Salted Egg Yolk Pastry

Golden, flaky, and irresistibly rich, this Salted Egg Yolk Pastry combines sweet red bean paste with a savory egg yolk center for a tasty treat with flaky crust.

Salted egg yolk pastry, also called 蛋黃酥 dan huang su, is one of those bakery treats that never fails to impress. Imagine a golden, flaky crust that gives way to sweet red bean paste and a rich, savory salted egg yolk in the center. It’s a bit like a mooncake with egg yolk (or egg yolk mooncake) you might enjoy during the Mid-Autumn Festival, but lighter, crispier, and even more addictive.

Chinese pastries come in so many forms: red bean, mung bean, ube (purple yam), lotus paste, you name it. While you can make the fillings from scratch, it’s totally fine to grab store-bought ones when you’re short on time. From traditional mooncake to strawberry snow skin mooncake, thousand-layer pie, wife cake, and pineapple cake, these treats have a way of making every occasion feel a little more special.

I grew up in Indonesia, where Chinese pastries are part of everyday life. We’ve got all sorts of flaky delights, and one of my favorites is Indonesian Bolen Pisang, a buttery banana pastry with layers just like this one. It’s the kind of snack that makes you sit down with a cup of tea.

Recipe Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

Icing sugar – Use powdered sugar if you can. Or you can just grind regular sugar. This will make the dough smooth.

Shortening / Lard – Either shortening (vegetable) or lard can be used for mixing the dough.

Red bean paste – Get a store-bought red bean paste for filling. It is more convenient and fast.

Salted egg yolk – These are usually sold in Asian grocery store or you can make your own salted egg yolks.

Egg yolk and condensed milk – Mix this two to create a shiny eggwash on top of the pastry.

Sesame seeds (white or black) – for decoration.

How to Make Salted Egg Yolk Pastry

STEP 1. Prep the filling & start the water dough (outer skin).
Weigh 25 g red bean paste for each piece (this recipe makes 10). Wrap each salted egg yolk with the red bean paste, roll into a smooth ball, and set aside (Images 1–3).
For the water dough (outer skin): sift flour into a bowl, add butter, sugar, and water, then mix until shaggy (Image 4).

STEP 2. Make the oil dough (inner skin) & rest.
Keep mixing the water dough with a spatula, then knead until smooth (Images 5, 6).
In another bowl, make the oil dough (inner skin): sift flour, add butter, and mix with a spatula until it comes together (Images 7, 8).
Cover both doughs with cling wrap and rest 20 minutes.

STEP 3. Portion & wrap the doughs.
Divide both the water dough and oil dough into 10 equal pieces and shape into balls (Image 9).
Flatten one water-dough ball, place an oil-dough ball in the center, wrap, and seal well (Images 10, 11). Shape round, cover, and rest 10 minutes (Image 12). Repeat with all pieces.

STEP 4. First roll-and-fold (lamination).
Take one wrapped ball, press gently with your palm, and roll into an oval (Image 13).
Fold the long sides toward the center (Image 14). Rotate 90°, roll out again, and fold toward the center once more (Images 15, 16).

STEP 5. Finish lamination & get ready to fill.
Repeat the roll-and-fold for all pieces (Image 17).
Flatten one piece with a rolling pin into a circle for wrapping (Images 18, 19, 20).

STEP 6. Wrap the filling.
Place one red-bean–wrapped yolk in the center, bring the dough up to enclose, and pinch to seal (Images 21, 22).
Roll gently into a neat ball, seam side down, and place on a lined baking tray (Image 23). Repeat with the rest. Brush the tops lightly with egg wash (Image 24). (Tip: a short 5–10 minute rest after the first coat helps the shine.)

STEP 7. Finish, bake & cool.
Brush a second coat of egg wash (Image 25), sprinkle a pinch of black sesame on top (Images 26, 27), and bake in a preheated 375°F (190°C) oven for 20–25 minutes, until deeply golden and flaky (Image 28).
Cool completely on a rack before slicing to show the layers. Enjoy!

FAQs about Salted Egg Yolk Pastry

Storage

• Room temperature – Store salted egg yolk pastries in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3–4 days. Keep them away from direct sunlight and humidity to maintain their crisp texture.
• Refrigerator – If you need them to last longer, refrigerate for up to 1 week. Let them come to room temperature or reheat briefly in the oven before serving to restore flakiness.
• Freezer – For long-term storage, freeze the unbaked, shaped pastries (after egg washing) in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 1 month. Bake straight from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time.

Tip: Avoid storing baked pastries in the fridge for more than a week, they may lose their crisp layers over time. A short oven reheat at 170°C (340°F) for 5–8 minutes will bring them back to life.