Hotteok

The story

Hotteok is a Korean dessert with a clear sense of place. Hotteok is a beloved Korean street snack, particularly in cold weather. Its history is often linked to Chinese merchant communities in Korea, after which the filled griddle bread evolved into distinctly Korean sweet versions. The recipe below keeps the defining ingredients and technique intact while giving practical metric quantities and enough detail for a home cook to judge texture, seasoning and doneness rather than simply follow a timer.

Ingredients

• 300 g strong white flour
• 5 g instant yeast
• 20 g caster sugar
• 4 g fine salt
• 180 ml warm milk
• 15 ml neutral cooking oilplus extra for frying
• 100 g dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 45 g Walnutsfinely chopped
• 15 g toasted sesame seeds

Method

1. Mix flour, yeast, caster sugar and salt

   Mix flour, yeast, caster sugar and salt. Add warm milk and 15 ml oil and stir into a sticky, soft dough; it should be much looser than bread dough.

   Tip: Keep hands and work surface lightly oiled. Medium heat gives the sugar time to melt while the dough cooks all the way through. Avoid: Dry dough prevents a chewy texture; poor sealing leaks sugar into the pan; high heat burns the outside before the dough cooks through.

2. Cover and leave for 60–75 minutes until

   Cover and leave for 60–75 minutes until visibly puffy and roughly doubled. Oil your hands rather than adding lots of flour, which would make the cooked pancakes tough.

   Look for: visibly puffy and roughly doubled

3. Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, walnuts and sesame

   Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, walnuts and sesame seeds. Divide the risen dough into eight portions with oiled hands.

4. Flatten one portion in your palm, add

   Flatten one portion in your palm, add a generous tablespoon of filling and pinch the dough firmly over it. Keep the seam centred so melted sugar is less likely to escape.

5. Place seam-side down in a lightly oiled

   Place seam-side down in a lightly oiled frying pan over medium heat. Cook for 1 minute, then press firmly with a spatula or hotteok press to flatten to about 1 cm thick.

6. Cook 2–3 minutes per side until deep

   Cook 2–3 minutes per side until deep golden. Rest for 2 minutes before eating because the sugar filling becomes extremely hot and fluid.

   Look for: deep golden

Nutrition

per serving

Estimated from the listed ingredients and default serving size. Actual values vary with brands, trimming, absorption and cooking losses.