Kkwabaegi (Korean Twisted Doughnuts)

Kkwabaegi (Korean Twisted Doughnuts) was treated as a very old snack, but it is once again in the spotlight. Thus, you can see it everywhere in Korea right now. Can’t wait to see it, right? Alright, let’s get started!

KKWABAEGI (Makes: 10)

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk
• 1.5 tsp (6g) instant dry yeast
• 1 tsp (6g) salt
• 4 tbsp (50g) sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2.5 cups (300g) bread flour
• 3 tbsp (40g) unsalted butter

Coating:

• 4 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

Instructions:

MAKE DOUGH

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the milk, yeast, salt, sugar, and egg.

2. Into the mixing bowl, sift the bread flour and gently mix together. Add the softened butter and mix it again. Knead until the dough doesn’t stick to your hands.

3. Once the dough gets smooth and elastic, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour at room temperature.

NOTE:

• Although I said 1 hour, it can be longer or shorter depending on many factors such as room temperature or humidity. Rather than setting a time, let’s just wait until the dough has doubled. 

MAKE DOUGHNUT SHAPE

1. When the dough has doubled in size, divide it into 10 pieces and try to get them as even as you can. (FYI, my dough weighed 55g each.)

2. Use your palms to roll each dough and form a nice and smooth ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 15 minutes.

3. Grab one piece of dough. Roll it back-and-forth and make it long. With your left hand, hold one end and roll the other end 4 to 5 times with your right hand. If you lift it, it should be automatically twisted. If it doesn’t, just twist it with your hands. Press the part where the two ends meet together. Repeat the process.

4. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 15 minutes. Flip and wait for an additional 15 minutes.

FRY DOUGHNUTS

1. Fill your wok (or pot) with enough oil. The best temperature would be 180°C (350°F). Once it reaches its desired temperature, reduce the heat to medium. Working in batches, carefully add the doughnuts into the oil.

2. For each side, 1 minute would be enough. Make sure to keep an eye on them so that they don’t burn. Take out the doughnuts with a strainer and drain on a cooling rack.

3. Meanwhile, in a separate container, mix together the sugar and cinnamon powder. Coat all the doughnuts with this sugar and cinnamon powder mixture.

2 MORE VARIATIONS

Options for Filling:

• String cheese
• Nutella

1. Grab one piece of dough. Press the center slightly to make some room for filling. Into that space, add some cheese (or Nutella) and seal it completely. Form into a ball. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.

2. Fill your wok (or pot) with enough oil and heat that to 180°C (350°F). Once it reaches the temperature, reduce the heat to medium. Add the doughnuts into the oil. Fry until both sides turn golden brown. It will take less than 1 minute.

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