I love Marmite! I do however wholly understand why people do not. Marmite needs a fatty component to mellow it out, like butter or cheese, and then something fresh or sharp to cut through the fat and salt. I think this recipe marries all these elements together perfectly to produce one of the most delicious marmite recipes I’ve had. The rolling technique is inspired by cong you bing (chinese scallion pancakes), a laminated flatbread that is really flaky and chewy. I’ve had them a few times and thought they would be the perfect vehicle for marmite.
The dough is rolled to be very thin, then painted with a marmite infused bechamel (the fatty element) and sprinkled with spring onion (fresh, aromantic element). The pancake is then rolled, coiled and flattened. They are lightly pan fried making the exterior crispy while the interior remains tender and buttery, creating the textural contrast that makes traditional cong you bing so irresistible.
MARMITE PANCAKE
Make 4 EQUIPMENT Frying pan with lid, rolling pin, spatula, wire rack
INGREDIENTS
DOUGH: 230g plain flour 15g corn flour 180ml boiling water pinch of sugar pinch of salt
DAY ONE Mix the flours, sugar and salt together. Add the boiling water. The dough will be very hot so use a spoon to mix in the beginning. When cooled enough to manage start using your hands to form into a smooth ball. Wrap and rest overnight for the best results
DAY TWO Melt the butter on a low heat, then add the flour and stir for a couple minutes. Add small amounts of milk gradually, whisking the whole time. Once all combined cook the flour off for a few minutes whilst stirring. Add the marmite and stir ’til incorporated
Finely chop the spring onions
Lightly oil the work surface or a large chopping board and a rolling pin
Split the dough into 4 equal balls. Working one at a time, form it into a rectangle. place the longer side of the rectangle parallel with your body. start rolling the rectangle to the size of an A4 piece of paper. It will be very thin, but should stretch well
Evenly brush a layer of the marmite bechamel over the dough. Then generously sprinkle the spring onions over
Start rolling like a roulade starting from the longer edge closest to you. Don’t roll too tight. Once the dough is completely rolled, flip so the seam is running across the top
Keeping the dough on the work surface, roll the right hand end towards the centre in a spiral along the top of the dough. Do the same with the left side along the bottom of the dough, so it now looks like the figure 8. Flip the spirals on top of one another, so they form a ball. Repeat with the other pieces of dough. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes
Remove from fridge. Squish each ball down with your hands till they are about the size of a tea saucer
Very lightly oil a frying pan and set over a high heat
Cooking two at a time, add them to the pan and immediately turn the heat down to medium. place the lid on and cook for 4 minutes
Flip over, cover and cook for a further 4 minutes
Remove the lid and use two spoons to push the edges inwards to help separate the layers. Take them out of the pan and transfer to a wire rack
