The tea biscuit my grandmother dunks is this one – qi zi mo, and this home cook’s version replicates the Daoxiangcun classic with nothing but butter, flour, and baking powder. A home cook wrote it in fifteen steps with the texture in the title: the cross-section cracks are the whole point. I made it as written, and it is the golden, cracked-top biscuit made for the afternoon pot of tea.
Qi zi mo (起子馍) is the Daoxiangcun-style tea biscuit – cake flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder worked with cold butter, folded three times, rolled thick, and baked into golden, cracked-top rounds. The original is a 15-step recipe with the three folds and the 1.5-2 cm thickness as its craft.
What Are Qi Zi Mo?
These are the simple tea biscuits of Beijing’s Daoxiangcun bakery: a dough of cake flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder, with cold butter rubbed in by hand, folded three times (not smoothed – the folds make the crackled top), rolled to a generous 1.5-2 cm, cut into rounds, and baked golden. The result has a distinctive cracked surface and a tender, crumbly bite – the perfect dunk for tea.
The method is the folds and the thickness. The butter goes in cold and crumbly; the folds build the layers that crack open in the oven; the thickness keeps the biscuits tender inside. The recipe’s own note: too thin is the mistake.
For the sesame-sweet sibling of the same snack shelf, my smiling sesame cookie balls crack open the same way.
1Kai Kou Xiao (Chinese Smiling Sesame Cookie Balls)These “Smiling” Sesame Cookie Balls are a classic Chinese treat, famous for the crack in the dough that resembles a smile. Crunchy, nutty, and slightly sweet, they are the perfect accompaniment to tea.Check out this recipe
Why This Version Works
- The cold butter rub. The crumbly, tender base – no softening needed.
- The three folds. The layers that crack open into the signature top.
- The generous thickness. Tender inside, not crisp all through.
- Four pantry ingredients. Flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, butter – that’s it.
- Made for tea. The golden dunk that needs a pot beside it.
Equipment Needed
- An oven
- A rolling pin
- A cookie cutter (or a glass)
- A baking tray
Ingredients
- Low-gluten cake flour
- A pinch of salt
- Sugar
- Baking powder
- Butter (cold)
- A little milk or water, to bring the dough together
Ingredient Notes
Cake flour: The low-gluten base for the tender crumb. My smiling sesame cookie balls use the same flour.
Cold butter: Rubbed in by hand – the crumbly, layered base. My soft pumpkin steamed cake is the no-butter sweet side.
Baking powder: The crack-opener – it lifts the surface in the oven.
Prep & Mise en Place
Weigh the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder; cube the cold butter.
The sequence: rub the butter in, bring the dough together, fold three times, roll thick, cut, and bake.
Cooking Process
Step 1 – Weigh and mix the cake flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder
Weigh and mix the cake flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder; add the butter.
Step 2 – No need to soften the butter – rub it into the flour by hand
No need to soften the butter – rub it into the flour by hand until evenly crumbly.
Step 3 – Mix into a dough
Mix into a dough.
Step 4 – Cover with plastic wrap and roll into a large sheet
Cover with plastic wrap and roll into a large sheet.
Step 5 – No need for perfect smoothness – fold three times and roll f
No need for perfect smoothness – fold three times and roll flat, repeating.
Step 6 – Roll to about 1
Roll to about 1.5-2 cm thick; cut round biscuits with a cutter – do NOT make them too thin.
Step 7 – Brush the Surface With Egg
Brush the surface with egg wash for the golden finish.
Step 8 – Brush the surface with egg wash
Brush the surface with egg wash.
Step 9 – Preheat the oven to 180°C top and bottom; bake on the middle
Preheat the oven to 180°C top and bottom; bake on the middle rack at 180°C for 20 minutes.
Step 10 – Out of the oven, cool
Out of the oven, cool.
Step 11 – The cross-section shows clear cracks – exactly how qi zi mo
The cross-section shows clear cracks – exactly how qi zi mo should look.
Step 12 – The color is golden and tempting
The color is golden and tempting.
Step 13 – Nine-square grid shot
Nine-square grid shot.
Step 14 – I pressed them with a cookie cutter – 12 per tray
I pressed them with a cookie cutter – 12 per tray.
Step 15 – Cooled and boxed
Cooled and boxed.
Step 16 – With a pot of tea – a pleasant afternoon
With a pot of tea – a pleasant afternoon.
Step 17 – Tempting
Tempting.
Common Mistakes When Making These Biscuits
1. Smooth, crack-less tops. Cause: overworking the dough. Fix: the folds, not the smoothing.
2. Crisp, flat biscuits. Cause: rolled too thin. Fix: the recipe’s 1.5-2 cm – thick is tender.
3. A greasy, heavy crumb. Cause: warm butter. Fix: keep it cold, rub it in fast.
4. A dry, shattering dough. Cause: too little liquid. Fix: a touch of milk to bring it together.
5. A pale, raw center. Cause: too low an oven. Fix: the full 180°C.
6. Uneven rounds. Cause: ragged cuts. Fix: a clean cutter, straight down.
Variations
Sesame: Press sesame onto the tops before baking. My smiling sesame cookie balls are the sesame snack sibling.
Sweet: A little more sugar for dessert biscuits.
The snack shelf: With smiling sesame cookie balls and soft pumpkin steamed cake, the tea-time drawer is complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why the cracked top? The folds and the baking powder crack the surface – it is the signature.
Why not thin? Thin biscuits bake crisp all through; the 1.5-2 cm keeps them tender.
Do I soften the butter? No – cold, rubbed into the flour.
Can I use a glass instead of a cutter? Yes – any round edge works.
How long do they keep? Sealed, about a week.
How to Serve
Serve with tea – the dunk is the point – with smiling sesame cookie balls and soft pumpkin steamed cake for a tea table, or with sweet red bean soup for a cozy pairing. Or pair it with poached pork belly fish-fragrant pork shrimp cucumber and egg stir-fry steam-baked milk chiffon cake for more ideas.
Storage & Reheat
Store sealed about 1 week. Never leave biscuits out more than 2 hours in warm weather.
Allergen Notice
This recipe contains gluten (flour) and dairy (butter). It is free of soy, egg, nuts, fish, and shellfish.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.
About the Author & Recipe Development
I am Lin, a professional Chinese chef and food writer with a decade in restaurant kitchens before turning to recipes. This xiachufang cook’s qi zi mo is my grandmother’s tea biscuit, and the recipe’s three-fold logic is exactly why the top cracks open. I tested it as written. I have not tested the sesame variation, so that is your experiment, not my claim.
Authoritative References
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service – Safe Temperature Chart for baking and storage guidance.
Qi Zi Mo (Qi Zi Mo): The Daoxiangcun-Style Tea Biscuits
Equipment
- Oven
- Rolling Pin
- Cookie cutter
- Baking Tray
Ingredients
For the Dish
- low-gluten cake flour
- a pinch salt
- sugar
- baking powder
- butter
- milk or water, to bring together
Instructions
- Weigh and mix the cake flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder; add the butter.
- No need to soften the butter – rub it into the flour by hand until evenly crumbly.
- Mix into a dough.
- Cover with plastic wrap and roll into a large sheet.
- No need for perfect smoothness – fold three times and roll flat, repeating.
- Roll to about 1.5-2 cm thick; cut round biscuits with a cutter – do NOT make them too thin.
- Brush the surface with egg wash for the golden finish.
- Brush the surface with egg wash.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C top and bottom; bake on the middle rack at 180°C for 20 minutes.
- Out of the oven, cool.
- The cross-section shows clear cracks – exactly how qi zi mo should look.
- The color is golden and tempting.
- Nine-square grid shot.
- I pressed them with a cookie cutter – 12 per tray.
- Cooled and boxed.
- With a pot of tea – a pleasant afternoon.
- Tempting.
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