The Ultimate Korean Cream Cheese Garlic Bread Recipe
Details
Get ready to experience garlic bread like never before. This is the ultimate treat for a serious craving: soft, pillowy buns are sliced into wedges, stuffed with a sweet and tangy cream cheese filling, and then dunked head-first into a rich, custardy garlic butter before being baked to golden, bubbly perfection. It's the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and garlicky—a true showstopper for sharing with friends or indulging on a cozy night in.
Ingredients
For the Cream Cheese Filling
For the Garlic Butter Custard
For Assembly
Cook's Notes
The magic of Korean Cream Cheese Garlic Bread lies in its incredible contrast of flavors and textures. The bread itself acts as a vehicle for two distinct but harmonious components: a slightly sweet, tangy cream cheese filling and a savory, rich garlic butter 'custard'. By cutting the bun into six wedges (but not all the way through!), you create the perfect pockets to pipe in the cream cheese and maximize the surface area for the garlic butter to soak into. When baked, the filling becomes molten, the garlic butter crisps up the edges, and the center remains wonderfully soft and custardy. It’s a flavor bomb that hits all the right notes.
For the most authentic experience, use soft, brioche-style buns, as their richness complements the fillings perfectly; however, any soft dinner roll will work in a pinch. Don't be shy with the garlic butter bath—fully submerge the top of each bun to ensure it soaks up all that glorious flavor. Leftover korean-cream-cheese-garlic-bread can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. To reheat and bring back that just-baked magic, simply pop them in an oven or air fryer at 180°C (350°F) for 5-8 minutes until warm and crispy.
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and granulated sugar together until smooth and lump-free. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag (or a sturdy zip-top bag) and set aside.
In a separate, wide bowl (big enough for dipping a bun), whisk together the melted butter, minced garlic, egg, sweetened condensed milk, chopped parsley, and a pinch of salt. The mixture should be well-combined and have a custardy consistency.
Take each bread roll and, using a sharp serrated knife, make 6 cuts from the top towards the base, stopping about an inch from the bottom so the bun stays whole. The cuts should resemble the wedges of an orange.
Snip the corner off your piping bag and generously pipe the cream cheese filling deep into each of the six crevices you just cut.
One by one, take each filled bun and dip it, top-down, into the garlic butter mixture. Swirl it around to ensure the entire surface and all the crevices are thoroughly coated.
Place the soaked buns on the prepared baking sheet. You can spoon any extra garlic butter from the bowl over the tops.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown, bubbling, and the edges are delightfully crispy. Let them cool for a few minutes before serving, as the filling will be very hot. Enjoy warm!
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