All you need is flour and water to make AMAZING homemade dumpling wrappers. Once you realise how easy they are to make, you won’t go back to store-bought. They’re cheaper, fresher, easier to work with and much more tasty.
Whenever I make dumplings I tend to make a big batch – once you get into the swing of things it’s quite a therapeutic process – and it’s a fun one to get the kids involved with. If you’re new to making them, I have a guide that shares three easy ways to fold dumplings, which I recommend you have a look at. But honestly, don’t worry too much about how the dumplings look. It’s something that you get better at over time, and regardless, they’re going to taste amazing.
You can, of course, use store-bought wrappers if you like. But, these truly are so easy to make and the flavour and texture are so superior. Store-bought wrappers tend to need quite a lot of moisture to seal them up, and they dry out easily. These are so fresh that they stick together super easily and they have that lovely, chewy consistency. Need filling ideas? Try these gorgeous chicken and mushroom potstickers and juicy pork dumplings for inspiration.
Ingredients
- Plain flour. You don’t need speciality dumpling flour to make these wrappers – regular plain, all-purpose flour is absolutely fine. You could also use bread flour if you have it.
- Water. This recipe is a hot water dough, which I find a lot easier to work with. It also means you can use it straight from the fridge if you store it overnight – with cold water dough you need to let it come back to room temperature first or it’ll be quite hard to roll out and shape.
I like adding salt which isn’t traditional, but I like to have a little flavour in the wrapper itself.
How to make them
Add your flour and a little salt into a large mixing bowl, then pour in the just-boiled water. Mix it really well with a fork or a chopstick – I find this is the easiest way to mix it thoroughly. Carefully (the mixture will be hot because of the water) get your hands into the bowl and give it a couple of squeezes to bring the dough together. Turn it out onto a clean, flat surface, then knead it for a couple of minutes. Form it into a ball, then wrap it in cling film and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
If you’re worried about kneading, I have a whole post that breaks down how to knead dough. You don’t have to knead this dough for as long as bread dough – it’s really just about bringing it together.
When you’re ready to form your dumplings, slice about one-quarter of the dough off the main ball. Roll the piece out into a long, thin snake, then cut the snake into small pieces (about 1″ long). Place the cut side of the dough on your floured surface, use your hands to press it into a rough circle, then use a rolling pin to roll it out into a small circle, about 5cm/2″ in diameter. Use as much flour as you need on the surface if the dough is sticking.
Place a heaped teaspoon of your filling into the centre of your wrapper, then fold it up. There are many ways you can do this, but pictured below is what I tend to do most often. I have a whole post that shares three easy ways to fold dumplings, which goes into the techniques in more detail.
My biggest tip if you’re new to making dumplings is not to overfill them. If you do, you might find it tricky and messy to fold up and seal your dumplings. Start with a small amount of filling, then once you get used to folding them, you can add more.
Got a question?
Make a batch of these cheesy gochujang pizza bites – they use the same dough as this recipe and are a mix between a pan-fried dumpling and a grilled cheese – they’re seriously good. You can freeze the wrappers if you like. You’ll need to dust them LIBERALLY in cornstarch (cornflour) on both sides so they don’t stick together. But honestly, I much prefer not to freeze them if I can help it, it’s quite a process to dust them all to make sure they don’t stick together.
I recommend making your wrappers and filling your dumplings at the same time, and then freezing the formed dumplings. Dumplings freeze incredibly well – pop them on a lined oven tray on a single layer and freeze until solid, then transfer them to ziplock bags. You can cook them straight from frozen.
The problem with rolling out the wrappers and then filling them later is that preparing the wrappers to be stored actually takes a lot of time and is a bit of a pain – you need to make sure both sides are very well coated in cornstarch (cornflour) so that they don’t stick together when they’re stacked. Dusting them in flour won’t work, as the flour will be absorbed into the wrappers and they’ll end up sticking.
But, you can make the dumpling dough, wrap it in clingfilm, and then pop it in the fridge for up to 48 hours. Then just roll out your wrappers and fill your dumplings when you’re ready.
Everything you need for dumpling night
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How To Make Dumpling Wrappers (2 Ingredients)
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 50 dumplings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
All you need is flour and water to make AMAZING homemade dumpling wrappers. Once you realise how easy they are to make, you won’t go back to store-bought. They’re cheaper, fresher, easier to work with and much more tasty.
Ingredients
- 300g (2 cups) plain flour
- 185g (3/4 cup) just boiled water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Mix the dough. Add your flour and salt to a large mixing bowl, then mix to combine. Pour in the just-boiled water and use a chopstick, or a fork, to mix into the flour. Once the mixture starts to look lumpy, CAREFULLY (the dough will be hot), use your hands to kind of squeeze the mixture together to get rid of the lumps and to form a rough dough. Transfer the dough to a clean, flat surface and knead it for a couple of minutes, until it’s looking smoother. Wrap in cling film, then set aside to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- Roll out the wrappers. Lightly flour a flat surface, then cut off a quarter of the dough. Rewrap the rest to keep it from drying out. Roll the piece out into a long, thin rope, about 1 inch in diameter. Cut the rope into 1-inch pieces. Working with one piece of dough at a time, place the cut side on the floured surface and use your hands to press it into a rough circle. Use a rolling pin to roll it out into a larger circle, about 3.5 inches/9cm in diameter. Continue with the rest of the pieces, covering the rolled-out wrappers with a damp tea towel to keep them from drying out. PRO TIP: I prefer to roll out and then fill the wrappers as I go – this way, the wrappers are less likely to dry out and are much easier to fold and shape.
- Fill the dumplings. Spoon a tablespoon of your filling into the middle of your wrapper, then fold up and seal your dumpling (use my guide with three ways to fold dumplings if you need help here). Place onto a baking paper lined tray or plate, then repeat with the rest of your wrappers. If you’re new to dumpling making, I recommend starting with a little less filling as it will be easier to wrap them.
- Cook or freeze. You can cook the dumplings straight away, or freeze them for later. Freeze them on a single layer on a lined tray or plate until solid, then transfer them to ziplock bags to store. Refrigerating them is tricky especially if you have quite a wet filling, as the bottoms can get sticky, so I always recommend either freezing them or cooking them right away.
Notes
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: You can freeze the wrappers, but you’ll need to coat them liberally with cornstarch (cornflour) first, otherwise they’ll stick together when you stack them. Flour won’t work as it will just be absorbed into the dumpling wrappers. Once you’ve coated them, wrap them tightly in clingfilm and then place them in a ziplock bag, squeeze the air out then pop into the freezer. But personally, I much prefer to fill the dumplings, and then freeze them. Prepping the wrappers for the freezer takes time and is a bit of a pain. Or, you can make the dough, wrap it in clingfilm then place it in the fridge for up to 48 hours before using it.
HOW TO USE THEM: Make a batch of chicken and mushroom potstickers or juicy pork dumplings. Or, you can re-roll any leftover dough and make my favourite cheesy gochujang pizza bites – they use this same dough.
- Prep Time: 45
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: fakeaways
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 10 dumplings
Keywords: dumpling skins, potstickers, gyoza
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