Belgium, Europe · Speculoos

Speculoos Hotteok (Belgian × Korean)

Name: Speculoos Hotteok (Belgian × Korean)
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Yield: Serves 2
Cuisine: Belgium
Ingredients: Milk, lukewarm 100 ml; Instant dried yeast ½ tsp; Sugar (for the dough) 2 tsp; Plain flour 140 g; Salt 1 pinch; Speculoos biscuits 4; Dark brown sugar 30 g; Ground cinnamon ½ tsp; Walnuts 20 g; Neutral oil 2 tbsp; Speculoos spread (cookie butter) 2 tsp

Korea's chewy, crisp-edged street pancakes filled with crushed speculoos, brown sugar, cinnamon and walnuts that melt into a molten spiced caramel.

ServingsServes 2

Total cooking time35 min

Rising+ 1 h

DifficultyMedium

Method

Warm the milk to lukewarm, about 35 to 40 °C (it should feel barely warm on your wrist; hot milk kills the yeast). Stir in the yeast and sugar, then add the flour and salt and beat with a spoon for into a very soft, sticky dough. Sticky is right: that is what makes hotteok chewy.
Add in this stepMilk, lukewarm 100 mlInstant dried yeast ½ tspSugar (for the dough) 2 tspPlain flour 140 gSalt 1 pinch
Cover the bowl and leave in a warm place for , until doubled in size and full of bubbles.
Meanwhile make the filling: crush the speculoos in a bag with a rolling pin into coarse crumbs, chop the walnuts finely and mix both with the brown sugar and cinnamon.
Add in this stepSpeculoos biscuits 4Dark brown sugar 30 gGround cinnamon ½ tspWalnuts 20 g
Rub your hands with a few drops of the oil and knock the dough back. Divide it into 4 equal pieces. Flatten one in your palm into a 10 cm disc, put a heaped spoonful of filling in the centre, then pull the edges up and pinch them firmly shut so no sugar can leak. Repeat with the rest.
Add in this stepNeutral oil ¼ tbsp
Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Fry in 1 batch(es), 2 or 3 at a time with space between them: place them seam-side down and cook for , until golden underneath. Flip, then press each one flat to about 1 cm with an oiled spatula or the bottom of a cup. Lower to medium-low heat and cook for , turning once more, until both sides are crisp and golden and the filling has melted.
Add in this stepNeutral oil 1¾ tbsp
medium heat→medium-low heat
Lift onto a plate and drizzle with a little speculoos spread warmed until runny. Wait 2 minutes before eating: the melted sugar inside is extremely hot and can burn.
Add in this stepSpeculoos spread (cookie butter) 2 tsp

Cook's tip

If the dough is too sticky to shape, oil your hands again rather than adding flour, which would make it tough. Pinch the seams well; leaking sugar burns in the pan. Fry on medium, not high, so the inside cooks through before the outside darkens.

Cooking it at camp

Make the dough at home and let it rise slowly in the cooler in a large lidded container; it will be ready by the evening. Shape and fry on the camping stove in a heavy pan over medium-low heat. Bring the filling mixed in a jar.