Hotteok

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 Tablespoons white sugar
• 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast (about 1 packet)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoon chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Hotteok dough: Place the lukewarm water into a mixing bowl. Add white sugar, yeast, salt, vegetable oil, and stir it well. Add 2 cups of all purpose flour and mix it with a rice scoop, or by hand.
2. Let the dough rise. It should sit with the lid closed at room temperature for 1 hour.
3. After an hour the dough will rise to double its size. Knead it to remove the gas bubbles in the dough. Let it rise for another 10-20 minutes.
4. Make filling (for 8 hotteok): Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon powder, and chopped walnuts in a bowl.
5. Make the hotteok: Knead the dough again to remove the gas bubbles.
6. Place and spread about 1/2 cup flour on your cutting board.
7. Put the dough on your cutting board and knead it. Make it into a lump, and cut it into 8 equal-sized balls.
8. Take 1 dough ball, flatten it, put some filling in the center of the dough, and then seal it to make a ball. Repeat this 8 times to make 8 stuffed balls. (Use some flour from the cutting board to prevent your fingers from sticking to the dough.)
9. Heat up your non-stick pan over medium heat and add some vegetable oil.
10. Place 1 ball on the pan and let it cook for 30 seconds.
11. When the bottom of the dough ball is light golden brown, turn it over and press the dough with a spatula to make a thin and wide circle (about the size of a CD). Let it cook about 1 minute until the bottom is golden brown.
12. Turn it over again and turn down the heat very low. Place the lid on the pan and cook 1 more minute. The brown sugar filling mixture will be melted to syrup!
13. Serve hot!