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Hoppang
Red bean steamed buns
호빵 · winter steamed buns with sweet red bean filling
When the first cold snap hits, Korean convenience stores bring out glass steamer cabinets full of hoppang, and office workers grab one for breakfast on the way to the subway. The bun is soft, slightly sweet yeasted dough wrapped around a thick, smooth red bean paste, steamed until pillowy and eaten piping hot. Making them at home takes a morning but they freeze perfectly. The usual mistake is opening the lid too early or steaming over too fierce a heat: the buns collapse and wrinkle, so keep a steady medium heat and leave them to rest 5 minutes before lifting the lid. Contains wheat. Chef's tip: let the shaped buns rise on squares of baking paper; you can move them into the steamer without squashing them.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
- 12 ½ oz plain flour
- ⅛ oz instant dried yeast
- 1 oz sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¾ cup lukewarm water
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
For the filling
- 14 oz sweetened red bean pastesmooth or chunky (pat-so)
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon (optional)
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Mix 12 ½ oz plain flour, ⅛ oz instant dried yeast, 1 oz sugar, ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp baking powder. Add ¾ cup lukewarm water and 1 tbsp neutral oil and knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth, soft and springy.
10 minStep 2: Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled in size.
60 minStep 3: Meanwhile, mix 14 oz sweetened red bean paste with 1 pinch ground cinnamon and roll it into 8 balls of about 50 g each. Chill them so they are easy to wrap.
Step 4: Knock the dough back and divide into 8 pieces. Flatten each into a 10 cm disc, thicker in the middle than at the edges.
Step 5: Set a ball of filling in the centre, pull the dough up around it and pinch tightly to seal. Turn seam side down onto a square of baking paper and smooth into a dome.
Step 6: Leave to rise for 20–30 minutes until puffy.
25 minStep 7: Steam over a steady medium heat, lid wrapped in a tea towel to stop drips, for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and wait 5 minutes before opening.
20 minStep 8: Serve hot. Cool leftovers, freeze, and re-steam from frozen for 10 minutes.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 53 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does hoppang take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 100 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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