When speaking of wonton wrappers, our first thought would probably be to buy them ready-made from the supermarket.
But there are several advantages of making your own from scratch, which I will show you today.
When you make wonton wrappers yourself, you have the advantage of controlling the thickness of the wonton wrappers, and thereby make them to your own taste.
Some folks like wonton wrappers to be a bit thicker, or some like them a little thinner for the visual effect.
The best tool for making wonton skins is a pasta machine, which takes a lot of the hard work out of the process and saves you a heap of time.
Ready-made wonton wrappers from the supermarket are often dry and lack flexibility, are too thick or made with alkaline water, lacking flavor. Today I will teach you two methods of making wonton wrappers, using a pasta machine and by hand.
Making Wonton Wrappers Using a Pasta Machine
Ingredients:
- 250 g high gluten flour
- 100 ml water
Put the flour in a large bowl and slowly add the water, stirring it quickly into the surface of the flour as you do.
When the dough starts to come together, tip it onto your counter top and bring it together with your hands.
Because the proportion of water is relatively low, the dough will feel a little dry and hard, making rolling difficult. Roll the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap to rest for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, get out your pasta machine and adjust it to the thickest setting. These things are such a great invention!
Unwrap the dough and cut in half. Re-wrap the half not in use for the time being to stop in drying out.
Hand pinch the piece of dough flat enough to begin passing it through the pasta machine.
Fold the dough in half and pass it through the machine again.
Repeated folding is the most efficient way to achieve a uniform and smooth surface.
Wrap the dough sheet in plastic wrap to prevent it drying out, and to relax further. Continue this process with the other half of the dough.
The process of rolling stresses the dough, causing the gluten tissue to fracture. Resting helps it relax and recover.
While you are rolling one piece, allow the other to relax and alternate this process.
If you keep rolling the dough without resting in between, the final result will be a weakened dough susceptible to breakage.
Continue to reduce the thickness setting of the pasta machine until you have passed the dough through the thinnest setting.
If the middle of the dough sticks, sprinkle some flour on both sides. If the dough is too long, cut it in half and press the pieces separately.
The pasta machine produces a dough sheet of about 14 cm wide, which is double a wonton wrappers width.
Place a sheet of dough on a floured chopping board and sprinkle with extra flour to make handling easier.
Using a pizza cutter and ruler cut into 7 cm sections (half the width of the dough).
With a knife, cut each of these in half to form 7cm square pieces.
This soft, thin and smooth pastry makes the best wrappers for wontons.
Making Wonton Wrappers by Hand
Ingredients:
- 500 g medium flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon bi carb soda
Step 1: Sift the flour and bi carb soda into a large bowl and form a ‘nest’ in the center. Crack both eggs into the center, and mix. Cover with a clean damp tea towel and leave for 5 minutes. (Figure 1,2)
Step 2: Knead the dough into a smooth ball and turn out onto your floured work surface (corn flour works best). Sprinkle flour onto your rolling pin as well to prevent the dough sticking.
Step 3: Roll out the dough into a rectangle shape. Fold one edge to the middle then the other edge to the middle on top. Roll again. You may need to continually sprinkle with corn flour to keep the dough from sticking. (Figure 4).
Step 4: Slowly roll the dough into a larger piece. (Figure 5). Continue to fold one third to the middle, and then the other third likewise, each time rolling the dough wider and longer (as shown in Figure 6).
Step 5: Continue to open the dough out by rolling from top to bottom, from left to right (Figure 7) adding more corn flour if needed.
Step 6: Roll the dough thin enough to see your hand through it as shown in Figure 8.
Step 7: Your dough is gradually getting thinner! (Figure 9). Now comes the tricky part, as the dough becomes difficult to turn over. Roll the dough around the rolling pin and then roll out the opposite way to turn it over (Figure 10).
Step 8: You can adjust the size and thickness of the dough according to your needs. However, this is the thickness I use for wontons (Figure 11). I like the wonton wrappers a little thicker for added flavor.
Step 9: Once your dough is at the desired thickness, complete the wrappers by cutting into 7cm squares with a dough cutter or large knife by pressing down evenly – do not drag the knife through the dough. (Figure 12).
Step 10: Leftovers can be pinched together and rolled out again (Figure 15, 16).
Step 11: Stack your wrappers sprinkling corn flour in between each to stop them sticking together.
Homemade Wonton Wrappers Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g medium flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon bi carb soda
Instructions
- Sift the flour and bi carb soda into a large bowl and form a ‘nest’ in the center. Crack both eggs into the center, and mix. Cover with a clean damp tea towel and leave for 5 minutes. (Figure 1,2)
- Knead the dough into a smooth ball and turn out onto your floured work surface (corn flour works best). Sprinkle flour onto your rolling pin as well to prevent the dough sticking.
- Roll out the dough into a rectangle shape. Fold one edge to the middle then the other edge to the middle on top. Roll again. You may need to continually sprinkle with corn flour to keep the dough from sticking. (Figure 4).
- Slowly roll the dough into a larger piece. (Figure 5). Continue to fold one third to the middle, and then the other third likewise, each time rolling the dough wider and longer (as shown in Figure 6).
- Continue to open the dough out by rolling from top to bottom, from left to right (Figure 7) adding more corn flour if needed.
- Roll the dough thin enough to see your hand through it as shown in Figure 8.
- Your dough is gradually getting thinner! (Figure 9). Now comes the tricky part, as the dough becomes difficult to turn over. Roll the dough around the rolling pin and then roll out the opposite way to turn it over (Figure 10).
- You can adjust the size and thickness of the dough according to your needs. However, this is the thickness I use for wontons (Figure 11). I like the wonton wrappers a little thicker for added flavor.
- Once your dough is at the desired thickness, complete the wrappers by cutting into 7cm squares with a dough cutter or large knife by pressing down evenly – do not drag the knife through the dough. (Figure 12).
- Leftovers can be pinched together and rolled out again (Figure 15, 16).
- Stack your wrappers sprinkling corn flour in between each to stop them sticking together.
