Korean-Style Cream Cheese Garlic Bread

Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Servings: 6
Yield: 6 servings

Description

This Korean-style bread from Chef John combines rich cream cheese filling, buttery garlic coating, and soft rolls for an irresistible savory treat.

Ingredients

1 cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees F/40 to 45 degrees C)
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour for dusting
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
3/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
8 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 pinch salt
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
1 large egg
6 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions

1 Gather all ingredients.
2 Combine warm water, yeast, sugar, and 1 cup flour in a bowl. Let rest until foamy and bubbly, about 30 minutes.
3 Add remaining 2 cups flour and salt to the bubbly yeast mixture. Beat with an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook until dough is fairly smooth, elastic, and tacky but not sticky, about 5 minutes. Feel free to add more flour if dough is too sticky.
4 Knead dough briefly before transferring to a lightly greased bowl.
5 Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours. At the 30-minute and 60-minute marks, uncover and fold dough with wet fingers 5 to 6 times to develop gluten structure.
6 Transfer to a work surface and press flat, squeezing out excess air. Divide with a bench scraper into 6 equal portions. Roll each portion into a smooth ball.
7 Transfer rolled dough balls onto a Silpat®-lined baking sheet and press down gently. Dust lightly with remaining flour.
8 Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
9 Bake rolls in the center of the preheated oven until lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
10 While rolls cool, make cream cheese filling. Mix cream cheese, sugar, salt, black pepper, cayenne, parsley, green onions, and heavy cream together with a spatula until combined.
11 Mix melted butter, garlic, salt, parsley, and egg together for coating with a whisk until combined.
12 Transfer cooled rolls back onto the lined baking sheet. Use a sharp knife to make 6 cuts on each roll, about 90% of the way through.
13 Dip the cut rolls into the garlic butter and coat in between the slits using your hands or a pastry brush.
14 Pipe or spread 1/6 of the cream cheese mixture into each of the 6 rolls. Coat each once more in the garlic butter mixture. Top with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
15 Bake in the center of the preheated oven until beautifully browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.
16 Enjoy!