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My homemade Taiyaki always turn out wrong in texture: They are soft and chewy both on the inside as well as the crust. While inner texture is right — fluffy, chewy and soft, with molten Anko, the crust is not like at street-stalls in Japan: Crunchy, crisp and thin.

I’m using one of these cheap Aluminum Non-Stick Taiyaki-pans, and tried various batters and heating regimes: Neither the amounts of Milk (if used), Egg, Baking-Soda, nor whether to bake hot-and-fast or cool-and-slow seems to get them crisp.

How can one achieve the authentic texture even with home Taiyaki-making equipment? And — is a crispy, crunchy outer crust even authentic — or were the ones i ate in Japan maybe bad examples of how a Taiyaki should be?

NebuK
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  • What's your specific technique? – ChefAndy Sep 01 '17 at 13:14
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    Currently I’m preheating the pan — i haven’t measured, but i had it so that the dough wouldn’t even sizzle, and also oil-smoking-hot — then I’ll coat with oil (tried little and tons…) and add one of my measuring spoons of dough, coating tail and fin as well as body. In there I’ll drop 1 big tsp of Anko or to substitute Nutella (while experimenting it’s cheaper), covering the filling afterwards completely with new dough. Then I’ll close the pan, and cook each side for ~1:30-1:45 over almost highest heat on my stove. They pop out, and shape is great. They’re evenly cooked but not crispy outside. – NebuK Sep 02 '17 at 16:17
  • Any non-stick pan is unlikely to ever get you the texture you want. –  Sep 02 '17 at 18:29
  • Have you tried giving it a crust of some sort? Flour the outside? – LastMike036 Apr 18 '18 at 02:58

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They are supposed to be cripsy. I would give it a quick toast in the toaster oven or turn on the boiler for a moment. Usually the tai yaki pan is cast iron so it's a lot hotter.

Kasumi
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