Bread Hotteok with Vanilla Ice Cream
A 15-minute, no-dough hotteok: rolled-flat sandwich bread filled with brown sugar, walnuts and mozzarella, sealed into half-moons, butter-fried and topped with ice cream.
Method
Cut the crusts off the bread and roll each slice flat with a rolling pin or bottle until about 3 mm thick. The thinner it is, the crisper it gets and the better the edges seal.
Add in this stepSoft white sandwich bread (slices) 4
Finely chop the walnuts and mix them with the brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling.
Add in this stepWalnuts 20 gDark brown sugar 40 gGround cinnamon 0.4 tsp
Put 1 tbsp of filling and a little mozzarella on one half of each slice, leaving a 1 cm border. Dab the border with water, fold the bread over, then press down with the rim of a glass to cut out a sealed half-moon (pieces: 4).
Add in this stepShredded mozzarella 40 g
Melt the butter in a 26 cm frying pan over medium-low heat for , until it foams.
Add in this stepButter 15 g
medium-low heatLay in the half-moons and cook over medium-low heat for , then flip and cook more, pressing gently with a spatula so the sugar inside melts faster. They are done when both sides are golden and crisp (batches: 1).
medium-low heatLet them cool for about a minute, plate, top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, drizzle with honey, add a pinch of cinnamon and serve right away.
Add in this stepVanilla ice cream (scoops) 2Honey 2 tspGround cinnamon ⅛ tsp
Cook's tip
High heat burns the bread before the sugar melts, so keep it at medium-low. If an edge opens up, crimp it again with a fork. Leave out the mozzarella for a more classic hotteok flavour.
Cooking it at camp
With just bread and filling there is no dough and no rising, which makes this a perfect camp snack. Shape the half-moons at home and pack them in a tub; at camp you only need to fry them. If ice cream is not an option, a spoonful of yogurt, or nothing at all, is still delicious.