all the 16 Egg Tarts. Perhaps the best option is to use 3 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk mixed with full fat milk. I will try that the next time I make these Hong Kong Egg Tarts (Daan Tat) again. For now, we are all “tart-out”! 🙄
The Oil Dough
The first step is to make the oil dough. I used a combination of butter to lard at a ratio of 1:2. This turn out nicely – not too dry or wet. I cut the fat into the all-purpose flour using a pastry blender until it looked like coarse breadcrumbs. Then, I kneaded it lightly until the dough came together into a ball. Shape it into a 4 inch x 4 inch square and wrap with plastic.
The Water Dough
For a tender and more flavorful pastry, I added some butter and an egg yolk into the water dough. Add only enough ice cold water to bring the dough together. Knead it slightly to smoothen the dough and shape it into a 6 inch x 6 inch square. Wrap in plastic and place both oil and water dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Wrapping The Oil Dough With The Water Dough
Roll the water dough out to about a 10 inch x 10 inch square. Place the oil dough in the center and cut out the corners about 2 inches deep.
Wrap the left and right side of the water dough over the oil dough to meet in the center. Then, wrap the top and bottom of the water dough over the oil dough to meet in the center. Rotate the dough 90⁰ and flip it over with seams facing down. Roll it out into a rectangle of about 6 inch x 12 inch.
Folding and Rolling Out The Dough For These Hong Kong Egg Tarts (Daan Tat)
Flip the dough over with seams facing up. Fold the bottom ⅓ of dough over the middle. Then, fold the top ⅓ over the middle. Rotate 90⁰ and flip dough over with seams facing down. Roll it out into a rectangle of about 6 inch x 12 inch.
Flip the dough over with seams facing up. Fold the bottom ⅓ of dough over the middle. Then, fold the top ⅓ over the middle. Wrap with plastic and let dough rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Lining The Mini Egg Tart Molds With Dough
After 15 minutes, remove dough from refrigerator and cut it in half crosswise. See the beautiful layers in the dough. Roll one portion of the dough out into a rectangle of roughly 10 inch x 17 inch rectangle and about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out 8 pieces of dough with a 3.75 inch round scalloped cookie cutter.
Take a piece of the dough and gently press it into a greased mini egg tart mold. The dough should extend slightly above the rim of the mold. Repeat with the remaining 7 pieces of dough. Also, don’t forget the other portion of dough.
Making the Egg Custard Filling For These Hong Kong Egg Tarts (Daan Tat)
Combine boiling water and sugar in a small measuring cup. Stir until sugar dissolves completely. Set aside and allow syrup to cool. Place eggs, evaporated milk, and vanilla extract in a large measuring cup. Whisk the egg mixture until combined. Pour cooled syrup into the egg mixture. Whisk to combine. It is very important that you strain egg custard mixture through a fine sieve to remove bubbles and bits of egg to ensure it is as smooth as possible.
Filling and Baking The Mini Egg Tarts
Finally, you get to fill and bake these mini Hong Kong Egg Tarts (Daan Tat). Carefully fill each egg tart to about ¼ inch from the top edge of the dough. Pierce any bubbles that may have formed on the surface of the egg custard with a toothpick. Bake at a higher temperature at the beginning for the pastry to brown. Lower the temperature after that and continue baking until the egg custard has set. You may need to rotate the trays to ensure even baking.
Once baking is complete, turn off oven and open the oven door. Leave the egg tarts inside the opened oven for 5 minutes to allow the egg custard to inflate slowly before removing them from the oven.
Unmold and transfer them into cupcake liners when cool enough to handle. Be careful as the mini metal tart molds can be very hot. Hong Kong Egg Tarts (Daan Tat) are best eaten freshly baked and only slightly warm (not hot). This is when the pastry is light, tender, and flaky. Store leftovers in an air tight container in the refrigerator. Reheat at 325⁰F/165⁰C for 5 minutes when ready to eat. Consume within 2 to 3 days.
Similar Tools Used in Making These Hong Kong Egg Tarts (Daan Tat)
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Egg Tart Molds, 32 Pack Tart Pan, 2.75 inch
Aluminum Egg Tart Molds, 20 pieces, 7cm/2.76 inch
Pyrex 2 Piece Glass Measuring Cup Set, Includes 1-Cup and 2-Cup
Pyrex 4-Cup Glass Measuring Cup
Wilton White Standard 75 Baking Cups, Single Pack
Hong Kong Egg Tarts (Daan Tat)
Equipment
- 16 mini egg tart molds (2.75 in / 7 cm)
Ingredients
Oil Dough
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (150g)
- 6 tbsp lard or shortening (84g)
- 3 tbsp cold butter (40g)
- ¼ tsp salt
Water Dough
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour (262g)
- 3 tbsp cold butter (42g)
- 1 egg yolk
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅔ cup ice cold water (160ml)
Egg Custard Filling
- ¾ cup boiling water (180ml)
- ½ cup sugar (105g)
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup evaporated milk / milk (120ml)
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Oil Dough
- Combine all purpose flour, lard, butter, and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut lard and butter into the all-purpose flour with a pastry blender until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Gently knead until dough comes together. This should only take 1 minute.
- Shape dough into a 4 in x 4 in square and wrap with plastic.
Water Dough
- Combine all-purpose flour, butter, egg yolk, and salt in the same mixing bowl. Add about half the ice cold water. Cut lard, butter, and egg yolk into the all-purpose flour with a pastry blender. Add more ice cold water bit by bit until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. You may or may not use all of the water. Gently knead until the dough comes together.
- Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and continue to knead until dough is more or less smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Shape dough into a 6 in x 6 in square and wrap with plastic.
- Place both dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. In the meantime, grease 16 mini egg tart molds (2.75 inch).
Rolling Out The Dough
- After 30 minutes, remove both dough from the refrigerator. Roll out the water dough into a 10 in x 10 in square. Place the oil dough in the center and cut out the corners of the water dough about 2 inches deep.
- Wrap the left and right side of the water dough over the oil dough to meet in the center. Then, wrap the top and bottom of the water dough over the oil dough to meet in the center. Rotate the dough 90⁰ and flip it over with seams facing down. Roll it out into a rectangle of about 6 in x 12 in.
- Flip the dough over with seams facing up. Fold the bottom ⅓ of dough over the middle. Then, fold the top ⅓ over the middle. Rotate 90⁰ and flip dough over with seams facing down. Roll it out into a rectangle of about 6 in x 12 in.
- Flip the dough over with seams facing up. Fold the bottom ⅓ of dough over the middle. Then, fold the top ⅓ over the middle. Wrap with plastic and let dough rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Lining The Mini Egg Tart Molds With Dough
- After 15 minutes, remove dough from refrigerator and cut it in half crosswise.
- Roll one portion of the dough out into roughly 10 in x 17 in rectangle and about 1/8 in thick. Cut out 8 pieces of dough with a 3.75 inch round scalloped cookie cutter.
- Take a piece of the dough and gently press it into a greased mini egg tart mold. The dough should extend slightly above the rim of the mold. Repeat with the remaining 7 pieces of dough.
- Do the same for the other half portion of dough.
- Place mini egg tart molds lined with dough onto 2 baking trays and let them rest in the refrigerator while you prepare the egg custard filling.
Making the Egg Custard Filling
- Combine boiling water and sugar in a small measuring cup. Stir until sugar dissolves completely. Set aside and allow syrup to cool.
- Place eggs, evaporated milk, and vanilla extract in a large measuring cup. Whisk the egg mixture until combined. Pour cooled syrup into the egg mixture. Whisk to combine.
- Strain egg custard mixture through a fine sieve.
- Preheat oven to 400⁰F/200⁰C.
Filling The Mini Egg Tarts
- Remove mini egg tart molds lined with dough from the refrigerator. Carefully fill each egg tart to about ¼ inch from the top edge of the dough. Pierce any bubbles that may have formed on the surface of the egg custard with a toothpick.
Baking The Mini Egg Tarts
- Carefully transfer baking trays with filled mini egg tarts to preheated oven. Bake for 10 minutes at 400⁰F/200⁰C. Reduce temperature to 350⁰F/180⁰C and continue to bake for another 15 to 17 minutes until egg custard has set. If you see egg custard starting to bubble or puff up, rotate the baking tray.
- When baking is complete, turn off the oven and leave oven door open. Let the egg tarts sit in the opened oven for 5 minutes to allow the egg custard to deflate gently. After 5 minutes, remove baking trays from the oven.
- Allow mini egg tarts to cool before removing the mold and transferring them into cupcake liners.
Notes
Nutrition
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