Korean egg bread makes a great snack, especially if you love eggs. But unlike Sotteok Sotteok, Gamja hot dogs, and Ppopgi, this Korean street food isn’t just a snack. Interestingly, it can also be the perfect alternative to your usual toasts or pancakes for breakfast!
It always hits the spot, whether you have it on the go or savouring every bite at the comfort of your home. With its pleasing aroma and delicate texture, this piping hot sandwich is perhaps worth burning your tongue for.
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What is it?
‘Gyeran’ (계란) stands for ‘egg’, whereas ‘ppang’ (빵) means bread in Korean. Therefore, ‘Gyeranppang’ (계란빵) is exactly what you think it is; egg bread.
Invented in the 1960s, this is a yummy, oblong-shaped Korean street food stuffed with eggs and sometimes cheese and bacon. Similar to American pancakes with eggs and bacon, Gyeranppang is a Korean delicacy with all that wrapped into a bun.
It is a popular winter snack in Korea best enjoyed hot and fresh when it’s freezing outside. One could say that enjoying this street food feels like getting a warm hug. You can easily find street vendors baking tons of this fluffy snack in special oblong moulds during winter.
The steamed bun is uniquely sweet and savoury when it comes to taste. Many describe it as a delicious muffin that is slightly sweet and salty at once. Many have also associated the taste with corn muffins, but minus the corn and less sweet.
Calories
A serving of this delectable Korean egg bread contains around 220 calories. Light yet satisfying and hearty, the street food can also be a tasty option for breakfast or lunch.
Variations
There are many variations as to this classic Korean egg bread sandwich. First, you may find some cooks sandwich the egg between the batter. Other than that, some cooks place the egg on top of the bread.
The plain and original Gyeranppang only contains egg. Usually, the consistency of the egg is a cross between scrambled and hard-boiled. This makes the egg sort of creamy yet not too runny. However, some versions of this street food contain a completely hard-boiled egg inside.
Besides that, some street vendors would also include cheese or ham in the batter. Adding bacon slices makes it smokier and more savoury. Due to that, this particular variation is a favourite of many. On the other hand, the cheesy version tastes pretty similar to baked macaroni and cheese.
This savoury snack also lends itself to various toppings such as bacon bits, tomato sauce, parsley, and sausages. Healthier ones include nuts, grains, and sunflower seeds. Honestly, there are tons of variations, and it all depends on the vendors.
We’ll provide a Korean egg bread with sausage recipe for you to try out at home in this post. It is a highly versatile snack that you may even create other variations according to your heart’s content.
Ingredients
You do not have to go through many struggles to obtain the ingredients for this yummy treat. Many of them are readily available at any supermarket. The main ingredients are:
- Eggs: What’s an egg bread without its main ingredient? You will need eggs to make the batter and for the topping.
- Flour: Self-raising flour is needed to make the batter for the Korean egg bread. It is a mixture of all-purpose flour, baking powder, and fine salt, which you can easily find in most grocery stores. It would be more convenient to get a readymade self-raising flour from the store.
- Sugar: This will add sweetness to the bun. You can also use other sweeteners as a substitute.
- Butter: Besides making your snack more delicious, it plays a role in making the bread tender. Any type of butter will work, but if you’re using salted butter, you can reduce the salt in the recipe.
- Milk: This recipe calls for milk, but you can simply use water if that’s what you prefer.
- Vanilla essence: This particular ingredient will also add more sweetness to the snack.
Gyeranppang Mold
Street vendors in Korea use a specialized oval metal mould to make the authentic oblong-shaped Gyeranppang which most Koreans are familiar with. In addition, they use a Korean egg bread machine or maker, which allows them to make dozens of loaves at a time. However, owning this specific Korean egg bread mould is not necessary to make the snack at home.
Instead, you can use your usual baking wares like metal loaf pans or even paper cups! Muffin tins – which we believe you already have at home – would work well as a substitute. On the other hand, bread loaf tins would be perfect for making the snack in bigger batches.
Still, want to try to make yours exactly like the ones from the Korean vendors? Then, a minibar tray would be the best option to use as your mould. Your fluffy snack would be the closest in size to the classic street food by using that.
Keto Korean Egg Bread
Those who commit to the keto diet do not have to miss out on the tastiness of this snack. Instead, you can simply make your Gyeranppang keto-friendly!
To make a keto batter, you can substitute sugar with a low-carb sweetener such as stevia or erythritol. These two substitutes taste and bake just like sugar. Other than that, you can also use almond flour instead of regular self-raising flour. Heavy cream can add thickness to the batter, while sour cream adds flavour and moisture.
Again, this street food is so versatile that it is possible to make a version that would suit your diet.
How to make Korean Egg Bread
The process of making this street food is fairly simple.
The first step is to make the batter by mixing butter, sugar, flour, egg, and other required ingredients until smooth. The batter is then poured into the baking mould and topped with an egg. You may also add other preferred toppings before baking them in the oven for about 25 minutes. Once baked, all that is left to do is serve hot and enjoy!
Cooking Tips
- Avoid pouring in too much batter into the muffin hole. To prevent the batter from overflowing, ensure it does not exceed ⅓ of the hole. Pouring in too much can also prevent the batter from being cooked thoroughly.
- Besides cupcake or muffin pans, you can also use ramekins for baking individual portions of Korean egg bread.
- You can store the leftovers in a sealed container and refrigerate for later. When you’re ready for another serving, simply pop it into the microwave for a few seconds until warm and enjoy. However, you should not keep it for too long, and it is best if you consume it within 24 hours.
- The residual heat after baking will continue to cook the egg. Therefore, the cooking time should depend on how you prefer your eggs cooked. If you like fully-cooked eggs, you can leave the bread in the oven for a few more minutes before taking them out. But if you love your eggs with runny yolks, take them out after 15 minutes of baking.
Korean Egg Bread Recipe | Gyeranppang
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup self-raising flour
- ⅓ cup castor sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground salt
- 1 large egg
- 6 small eggs
- ⅓ cup milk
- ⅓ cup melted salted butter
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla essence
- 2 pcs Sliced sausages
Instructions
- Begin the Korean egg bread recipe with preheating the oven at 180 Degree Celsius for 20 minutes.
- Spread some melted butter on each hole of the muffin tray.
- Sift in the flour, sugar, and ground salt in a large bowl.
- Mix the large egg, milk, butter, and vanilla essence in another bowl until all is combined. Then, pour them into a large bowl of flour, sugar, and salt. Mix well until the batter is smooth.
- Fill ⅓ of the muffin holes with the batter and top each hole of batter with an egg. Then, add some slices of sausages onto each of them. You may add other ingredients according to taste.
- Put the muffin tray in the oven and leave it to bake for 25 minutes. Then, take the tray out and check whether the buns is cooked thoroughly.
- Once they are all cooked, cool them down for 3-4 minutes.
- Take them out of the tray, serve and enjoy your Korean egg bread!
Notes
- For runnier eggs, take the buns out of the oven after 15 minutes of baking.
- A hand mixer can be used to mix the batter.
- You can use the stick method to check whether your Gyeranppang is cooked. Simply insert the stick into the centre of the muffin. If the stick comes out clean, then it is fully cooked.
Nutrition
Calories have been calculated using an online calculator. Nutritional information offered on Honest Food Talks is for general information purposes and are only rough estimations.
Curious to see the whole process of preparing this dish? LG’s Kitchen on Youtube has the perfect video recipe for this. Do check out their video to learn how they prepare their own version of the Korean Egg Bread recipe!
Crazy for more Korean recipes? Check out our Instagram @honestfoodtalks for a bunch more K-wave inspired recipes!
Aigi
Such a simple recipe - goes well Gochujang jam too ))
Phyllis
Such a nice and simple recipe! Hubby n i been on Kdrama run on Netflix and been looking for more Korean recipes to try. This looks lovely! Thank you
Jill
This came out lovely! Thank you so much. Perfect for Sunday sharing breakfast/brunches with the kids