Korean Cream Cheese Garlic Bread (크림치즈 마늘빵)
The fluffiest and most buttery Korean cream cheese garlic bread that just melts in your mouth. Made entirely from scratch, this bread is loaded with garlic and filled with sweet cream cheese.
Ingredients
Bread Buns
- ½ cup water, lukewarm (130 grams)
- 1 ½ tablespoons plain sugar (20 grams)
- 1 packet instant dry yeast (7 grams)
- 1 ½ tablespoons butter, softened (20 grams)
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 2 ⅓ cups white bread flour (300 grams)
Cream Cheese Filling
- 1 cup cream cheese, full fat (200 grams)
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar* (50 grams)
Garlic Butter
- 1 ½ sticks butter, softened (150 grams)
- 2 ½ tablespoons plain sugar* (30 grams)
- ½ cup fresh garlic, minced (60 grams)
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley or oregano
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise*
- ¼ cup sour cream (50 grams)
- 1 tablespoon fine salt
Instructions
Bread Buns
- In a large bowl add the lukewarm water, sugar, and yeast. Mix well to combine, then set aside for 5-10 minutes.
- Add in the softened butter and salt, mixing again to combine.
- Sift in the flour and use a wooden spoon to combine until a dough forms.
- If using a stand mixer, use the dough hook attachment to knead for 5-10 minutes or until smooth. If kneading by hand, sprinkle a little extra flour on the work surface. Knead the dough by stretching it away, then pulling it back together. Repeat until the dough is no longer sticky and looks smooth, for around 15 minutes.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then place in a warm to proof for at least 1-2 hours. The dough needs to double in volume.
- Once proofed, place the dough on the work surface. Gently press down on the dough to flatten it, then shape it into a log. Use a pastry scraper or knife to cut out 6 equal pieces of dough. Work with one piece at a time, covering the remaining with plastic wrap.
- Gently press the dough piece into a disc, then fold one edge ⅓ towards the centre. Fold the opposing edge over the folded part, overlapping them.
- Start rolling the dough on the shorter edge to form a small roll.
- Cup palm over the roll, then gently press on the dough in a rotating motion. This helps shape the dough into perfectly round rolls. Repeat process for the remaining rolls.
- Place all rolls onto a baking tray, leaving at least 3-4 inches between each roll. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel. Proof in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Cream Cheese Filling
- In a bowl combine the cream cheese and sugar, mixing with a hand mixer or spatula.
- Place the cream cheese mixture in a piping bag fitted with a round ½-inch nozzle. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
Garlic Butter
- In a medium bowl combine the butter, sugar, garlic, oregano, sour cream, mayo, and salt. Mix everything well and leave at room temperature until ready to use.
- Before using, microwave the mixture for 15-20 seconds, until it looks like a paste. Keep a close eye on it whilst microwaving so it doesn't become too runny.
Baking the garlic bread
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F (180°C). Bake the rolls for 10-12 minutes or until golden.
- Let rolls cool down for 10-15 minutes until warm to the touch.
- Using a serrated bread knife, make 6 cuts on the top of each roll, like cutting into a pizza. Leave the base uncut, about ½-inch in thickness.
- Fill the rolls with cream cheese in between each cut. Start from the edge and pipe towards the centre. Reserve about ¼ of the cream cheese for later.
- Dunk each roll face down into the garlic butter. Spread the butter with a pastry brush, getting it into every groove.
- Place the rolls back onto the baking tray. Pipe a generous dollop of the remaining cream cheese in the middle of each roll.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven for 6-8 minutes or until light brown in colour.
- Enjoy hot, fresh out of the oven!
Notes
- I recommend using a kitchen scale in grams for more accuracy. The cups used for the conversion are standard US customary cups (1 cup flour = 136g). There are many different types of cups across the globe, which is why I strongly recommend using grams instead.
- Sugar can be left out in the cream cheese filling and garlic butter sauce for a fully savoury recipe.
- Sour cream can be replaced with heavy cream in the same quantity.
- Nutritional value is estimative and it's calculated per serving (this recipe makes 6 buns).
Nutrition
Calories: 534kcal
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!