Gyeranppang

A sweet batter with a whole egg cracked straight onto it in the tin, baked until the yolk is just set.

Egg. Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains egg, dairy (butter), dairy (milk), dairy (cheese). Vegetarian only if you leave out the optional pork.

Ingredients

• 180 g plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 60 g sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, for the batter
• 200 ml milk
• 40 g butter, melted, plus more for the tin
• 8 eggs, whole, for the top
• salt, black pepper and dried parsley, to finish
• grated cheese or chopped ham, optional

Method

1. A WHOLE EGG IS CRACKED INTO THE BATTER IN THE MOULD. Not beaten in, not stirred through -- the batter goes into each well about two thirds full and an egg is broken on top of it, yolk whole. It sinks a little and bakes in place, so the finished thing is a sweet soft bread with a complete egg sitting in it. Beaten into the batter it is an ordinary sweet muffin and the dish has no point.
2. AND THE WELL IS ONLY TWO THIRDS FULL BEFORE THE EGG GOES IN. The batter rises and the egg takes up room; filled to the top, it overflows and the egg slides off the side.
3. THE BATTER IS SWEET AND THE TOP IS SALTED, which is the whole character of it and sounds wrong written down. Sugar in the batter, then salt and pepper over the egg before it bakes. Sweet bread and a savoury fried egg in one mouthful.
4. IT IS BAKED UNTIL THE WHITE IS SET AND THE YOLK IS NOT. Fifteen to eighteen minutes at 180C, and the test is the white rather than a skewer -- the bread is always done before the egg is. Baked until the yolk is firm, it is dry and chalky and the appeal is gone.
5. THE TIN IS BUTTERED HEAVILY AND COLD. Egg welds to metal, and these come out of an oval or muffin tin in one piece or not at all.
6. Oven to 180C. An oval tin or deep muffin tin buttered heavily and chilled.
7. Flour, baking powder, sugar and salt whisked together.
8. The one egg, the milk and the melted butter whisked in to a smooth thick batter. Rested 10 minutes.
9. The wells filled TWO THIRDS full.
10. A whole egg cracked carefully onto the batter in each, yolk kept whole.
11. Salt, pepper and a pinch of dried parsley over each. Cheese or ham scattered on if using.
12. Baked 15 to 18 MINUTES, until the bread is risen and gold and the egg WHITE is set.
13. The yolk checked: it should still be soft under a gentle press.
14. Left 2 minutes, then eased out with a palette knife.
15. Eaten hot, in the hand. They do not keep and do not reheat.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under South Korea · All recipes