Korean Hotteok (Sweet Pancakes)
Crispy on the outside with a molten brown sugar, walnut, and cinnamon centre. These Korean pancakes are chewy, sweet, and best served warm.
Ingredients
Dough
- 250 g plain flour
- 8 g caster sugar
- 4 g fine sea salt
- 3 g instant yeast about 1 teaspoon
- 180 ml whole milk warmed to about 35 to 38°C
- Up to 20 ml additional milk only if needed
- 30 ml neutral vegetable oil
Filling
- 100 g light brown soft sugar
- 2 g ground cinnamon about 1 teaspoon
- 15 g walnuts finely chopped
Shaping and Frying
- 45 ml neutral vegetable oil divided between lightly oiling hands and the pan
Instructions
- Stir the flour, caster sugar, salt and instant yeast together in a large bowl. Add the 180 ml warm milk and 30 ml oil. Mix thoroughly, then knead in the bowl for about 5 minutes until cohesive and stretchy. It should be soft and tacky. If stiff or showing dry flour, add the extra milk 5 ml at a time, stopping as soon as the dough softens.
- Cover the bowl and leave in a warm, draught free place for 60 to 90 minutes, or until roughly doubled. Allow longer in a cold kitchen. Meanwhile, stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon and walnuts. Divide the filling into eight equal portions, about 15 g each.
- Lightly oil your hands and scraper using a little of the shaping oil. Gently deflate the dough and divide into eight equal pieces, about 60 g each. Keep covered while working. Flatten one into a disc about 9 to 10 cm wide, keeping the centre slightly thicker. Put one portion of filling in the centre, gather the edges around it and pinch firmly closed, keeping sugar out of the seam. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Heat about 10 ml oil in the nonstick pan over medium low heat until warm and shimmering, without smoking. Place two parcels seam side down, leaving space for flattening. Cook for 30 to 45 seconds to set the base, then turn. With a lightly oiled spatula, gradually press each into a circle about 10 cm wide and 7 to 8 mm thick. Avoid forcing filling through the dough.
- Cook the flattened side for about 2 minutes, until golden. Turn and cook the other side for about 2 minutes. Lower the heat and cover for the final 1 minute if needed to cook the edges. The two sides should be golden with no raw dough at the edge. Rest and cut open the first pancake to check the centre: the dough must be cooked through and the sugar melted. If it is doughy, return it to the pan over low heat, cover and continue cooking; cook later batches more gently or a little longer.
- Transfer to a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining parcels, replenishing the oil in thin layers from the measured amount as needed. Allow about 5 minutes cooling before eating and longer if the filling is still too hot. The syrup can be much hotter than the surface.
Notes
- The 90 minute rise is a planning allowance, not a guarantee. If it doubles in 60 minutes, total time is about 1 hour 55 minutes. Four batches of roughly 5 minutes plus pan heating are allowed in the cook field. Shaping is included in active prep; filling preparation overlaps the rise.
- Plain flour is intentional. Rice flour is not required. Do not replace the wheat flour with ordinary rice flour or a gluten free blend under these directions. Flour brands absorb differently, which is why the last 20 ml milk is held back.
- Replace walnuts with 15 g finely chopped roasted unsalted peanuts, or omit them and divide the remaining filling evenly. Use an unsweetened plant drink instead of milk if needed.
- Cool on a rack and refrigerate within 2 hours. Use within 48 hours or freeze, separated with baking paper. Use frozen pancakes within 2 months for best texture. Defrost in the fridge and use within 24 hours. Reheat once over low heat until steaming hot throughout, then cool the syrup briefly before eating.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Calories: 542kcalCarbohydrates: 78gProtein: 9gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 12gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 416mgPotassium: 203mgFiber: 2gSugar: 29gVitamin A: 86IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 103mgIron: 3mg
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