추석 잘 보내세요! Happy Chuseok! It’s time to celebrate the Korean Autumn Harvest! It’s a time to give thanks, honor our loved ones who have passed, spend time with our families, and enjoy a large home-cooked meal together. When cool crisp air sways through vermilion leaves and everything is dipped in gold… it’s the perfect time of year for feeling cozy and indulging in warm comforting foods!
Hotteok (호떡) is a popular winter street food in South Korea. It’s a type of pancake filled with sweet syrup and assorted nuts, that is hot and crispy on the outside and sweet and gooey on the inside. I wanted to take this popular Korean treat and combine it with the American comforts of pumpkin and spice for a delicious fusion of the two cultures. My Pumpkin Spice Hotteok (호박 호떡) recipe is the perfect sweet treat for chilly autumn days and, for me, a harmonious blend of my cultural identities. It’s something I hope my kids will remember fondly and pass down to their kids, as well.
Pumpkin Spice Hotteok Recipe
Servings: 8
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Rest Time: 90 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
Dough:
- 2-1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast (1 package)
- 1/3 cup warm water
- 2tbsp white sugar
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup warm whole milk
- 1/2 cup warm pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
- 1-3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup sweet rice flour
- 1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp salt
Filling:
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 tbsp finely chopped walnuts
- 3 tbsp finely chopped pecans
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
- To make the dough, add white sugar, vegetable oil, and yeast to 1/3 cup warm water in a large bowl. (Make sure water is not too hot, so you don’t kill the yeast.) Let sit for 10 minutes, until foamy.
- Add milk and pumpkin puree to the yeast mixture. Then sift all purpose flour, sweet rice flour, spices, and salt into the bowl and mix together until well incorporated. The dough should be sticky.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size (about an hour).
- Punch down the dough and reshape into a ball and let rise again for another 30 minutes.
- While the dough is rising for a second time, prepare the filling by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl and mixing well.
- Punch down the dough again and knead. Lightly grease your hands with vegetable oil and tear off pieces of dough, roughly 2 inches in diameter.
- Flatten each ball of dough into a flat disk and fill with a couple spoonfuls of the filling. Then bring up the edges like a coin purse and pinch to seal and place sealed-side down on a plate.
- Heat enough vegetable oil in a frying pan to fry the hotteok, over medium heat. Flatten filled dough into a flat disk and gently place in the hot oil. Cook on each side until golden brown, then transfer for a plate lined with paper towels to remove excess oil.
- While still hot, dust each hotteok with powdered sugar (optional).
- Enjoy hot!
Note: Hotteok can be frozen for up to 3 months and reheated in a microwave or toaster oven to enjoy any time you like!
These Pumpkin Spice Hotteok are delicious as-is, but we also love to enjoy them with toppings like whipped cream, maple drizzle, or even vanilla ice cream – there is no wrong way to indulge with these! I hope you love this recipe as much as we do. Until next time!