Easy Homemade Gyoza Wrappers

Start by sifting both types of flour into a bowl. Sifting isn’t vital for this recipe and more of a habit of mine, but it does combine the two flours effortlessly, makes it lump free and easier to mix with the water.

Once sifted, add a generous pinch of salt.

Next, pour the hot water into the flour and mix with a spatula to form a ball.

You might be wondering why I use hot water for the dough. Using hot water makes the texture of the dumpling softer, more tender, and easier to roll, and there are a few scientific reasons why.

This is because the gluten has been a little damaged by the heat, so it has slightly less stretch. This will stop it bouncing back when you roll it and make it less chewy when you eat it.

In addition, the heat from the water reacts with the flour and transforms some of the starch into simple sugars, making it a little sweeter. This sweetness creates a nice balance with the savory filling.

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If it seems too dry, add more water but be very sparing. I recommend adding just 1 tsp at a time. You don’t want the dough to be sticky.

It’s time to knead once you’ve combined most of the flour and water!

Take the dough out of the bowl and place it on a clean, dry surface. Knead for about 10-15 minutes by hand.

This dough is quite dry, and I also took these pictures in winter when the air was particularly dry so I didn’t need to flour my surface. If the weather is humid (like Japanese summer for example!), you might need to flour the surface lightly, but be as sparing as possible and only add it if the dough is too unmanageable.

Once you have a smooth ball, wrap it in plastic wrap (or under a damp tea towel) and leave it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes have passed, divide the dough. In this recipe, I make 32 wrappers, so I divide the dough in two and keep one wrapped. Firstly, this prevents the dough from drying out; secondly, it’s easier to keep count of the wrappers you make with these smaller pieces.

If you’re doubling or tripling the recipe, I recommend dividing it into 4 or 8 pieces and keeping them in a sealed container while you roll the first batch.

Cut the roll in half, then half each half, then again and again until you have 16 pieces. (This is the easiest way to make them even sizes without weighing them.)

Roll each piece into a small ball.

Press it onto a flat surface and roll it out using a rolling pin. Peel the wrapper off the surface and flip/turn it between each roll to stop it from sticking (you can also dust it with flour to prevent sticking).

Lift the wrapper up and pull the edges all the way around with your thumb and forefinger to help make it a beautiful round shape and thin the edges.

Now is the time to brush both the top and bottom with flour. This will stop them from sticking when you stack them up.

If the air is dry, the wrappers might dry out and break when folded. On the other hand, if the air is too moist, the wrappers might stick together or become too difficult to handle.

The best way to prevent either of these scenarios is to keep your gyoza wrappers in a sealed container while you work.

Next let’s move on to shaping!

Place about 1 level tablespoon of filling into the center, leaving a wide space around the edge.

Keep a small bowl of water next to you while you work. Dip your finger in the water and wet the top half edge.

Pinch the starting point to make a sealed corner. If you’re holding the gyoza in your left hand and shaping with your right (like pictured), then you will need to pinch the center of the right side and the reverse if you’re left-handed.

Seal the top by making pleats along the edge with the water. Push a small amount of dough on the top towards the pinched corner and press it down. Continue to pleat all the way to the other side until the gyoza is completely sealed.

At the end, press all the pleats down to secure it. You can also tap the bottom of the gyoza onto a flat surface to flatten the base. This will make the gyoza stand up, and the base will become crispy when fried.