Hotteok (Korean Sweet Pancakes)
A recipe for making hotteok, Korea's classic winter street snack, at home from scratch without a store-bought mix. A dough of wheat and glutinous rice flour is leavened with yeast for a chewy texture, then filled with a sweet mix of brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts and pan-fried until golden. The outside turns crisp while the inside oozes hot, syrupy filling.
Ingredients
Dough
- Flour2.5 cups
- Glutinous rice flour1/2 cup
- Dry yeast1 tbsp
- Sugar1 tsp
- Milk1 cup
- Water1/2 cup
- Salt1/2 tsp
- Olive oilas needed
Filling
- Brown sugar2/3 cup
- Cinnamon1/4 tsp
- Nuts (peanuts/walnuts)as needed
Directions
- 1
In 1/2 cup of warm water, add 1 tbsp yeast and 1 tsp sugar and stir well to combine.
- 2
Let it sit for 10 minutes so the yeast activates and a frothy layer forms on top.
- 3
Sift 2.5 cups of flour, then mix in 1/2 cup glutinous rice flour. Add the yeast mixture, 1 cup milk, and 1/2 tsp salt, and knead until smooth.
- 4
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise for 40 minutes at warm room temperature.
- 5
When the dough has doubled, press it down with your hands to release the gas. If it rises again, punch it down once more.
- 6
Make the filling: mix 2/3 cup brown sugar with 1/4 tsp cinnamon, and add chopped peanuts or walnuts to taste.
- 7
Pinch off a piece of dough, flatten it, spoon in a generous amount of filling, then gather the edges and seal it closed.
- 8
Heat a little oil in a pan, place the dough on it, and press flat with a spatula. Pan-fry over medium heat, flipping until golden on both sides.
- 9
The hotteok is done — crisp outside and sweet inside. Make a big batch and enjoy them while hot.
Tips
Fermentation makes or breaks hotteok. In winter the dough rises slowly, so use your oven's proofing setting or set the bowl over warm water to create a warm environment. Frying with less oil over a longer time gives a lighter, less greasy result.