Tamago Boro Egg Biscuits
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Tamago Boro (also known as egg biscuits, (蛋果子 or 小馒头)) is a very popular snack among kids. You can find them in supermarkets, Japanese specialty stores or local snack shops. My son had never tasted them before. So, he was very excited when he knew that I was going to make them for him.
I have made these Tamago Boro successfully based on a recipe I have adapted and modified from 『君之』的手工烘焙坊. It uses simple ingredients with easy-to-follow steps. But if you want to make super tiny, nicely browned and flawless tamago boro biscuits like those sold in the store, then it would be a challenge.
To get a perfect looking Tamago Boro, it really requires lots of patience and dexterity with the hands. Having said that, the most tedious part comes from dividing the dough into bits of even weight (one gram each, slightly bigger than the size of a soya bean) and rolling them into 280 miniature egg boro. For easy rolling, I had to constantly wet my hands as the dough turns dry quickly. This task took me around an hour and half to complete with the help of my hubby. Well, if you think it is too time consuming, you can opt for the short-cut given in the original recipe (please refer to note 2 in my recipe). However, the down side of this option is that the cooked egg biscuits will be coated with a layer of flour and their shape may not be as round as the first method and may have more crack lines.
During baking, it is important to use the right temperature setting and monitor the baking process closely. This is to prevent these mini balls from cracking and browning too much. Spraying some water on them before and during baking can help to minimize crack lines from developing. At times, you can also place a baking sheet on top to cut down the heat.
I bake these egg biscuits for 25 minutes, longer than the recommended time stated in the original recipe. This reason is because my son prefers the texture to be crisp and crunchy, and its taste is more flavourful.
I don’t know how they fair when compared to those commercial tamago boro as I can’t even recall when I last ate them. However, the miniature size of these biscuits (about 1cm or less in diameter) makes them look incredibly adorable and irresistible!! My son loves popping them into his mouth while doing his homework. When he shared them with his classmates, the responses he received were overwhelming. After all, who will say no to these cuties?
These egg biscuits are low on oil and sugar. It is a perfect snack for kids but I would not recommend it for babies (especially below one year old) as it contains egg and sugar, and may cause choking.
Recipe
Adapted and modified from 『君之』的手工烘焙坊
Yield: 280-290
Ingredients
Steps
- Mix together potato starch flour, low protein flour, milk powder and baking powder until well-combined. Sieve and set aside.
- Break egg in a mixing bowl. Beat until the yolk and white are well mixed. No need to beat until foamy. Use only 50g of this egg liquid.
- Stir in icing sugar in 2-3 batches and mix well after each addition.
- Stir in flour mixture from step 1 in 2-3 batches and mix well after each addition (note 2). Add in oil and combine well. You will get a sticky and wet dough. Do not add any extra flour as the dough will turn dry after some time. You should be able to roll a small piece of dough into ball.
- Cover the dough with a damp cloth (note 3).
- Cut the dough into tiny pieces (slightly bigger than the size of a soya bean, approximately 1 gram) (note 4)
- Arrange the biscuits on a baking tray lined with baking parchment paper. Allow some gaps between the biscuits.
- Preheat oven at 170°C (note 5).
- Spray water onto the biscuits. Transfer the tray to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until light golden brown. Give the biscuits another spray before you close the door of the oven. Rotate the tray 180 degree half way during baking for even colour. If you want texture to be crunchy, bake for another 8-10 minutes (note 6 & 7).
- After baking, remove the baking tray from oven and transfer the egg biscuits to a cooling rack. Leave to cool down completely before storing in an air-tight container.
Notes
- Dry milk cannot be substituted with normal milk powder. You can buy dry milk from any local baking supply stores.
- Use a hand whisk to do the initial mixing and change to a rubber spatula when the batter becomes thick.
- You need to cover the dough with damp cloth all the time to prevent the dough from turning dry.
- Make sure your palms are slightly wet when rolling the dough. Wet your hand with little bit of water as and when needed. For short cut, you can roll the dough into a flat, square sheet with 0.5cm thickness. Sprinkle some potato flour on top and use a knife to cut into tiny pieces. Use both palms to roughly roll the pieces into tiny balls. Sprinkle more flour to prevent the balls from sticking with each other. The down side of this method is that the egg biscuits will be covered with a layer of flour after baking. The shape may not be as round as the first method and they may have more crack lines. (For further details, please refer to 『君之』的手工烘焙坊)
- The stated temperature and time should only be used as a reference. Different ovens have different temperature setting.
- After five minutes of baking when you see the biscuits start to expand, open the oven door slightly and spray some water onto the biscuits.
- You need to monitor the baking process closely to avoid the biscuits from turning brown. Place a baking sheet on top if needed to cut down the heat.