Korean Cream Cheese Garlic Bread Yook Jjok Maneul Ppang
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 45 minutes plus rising time
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves: 12
For the Buns:
- 500g/1.1lbs bread flour
- 125ml/4flozs milk
- 60ml/2flozs water tinted with orange food colouring
- 90g/3ozs. honey
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 125g/4ozs. pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons instant dried yeast
- oil for greasing bowl
- 1 egg beaten for eggwash
For Cream Cheese Filling:
- 250g/8.8ozs cream cheese, softened
- 125g/4ozs. pumpkin puree
- 90g/3ozs grated parmesan
- 4 tablespoons finely chopped chives
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For Garlic Butter:
- 185g/6.5ozs. butter
- 6 cloves garlic, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
Step 1 - Take 30g/1oz of the total flour weight and whisk it in a small saucepan with the milk and orange tinted water to make a roux. Heat on low heat until it reaches 65C/149F and creates a smooth roux (whisk to keep it from catching). Whisk in the honey, egg and salt.
Step 2 - In the bowl of an electric mixer add the remaining flour, pumpkin puree, yeast and the roux mixture and stir with a spatula. Then affix a dough hook and knead for 20 minutes or until you get the window pane effect where you can gently pull apart the dough and the dough is semi translucent and you can almost see through it. This does take a while to achieve so I don't recommend doing this by hand.
Step 3 - Roll into a ball and place in a large, greased bowl and cover with a plate or cling film and allow to double or triple in size for around 1 hour in a warm, draught free area. Punch down the dough and weigh the dough and divide by 12. My dough balls were around 80g/2.8ozs in size.
Step 4 - Line 2 large baking trays and preheat oven to 150C/300F. Shape the dough into balls ensuring that there are no cracks on the top and bottom of the ball. This takes a little bit of practice rolling under a cupped hand on a non floured surface. The more you practice it the better you'll be at it. Place on the lined baking trays, cover and allow to rise for 30 minutes or until puffy. Then gently brush with egg wash and bake for 20-25 minutes on the lowest part of the oven (away from the fan). At this stage you can cool and then pack these up (I pop them in a zip lock bag) and freeze them.
Step 5 - When you're ready to finish them, make the cream cheese filling and garlic butter. Process the cream cheese, pumpkin puree, parmesan, chives, sugar and salt in a food processor or whisk in a bowl and place in a piping bag in the fridge ready.
Step 6 - Then melt the butter and mix with the garlic cloves and chives. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line 2 trays with parchment.
Step 7 - Cut the buns into six segments making sure not to cut all the way through (I do three long cuts across). Prise the segments apart gently and then pipe the cream cheese filling between each segment. Dip into the garlic butter (or brush it on top). Be generous with the garlic butter. Place each on a tray and repeat with the rest. Bake for 8 minutes until melting and soft. Serve straight away.