Red Bean Pastry (Korean Gyeongju Soft Bun with Anko)
Quick answer
Gyeongju-ppang is a baked Korean pastry made from a yeast-leavened dough enriched with milk and butter, wrapped generously around a core of sweet red bean paste.
What makes this special
- Gyeongju-ppang red bean pastries feature a thin, buttery crust packed with dense, sweet adzuki paste.
- High filling-to-dough ratio means dense red bean flavor hits first, thin crust follows
- Seam-side down baking gives a smooth dome with no cracks
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Warm 120ml milk to 38-40C, then stir in 30g sugar and 4g instant yeast.
- 2 Mix 220g all-purpose flour with 3g salt in a bowl, then add the yeast milk and 1 egg.
- 3 Add 25g unsalted butter and knead for about 8 minutes.
Gyeongju-ppang is a baked Korean pastry made from a yeast-leavened dough enriched with milk and butter, wrapped generously around a core of sweet red bean paste. The dough is rolled thin, formed around the filling with the seam placed down, and baked at 180 degrees Celsius until the top domes up smooth and the surface takes on a pale golden color. Because the filling-to-dough ratio is deliberately high, the dominant flavor in each bite is the dense, sweet red bean, with the thin enriched shell contributing a quiet dairy aroma. The pastry traces its lineage to hwangnam-ppang, originating in the Hwangnam district of Gyeongju, and has become one of the city's defining food souvenirs. It stays moist after cooling, which makes it practical both as a packaged gift and as an everyday snack eaten at room temperature.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Warm 120ml milk to 38-40C, then stir in 30g sugar and 4g instant yeast.
Let it stand for 5 minutes and use it only when a foamy layer appears, which confirms the yeast is active.
- 2Season
Mix 220g all-purpose flour with 3g salt in a bowl, then add the yeast milk and 1 egg.
Stir until no dry flour remains and the dough gathers into a rough, shaggy mass.
- 3Season
Add 25g unsalted butter and knead for about 8 minutes.
Continue until the butter is fully absorbed, the surface looks smooth, and the dough stretches slightly instead of tearing right away.
- 4Control
Cover the dough and let it rise at 28-30C for about 40 minutes.
When it doubles in volume, press it gently to release gas, then divide it into 8 even pieces.
- 5Step
Divide 260g sweet red bean paste into 8 portions and roll each one firmly into a ball.
Flatten each dough piece, wrap it around the filling, and pinch the seam completely closed.
- 6Heat
Place each pastry seam side down on the pan and press the top lightly to make the classic flat shape.
Bake at 180C for 15-18 minutes, then cool when the tops are pale golden.
After the steps
Pick a recipe that fits this dish.
Continue with shared ingredients, meal pairings, or a similar method.
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