A sweet bread, fried for a crispy outside and soft chewy inside that’s stuffed with a savory mashed potato filling for one of the best afternoon snacks.
Bread is one of my weak spots, especially Korean breads that are often soft and sweet with a slightly chewy texture for the right balance. In today’s current situation, it’s hard to go grocery shopping unless pre-planned to avoid long lines. I do not pre-plan for when my sweet and snack cravings will come. And so, I’ve come to making my own. I used a recipe from Ppang Joon Suh on YouTube. He’s a professional baker in Korea and claims this is the exact recipe he uses for his shop!
What is Korean Croquette Bread? (Korokke)
First, Korean-style croquette bread is different from Japanese potato korokke. Korean croquette is a slightly sweet dough stuffed with a savory filling that is deep-fried. The savory filling is often a mixture with mashed potatoes as a base or can also be similar to what would be filled in mandu, Korean dumplings. Japanese-style korroke, is a savory filling, often with mashed potatoes as a base, shaped into a ball that is covered with panko crumbs and deep-fried! Also very delicious but very different from the Korean-style since there’s no dough or bread. It’s more like a European-style croquette.
This was actually very confusing for me at first when I first searched for croquette recipes because none of the recipes looked like the bread that I knew! I’ve made both types and both are delicious – how could they not be when both are deep fried?
How to Make
Proofing: There are multiple steps to making this croquette bread but it comes together faster than other Korean breads because it skips one of the dough-proofing steps. Usually bread has 3 steps of proofing 1) the first initial proof as a big ball , waiting for it to double in size 2) Short second proof after equaling dividing up the dough 3) Short proof after final assembly. This recipe skips the first step so you save about an hour!
Dough: The pastry chef also mentions that this dough has less moisture for a better texture. When you first mix the dough, it will seem very dry but if you keep mixing it will come together nicely. Don’t add more liquid unless you really feel the need to do so after a few minutes! I was worried the first 3 minutes but really glad I didn’t do anything to it!
Filling: there’s a lot of it in his recipe. The recipe originally calls for 4 steamed potatoes (for 400 grams; or nearly 1 lb) and a lot of onion. It was too much for us! Reducing the potato made the bread taste more delicious. I thinks this dough will also be delicious with a lot of different types of filling. I hope to experiment with this and hope you do too! I’m thinking stir-fried kimchi, sweet creamed corn, and more.. can’t wait!
Breadcrumb coating: Usually a beaten egg is used but this recipe uses water + baking soda that Chef Joon Suh mentions makes for a better crispy texture when fried. It is very crispy once fried!
Enjoy!
Enjoy it as breakfast, lunch or a snack! It’s best warm and will loose it’s crispy texture after a day.
Korean Korokke Bread
Ingredients
Dough
- 240 g (2 cup) bread flour
- 30 g (2 ½ Tbsp) sugar
- 3 g (½ tsp) salt
- 4 g (1 ¼ tsp) instant yeast
- 1 egg room termpature
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) water room temperature
- 65 g (4 ½ Tbsp) unsalted butter room temperature
Potato Filling
- 3 small potatoes (300 g; 10 oz)
- 2 large eggs boiled
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 carrot chopped
- 4 green onion chopped
- 3 slices ham chopped
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
Breadcrumb Coating
- 240 ml (1 cup) water
- 25 g (3 Tbsp) flour
- 2 ½ g (½ tsp) salt
- 1 g (¼ tsp) baking soda
- 3/4 cup panko (bread crumbs)
Instructions
- In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, sift in the bread flour; add in the yeast, salt, sugar, water and beaten egg. Continue to mix on low-medium speed for about 2-3 minutes until the dough starts to come together. Add in the butter and continue to mix on medium speed. The dough should be smooth, and pull off the sides of the bowl neatly when being mixed. (Often takes me about 10 minutes, depending on speed and weather) *If kneading by hand, follow similar steps as above. You will most likely need to knead it for a few more minutes.
- Divide the dough into 50 grams each - 9 equal pieces. Roll each dough into a round piece. Cover and set aside for 20 minutes.
Filling
- Prep the potato. Place potatoes in the pot (or steamer basket) with water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook potatoes until tender. About 10-15 minutes. When still hot, mix in a blender or mash with a fork. Place a in a medium sized bowl.
- Prep the egg. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add in the egg and boil for 10 minutes. Run through cold water. Mash the egg with the mashed potato. Mix well.
- Stir-fry the vegetables. Heat a non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Toss in the chopped onion, green onions, carrot and ham; no oil is needed. Pour the soy sauce into the side of the frying pan and swirl around into the vegetable mixture. Add the vegetables into the mashed potato and egg bowl. Mix well.
Assemble the Dough
- Flatten a piece of dough to the size of your palm. Add in about 2-3 Tbsp of the filling. Place in the middle of the dough. Fold the outter rims into the middle. Pinch the middle together to seal. Lightly flatten. Set aside and repeat with the rest of the dough.
- Make the breadcrumb dip. In a bowl, add the water, flour, salt and baking soda. Whisk well so there are no lumps. Place the breadcrumbs on a separate plate.
- Dip a dough in the water mixture. Press the dough into the breadcrumbs on both sides until well covered. Repeat for all dough. Rest for 15 minutes.
Fry
- Heat oil in a pot until 340 degrees F (170 C). *Use a candy thermometer for easiest frying. Without one, test if the oil is hot enough by throwing in a piece of breadcrumb into the oil. The breadcrumb should float. If the breadcrumb sinks, it's not hot enough yet.
- Place a dough gently into the oil. Fry the first side for about 2 minutes or until lightly browned, Flip the dough over and fry for another 45 seconds to 1:30 minutes, until both sides are lightly fried. Repeat!
- Enjoy warm!
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