Hotteok

Hotteok (Korean Sweet Stuffed Pancake)

A yeasted wheat dough wrapped around a filling of brown sugar, cinnamon and crushed walnuts, then pan-fried until crisp. The sugar melts into a hot syrup inside the golden crust — the classic winter street snack of South Korea.

Prep

90 min

Cook

15 min

Total

105 min

Serves

6

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •300 g (10½ oz) bread flour, or all-purpose, plus extra for dusting
• •5 g (1 tsp) instant yeast
• •5 g (1 tsp) fine salt
• •10 g (2 tsp) granulated sugar, for the dough
• •180 ml (¾ cup) warm water, around 38 °C / 100 °F
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) neutral oil, for the dough, plus more for frying
• •120 g (4¼ oz) dark brown sugar, muscovado or Korean dark brown sugar (black sugar) is most authentic
• •4 g (1½ tsp) ground cinnamon
• •60 g (2 oz) walnuts, finely crushed, not ground to a paste; pecans or pine nuts are an acceptable substitute
• •2 g (1 tsp) fine sea salt, for the filling

Steps

1. 1 Make the dough: whisk the flour, instant yeast, salt and the 10 g sugar in a bowl. Pour in the warm water and 30 ml oil and mix to a shaggy dough, then knead on a lightly floured surface for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and proof in a warm place for 60–75 minutes, until roughly doubled.
2. 2 Make the filling while the dough rises: stir the dark brown sugar, cinnamon, 2 g salt and crushed walnuts together in a small bowl. (The salt sharpens the caramel; classic Gwangjang-style hotteok also allows a pinch of ground black sesame or ginger.)
3. 3 Divide the risen dough into 6 equal pieces (about 80 g each) and roll each into a smooth ball. Keep the pieces covered so they don't dry out.
4. 4 Working one at a time, flatten a ball into a disc about 12 cm across. Spoon roughly 30 g of the filling into the center, then gather the edges up over the filling, pinch firmly to seal, and flip seam-side down. Gently press into a thick disc about 10–11 cm wide so the filling forms an even layer inside. Repeat with the remaining dough.
5. 5 Heat 1 tbsp (15 ml) of neutral oil in a non-stick or well-seasoned skillet over medium-low heat (around 150 °C / 300 °F). Lay one stuffed disc seam-side up and cook for 2 minutes until pale gold on the bottom, then flip.
6. 6 Immediately press the hotteok down with a spatula or the bottom of a small heavy pan to flatten it to about 1.5 cm thick. Cook for a further 2 minutes on the second side, then flip again and cook 30–60 seconds more until both sides are deep golden and crisp. The interior filling should be fully melted into a bubbling syrup; if it still feels grainy in the center, lower the heat and cook 30 seconds longer per side.
7. 7 Transfer to a wire rack (not paper, which makes the underside soggy) and repeat with the remaining discs, adding a little fresh oil to the pan each time. Serve hot, as is traditional, so the sugar syrup inside is molten.