How to Make Hotteok  호떡 (Korean Sweet Pancakes)

It’s getting cold outside! And that means hot chocolate and other comfort foods! Mm…I love this time of year, don’t you?!

The sweet smell of hotteok is wafts all around in Seoul in the winter. But you don’t have to be in Korea to enjoy this delicious treat!

Below is my recipe for hotteok with apple. Traditionally, hotteok has brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts. But I thought it’d be great to put a twist on that and make sort-of an apple pie. (Plus, I didn’t have any nuts!)

It’s incredibly easy to make. And that’s coming from me. If you’ve read any of my other recipes, you know how important it is for me that food be easy to make and not waste ingredients.

This recipe makes six pancakes about four inches in diameter. Since they’re best hot, I like to make small batches to enjoy right then and there! I’m sure you will too!

 

Hotteok with a Twist Recipe

Ingredients

For the filling;

Brown sugar (preferably dark) – 1/4 cup

Cinnamon powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Apple, finely cut up into small pieces (slightly smaller than corn kernels) – 2 tablespoons

 

For the dough;

All purpose flour – 1 1/4 cups

Salt – 1/4 teaspoon

Sugar – 1 tablespoon

Instant dry yeast – 1 teaspoon

Lukewarm water – 1/2 cup

Vegetable oil – 1 1/2 teaspoons

 

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, add all ingredients for filling and mix. Then set aside until Step 7.
2. In a large bowl, add all-purpose flour (1 cup), salt, sugar, instant dry yeast, water, and vegetable oil. Mix well to form a sticky dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit until the dough rises to about double its size. (Time varies on temperature of room. For me, it’s about an hour.)
3. Degas the dough by punching or kneading. Recover and let sit for another 20 minutes.
4. Degas the dough once again.
5. Cover work surface and hands with a bit of flour. Separate dough out into 6 equally sized balls of dough.
6. With one ball of dough in hand, flatten it a bit and create a pocket in the center.
7. Add about 2 teaspoons of filling to the center of the dough. Bring ends together to seal. Repeat with other balls of dough.
8. Heat a frying pan on medium. Add oil to coat surface evenly.
9. Place a dough ball into the heated frying pan. Cook over medium heat until lightly golden brown. Then flip.
10. Press down to make the pancake (I use a spatula but pros use a hotteok press).
11. Turn over and press again. Cook until lightly golden brown.
12. Turn over again (back to original side now). Cover the pan and reduce heat to low. The sugary filling should melt in about a minute.
13. Remove from pan and enjoy hot!

These are great as a dessert or snack. Because of the apple in my recipe, there’s something breakfast like about it. But hotteok is really delicious any time of the day or night!

Just be ready for your family to get angry (or hangry?) with you if you don’t make enough. They’re so easy to make that you can quickly whip up some more though. And don’t forget to sprinkle yourself with some flour to make it look like you labored in the kitchen for hours. 😉

Did you try this recipe? How did you like my apple pie twist on classic hotteok? Share in the comments!