Hotteok
Vegetarian
호떡 · hotteok
Soft yeasted pancakes filled with brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped peanuts, pressed flat in the pan so the filling melts into a molten syrup.
Hotteok is a Korean street food from South Korea, ready in about 1 hour 40 minutes and made with all-purpose flour and brown sugar. It serves 8 and is rated intermediate to cook.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Rest
- 1 h
- Total
- 1 h 40 min
- Serves
- 8
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 273
Method
Step 1
Mix the flour, yeast, sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt. Add the lukewarm milk (opens in a new tab) and oil and mix into a soft, sticky dough. Cover and leave somewhere warm until doubled, about 1 hour.
- 5 min
Step 2
Mix the brown sugar (opens in a new tab), cinnamon (opens in a new tab) and peanuts for the filling.
- 3 min
Step 3
With oiled hands, divide the dough into 8 balls. Flatten each in your palm, add a heaped spoonful of filling, pinch the edges together to seal and place seam-side down.
- 10 min
Seal well or the sugar leaks and burns.
Step 4
Heat a little oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the balls for 1 minute, flip and press flat with a spatula, then cook until golden underneath. Flip again, lower the heat and cook until golden and puffed.
- 18 min
- medium heat
Step 5
Let cool for a minute before biting in.
- 1 min
Food safety: The melted sugar filling is extremely hot; warn children.
About this dish
- Origin
- South Korea · Commonly attributedCommonly said to have been introduced by Chinese merchants in the late 19th century.More food from South Korea
- Dish
- Snack · Dessert · Street food · Sweets & confectionery · Desserts
- Cooking method
- Pan-fried
- Taste
- sweet, aromatic / warmly spiced, nutty
- Diet
- Vegetarian (lacto-ovo)With the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-free, No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · DASH-style - Good for
- Street food · Child-friendly
- Cook more with
- All-purpose flour · Brown sugar · Dried yeast · Sugar · Milk · Cinnamon
- Techniques
- Pan-frying · Fermentation
Allergens
- Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom milk
- Contains, can be adapted: Peanutsfrom roasted peanuts
- Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
- Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
273 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 82 g · recipe makes 8
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 7%
- Carbohydrate 55%
- Fat 38%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 273 kcal | 333 kcal |
| Protein | 5.1 g | 6.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 37.7 g | 46 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 36.2 g | 44.3 g |
| Sugars | 12.8 g | 15.7 g |
| Added sugars | 11.3 g | 13.8 g |
| Fibre | 1.4 g | 1.7 g |
| Fat | 11.5 g | 14.1 g |
| Saturated fat | 1.6 g | 2 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 3 mg | 3 mg |
| Sodium | 161 mg | 196 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.4 g | 0.5 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 110 mg
- Calcium
- 48 mg
- Iron
- 1.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 17 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 12 µg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- —
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 105 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- A sticky dough makes the softest hotteok — resist adding too much flour.
Common mistakes
- Biting in straight from the pan — the melted sugar filling is extremely hot.
- Adding too much flour to make the dough easier to handle; it should stay soft and sticky (use oiled hands).
Serve with
- Eat warm, folded in a paper cup as on Korean street stalls.
Storage
- Keep for 1 day in an airtight container, or freeze.
Reheating
- Reheat in a dry pan over low heat.
Variations
- Ssiat hotteok: Busan-style: fried in more oil, then split and stuffed with mixed seeds.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- All-purpose flour250 g
- Milk, lukewarm200 ml · 206 g
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 20 min
Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).
First rise (bulk) · about 1 h
About doubled, domed, jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. A floured finger poked in leaves a dent that fills slowly.
Bake · about 18 min
Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).
- Start to finish: about 1 h 38 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
The dough
| Ingredient | Role | Weight | Baker’s % |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | Flour | 250 g | 100% |
| Milk | Other liquid | 206 g | 82.4% |
| Neutral vegetable oil | Fat | 14 g | 5.4% |
| Sugar | Sugar | 13 g | 5% |
| Dried yeast | Yeast | 3 g | 1.2% |
| Salt | Salt | 3 g | 1.2% |
- Total flour
- 250 g
- Hydration
- —
- With milk, eggs…
- 71.7%
- Wholegrain
- 0%
Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.
- Salt 1.2% — on the low side (1.8–2.2% is typical for bread).
If something goes wrong
Dense, heavy loaf
Likely causes
- Under-kneaded (weak gluten)
- Under-proofed
- Old or dead yeast/starter
- Too much wholegrain flour without extra water
What to do
- Knead to the windowpane stage
- Proof by the poke test, not the clock
- Test yeast in warm water with sugar; feed the starter and use it at its peak
- Add 5–10% more water for wholegrain flours and give them a rest
Gummy or wet crumb
Likely causes
- Under-baked
- Sliced while hot
- Hydration too high for the flour
What to do
- Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
- Cool completely on a rack before slicing
- Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
Spreads flat / no oven spring
Likely causes
- Over-proofed
- Weak shaping (no surface tension)
- Oven not hot enough
- Too much water for the flour
What to do
- Shorten the proof; bake when the poke springs back slowly
- Shape tightly so the skin is taut
- Preheat fully (30+ minutes; with a stone or Dutch oven, 45)
- Lower hydration or use bread flour
Collapsed or sunken middle
Likely causes
- Oven door opened too early
- Too much leavening or sugar
- Under-baked centre
- Over-proofed yeast dough
What to do
- Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
- Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
- Test the centre before removing
- Proof less
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Cracked or domed top
Likely causes
- Oven too hot (crust sets before the centre rises)
- Too much leavening
- Overmixed batter
What to do
- Lower the oven 10–15 °C
- Use the exact leavening amount
- Fold just until combined
Big holes or tunnels
Likely causes
- Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
- Air trapped while shaping bread
- Uneven proof
What to do
- Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
- Degas gently and shape tightly
- Proof covered in an even, warm place
Dough didn't rise
Likely causes
- Dead yeast (expired or killed by hot liquid)
- Kitchen too cold
- Salt in direct contact with fresh yeast
- Starter not active
What to do
- Liquid should be lukewarm (no hotter than 40 °C)
- Proof somewhere warm (an oven with just the light on)
- Mix the salt into the flour, not onto the yeast
- Feed the starter until it doubles in 4–8 hours
Over-proofed (sour smell, collapses when scored)
Likely causes
- Too warm
- Too much yeast
- Left too long
What to do
- Knock back, reshape and proof again briefly (yeast doughs)
- Use less yeast or a cooler proof
- Set a timer and check early with the poke test
Dry or crumbly
Likely causes
- Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
- Over-baked
- Too little fat or sugar
What to do
- Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
- Check 5 minutes early
- Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source
Reviews & corrections
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