International dishesSavory CakesKoreaabout 45 minutes
Korean garlic cheese bread is cut into six wedges, crisp and fragrant with garlic butter outside and packed with cream cheese filling inside. It bakes quickly and suits an afternoon snack. The hardest part is beating the cheese filling smooth without letting it split.
The cream cheese has to come fully to room temperature and be beaten smooth on its own before the cream goes in; the other way around gives lumps. Beat on low speed and stop the moment the mixture thickens, since overbeating makes the filling weep.
This batch weighs about 558g, at roughly 369 calories per 100g.
Method
Make the cheese filling: leave 200g cream cheese out until it is fully soft, beat it on the lowest speed until smooth, then add 100g whipping cream and 22.5g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend that has been sifted fine. Keep beating on low speed and stop as soon as the mixture comes together and thickens.
Make the garlic butter: take 20g from the 100g unsalted butter, melt it in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat, then add 20g minced garlic. Stir gently until the garlic loses its raw bite but is still pale. Let it cool.
Soften the remaining 80g butter briefly in the microwave, without letting it melt to liquid. Add 20g whipping cream, 22.5g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 3g salt and the cooled garlic, and mix until thick. Taste, then stir in a little Italian mixed herbs.
Heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
With a serrated knife, cut each of the 8 small rolls into 6 wedges, stopping just short of the base and drawing the knife back and forth like a saw for a clean cut.
Brush the garlic butter into every cut and over the outside, pipe the cheese filling down into the cuts, then bake until the surface is golden and fragrant.
Tips
The cream cheese has to be fully at room temperature and beaten on its own before the cream goes in, or the mixture turns lumpy.
Grinding or sifting the kOBE Monk Fruit Blend very fine before it meets the cream matters, because larger grains dissolve slowly and leave the filling gritty.
Beating too long or too fast makes the mixture split.
Frying the garlic is the step that gives the butter its aroma and takes away the raw edge, so fresh garlic works better than garlic powder.
Italian mixed herbs can simply be left out, or swapped for dried oregano from the supermarket.
Bread straight from the oven rests for 5 minutes before eating, because the cheese filling inside is very hot.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.