When my sister and I first moved to Korea as kids, one of our favorite discoveries was the street food hotteok, 호떡, a sweet griddled pancake stuffed with brown sugar and cinnamon. Up until then, we had lived in a suburban town in Southern California and had only experienced “street fare” at the annual county fair. It was a revelation to move to a big city where the majority of people took public transportation, and street food vendors could be found on every other pedestrian sidewalk. But before we were old enough to really get to know the street food scene, we learned about hotteok through a vendor in our neighborhood.
I can still remember the first time my sister and I encountered the sweet pancake. It was a chilly fall day and a crowd of people was huddled around a small cart where the smell of fried dough and caramelized sugar lingered. It was such a spectacle to our 8 and 11 year old eyes–to see freshly stuffed and fried pancakes cooked up close on a hot griddle–and when our mom treated us to our first pancakes, they tasted even better than what we had imagined.
Hoteeok is still a big fixture in the Korean street food scene–especially during wintertime. There are some new renditions now like one that’s flavored with green tea and another that’s filled with lots of seeds and nuts (a specialty of Busan, a port city on the southern coast). My recipe is a mix between the original and the Busan version. It’s filled with brown sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and almonds. I like having that textural crunch in each bite but feel free to take the nuts and seeds out if you’re not into them.
The dough is made with instant yeast, which may feel daunting–it definitely was to me!–but I’ve come to learn that yeasted doughs aren’t that much harder than making cookie dough from scratch. The main difference is that there’s a little more kneading involved and a short waiting period for the dough to rise.
Nothing beats eating the real deal in Korea (see this video of how it’s done), but this is the homemade version of it, which is great in other ways–i.e. you can make it anywhere at any time.
More sweet Korean recipes:
Soboro Bread, Korean Peanut Streusel Bread, 소보롱빵
Korean Sweet Rice Dessert, Yaksik, 약식
Sweet Korean Pancakes, Hotteok
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 6 pieces
- Category: Sweets
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Korean
Description
A griddled pancake filled with brown sugar, cinnamon, seeds, and nuts. Hotteok is a popular Korean street food, especially during wintertime.
Ingredients
Dough
1 teaspoon (3.6g) instant yeast
3/4 cup (175ml) warm water (or more if needed)*
2 cups (250g) all purpose flour
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon (50g) sweet rice flour
2 tablespoons (25g) sugar
1/2 teaspoon (2g) salt
2 tablespoons (25g) sunflower seed oil (or any neutral oil of choice)
Filling
1/2 cup (85g) light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup (40g) pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup (35g) sunflower seeds
1/4 cup (35g) almonds, diced
1/2 teaspoon (1g) cinnamon, ground
Assembly
Neutral oil for cooking
Instructions
Dough
1. In a small bowl whisk the instant yeast and 1/4 cup (60g) of the warm water together. Let stand for 5 minutes.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the flours, sugar, and salt together. Add the yeast water to the flour mixture and combine. Slowly drizzle in the rest of the water, making sure the moisture is evenly absorbed throughout. Once the dough comes together and is slightly sticky to the touch, it is ready to knead. If the dough feels too dry, add additional warm water 1 teaspoon at a time. If the dough feels too sticky, add more all purpose flour a couple teaspoons at a time.
3. Fit the stand mixer with the dough hook and knead on low for 5 minutes. Fold the oil into the dough with your hands, and then continue kneading with the dough hook for another 3 minutes. The dough should be smooth and only slightly oily to the touch. If it feels and/or looks greasy, knead the dough with your hands to evenly distribute the oil.
4. Shape the dough into a ball and place inside the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm place (like inside an oven or microwave) to rise. Let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Filling
1. Mix all the ingredients together and set aside until the dough is ready. Filling can be made 5 days in advance and kept in an airtight container.
Assembly
1. When the dough has doubled in size, gently deflate by pulling at the sides of the dough. Divide into 6 pieces of roughly 3oz or 85g each.
2. Prepare a nonstick pan or pancake griddle and pour a generous amount of oil in. Place over high heat. Once the oil is hot, reduce heat to medium.
3. To fill each dough piece with the brown sugar filling, stretch the dough until it is around 4 inches or 10 cm in diameter. Place 2 generous tablespoons of filling into the middle. Pinch the sides of the dough together to seal and gather the ends to create a ball.
4. Place the seam side down onto the hot oil. Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute and 15 seconds. Flip over and then press down with a spatula to flatten. Cook until browned, about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Flip over one last time to brown the edges of the first side, about 45 seconds. Remove to a parchment lined tray. Repeat for the rest of the pieces.
6. Serve immediately.*
Notes
The water should feel warm but not hot (around 95-97 degrees F or 35-37 degrees C). If the water is too hot, it will kill off the yeast.
Hotteok is best eat right after it’s been cooked, but if they need to be made in advance or there are leftover, reheat on a lightly oiled, nonstick pan.
Keywords: Hotteok, Korean Sweet Pancakes, Street Food
Michelle says
I think we bought hodduk several times a week when we were living in Samo villa at the bottom of the hill! haha
★★★★★
Jessica says
Michelle- We did! I miss that!
R says
I saved this recipe last year when I found it because it looked so good, and I just tried it last night. It was delicious, filing, and a hit with my family. 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing!
★★★★★
Jessica says
R- I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
Anastasia says
Very delicious dough, great for sweet and savoury fillings. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
★★★★★
Jessica says
Anastasia- Thanks so much for making the recipe! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂