These hotteok are crispy and fluffy on the inside, bursting with the most delectable gooey sugar and cinnamon filling. And no kneading required!
Hotteok is also known as a sweet Korean pancake! It's an insanely popular Korean street food, particularly in the winter. Makes sense because it's such a comfort food. Fried fluffy dough filled with brown sugar and cinnamon which melts into a gooey, syrupy goodness.
If you watch Kdramas, you've definitely seen these and started craving them just like me. Since we can't just book a trip to Korea for some hotteok, I'm showing you how to make them at home and it's super easy!
Yes, it requires a yeasted dough, BUT there's no kneading. Just mix and let it rise!
If you like this hotteok recipe, check out this Date and Walnut Hotteok recipe, these Dutch Cinnamon Rolls, and this Hungarian Langos!
Ingredients
See recipe card BELOW for measurements.
- Water
- Milk
- Sugar
- Salt
- Instant yeast
- Oil
- All-purpose flour
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon powder
- Salt
- Chopped walnuts - you can use any nuts you like, such as almonds/peanuts or skip them all together.
Instructions
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- In a large mixing bowl, combine warm milk, water, yeast, and oil. Add in the flour, sugar, and salt.
- Mix everything together with a spoon or spatula until a dough forms. Cover and let rise for 1–2 hours until doubled in size.
- Prepare the filling: Stir together brown sugar, cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and chopped nuts in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Once the dough has risen, deflate it by pressing down gently. Cover again and let it rise for another 30 minutes.
- Once risen again, split the dough into 8 equal pieces. Flatten each one in your hand and place a spoonful of filling in the center. Fold the edges over and pinch tightly to seal the filling inside.
- Lightly oil a frying pan and heat over medium heat. Place one or two dough balls in the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes until the bottom is golden. Flip and gently flatten with a spatula.
- Continue cooking and flipping until both sides and the edges are golden brown. Repeat with the rest.
- Enjoy warm but make sure not to burn yourself!
Hint: If you think the hottoek needs more time or help cooking through, cover the pan with a lid.
Variations
There's a whole world of possibilities for different fillings. You can switch out the nuts or skip them altogether. You can do a date filling like these date filled hotteok!
Make the filling savoury instead, with mozzarella cheese! Feel free to add anything you prefer.
Equipment
Traditionally a hotteok press like this is used to flatten the hotteok while cooking. If you don't have access to one (like me), use a spatula! It works just fine.
Storage
These are best enjoyed warm because of the gooey melty sugar filling.
For leftovers, I like to place them in a ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Simply thaw and reheat on the stove or in a toaster oven until the filling melts.
My tips to make hotteok
- Equal pieces: I like to have equal sized hotteok, so I measure the total weight of the dough and divide by 8. And then simply have each piece weigh that much.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan: Fry one or two at a time so you have space to flatten them evenly without sticking together.
- Use warm milk and water: The milk and water should be around 95–105°F (35–40°C). If it's too hot, it will kill the yeast and too cold will slow down the rise.
- Wipe the pan between batches: Sugar may leak slightly during cooking so wipe the pan clean between batches to prevent burning.
FAQ
Yes! Cook and let them cool down. Place them in a ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Simply thaw and reheat on the stove or in a toaster oven until the filling melts.
Yes, active dry yeast can be used in the same quantity and needs to be activated in warm water before hand. Follow the instructions on your yeast packet and continue with the recipe as usual.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Hotteok
Ingredients
- ½ cup warm water 120ml
- ½ cup warm milk 120ml
- 2 tablespoon sugar 25g
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 276g
Filling
- ½ cup brown sugar 100g
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- pinch of salt
- 2-3 tablespoon chopped walnuts/almonds/peanuts
Instructions
- Combine the warm milk, water and yeast in a large bowl. Add the oil.½ cup warm water, ½ cup warm milk, 2 teaspoon instant yeast, 1 tablespoon oil
- Add the flour, sugar and salt and mix together with a large spoon or spatula, until it comes together to form a dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1-2 hours until doubled.2 tablespoon sugar, 2 cups all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon salt
- Make the filling: combine the brown sugar, cinnamon powder, salt and chopped nuts. Set aside.½ cup brown sugar, 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder, pinch of salt, 2-3 tablespoon chopped walnuts/almonds/peanuts
- Once the dough has risen, fully punch it down, cover and let it rise for another 30 minutes.
- Once risen again, divide the dough into 8 pieces
- Take a piece of the dough and flatten it on your hands. Place a spoonful of the sugar mixture in the middle. Seal it by pinching together the corners. You don't want the filling to leak. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
- Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add a thin layer of oil.
- Place one ball in the pan (or 2 if there is enough space - allow enough room for when they're pressed down) and cook for about 3 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown and crispy.
- Flip it over and press down with a spatula to flatten. Cook until golden brown and flip over again. Reduce the heat and cook until the edges are golden as well.
- Remove from pan and transfer to a plate. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls and add more oil as needed.
- Serve warm, but make sure not to burn yourself since the sugar filling is extremely hot!
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