Cream Cheese Garlic Focaccia (Pull Apart)

This Cream Cheese Garlic Focaccia is a soft, pull-apart loaf loaded with a rich cream cheese filling and soaked in a savoury garlic butter custard. It’s the perfect mashup of Korean garlic bread and classic focaccia—super buttery, ultra garlicky, and impossible to stop eating. Serve it warm for the ultimate cozy, crowd-pleasing appetizer or side!

Korean Cream Cheese Garlic Bread Inspired Focaccia

I recently tried a Korean cream cheese garlic bread for the first time and loved the combination of the custard coating and creamy filling! Instead of making the traditional bun, I wanted to create a focaccia version similar to my Bloomin’ Cheese and Garlic Butter Focaccia. Focaccia has the perfect airy structure to soak up the garlic butter custard while staying soft, and turning it into a pull-apart loaf makes it even more fun (and easier) to serve. The result is a super savoury, garlicky, cream-cheese-filled focaccia that’s incredibly satisfying warm out of the oven!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Pull-apart and shareable: everyone can grab a piece to their hearts content!
• Feeds a crowd: easy to make in big batches for potlucks, parties, family dinners, and holiday gatherings.
• Creamy, savoury filling: many Korean cream cheese garlic breads lean sweet, but this version is more savoury and garlicky (you can still adjust the sweetness if you prefer!).
• Uses focaccia: super easy to make ahead, and the structure holds the custard + filling perfectly.
• Adaptable: switch up the cheeses, roasted vs. raw garlic, add herbs… lots of room to play.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Here’s everything you’ll need to make this pull-apart cream cheese garlic focaccia:

• Focaccia: I used my no knead focaccia recipe and baked it in a smaller pan so that it’s a bit thicker and taller.
• Cream cheese: Block or tub works for this recipe.
• Scallions
• Flat-leaf parsley
• Garlic: Roasted garlic or raw garlic and some garlic powder because theres no such thing as too much garlic. Roasted garlic gives a sweeter flavour; raw garlic is sharper and more garlicky.
• Cheese: Typically Korean cream cheese garlic bread doesn’t have any cheese added to it but I found adding a bit made it extra hearty, cheese and delicious! You can use any cheese you’d like or omit it completely. I used mozzarella, sharp white cheddar and parmesan.
• Sweeteners: I used honey and condensed milk but you can subsisiute with sugar.
• Unsalted butter
• Kewpie mayo
• Egg: helps emulsify the custard and gives that Korean garlic bread flavour.

How to Make Garlic Cream Cheese Focaccia

Making this pull-apart focaccia is pretty straightforward—you’re basically mixing two components, slicing your focaccia, and filling everything in. Here’s a quick overview:

1. Make the cream cheese filling.
2. Make the garlic butter custard.
3. Slice the focaccia into sections (without cutting all the way through).
4. Pour in the custard and brush it over the bread.
5. Pipe in the cream cheese filling.
6. Top with cheese and bake until golden and melty.

VIDEO: Watch How to Make It

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

This bread is best enjoyed fresh, but if you have some leftovers:

• Store: Place leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
• Reheat:
  • Oven: 300°F (150°C) for 8–10 minutes
  • Air fryer: 325°F (160°C) for 4–5 minutes
• Freezing: Cut into portions and wrap tightly. Thaw before warming up. Note that the cream cheese might looked split but will get creamy again once heated.

Recipe FAQ

More Delicious Focaccia Recipes

• Bloomin’ Cheese and Garlic Butter Focaccia
• Butter Shio Pan Focaccia
• Japanese Curry Bread Focaccia
• Miso Chili Oil Focaccia
• Miso Garlic Butter Focaccia

Enjoy! If you make this Cream Cheese Garlic Focaccia recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and rating below, and if you share it on social media, tag me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen. I can’t wait to see your creations!

Cream Cheese Garlic Focaccia (Pull Apart)

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5 from 1 review

• Author: Lisa Kitahara
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 1 10×7 inch focaccia
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

This Cream Cheese Garlic Focaccia is a soft, pull-apart loaf loaded with a rich cream cheese filling and soaked in a savoury garlic butter custard. It’s the perfect mashup of Korean garlic bread and classic focaccia—super buttery, ultra garlicky, and impossible to stop eating. Serve it warm for the ultimate cozy, crowd-pleasing appetizer or side!

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Ingredients

Units USM

• 1 loaf of focaccia
  • I used my no knead focaccia recipe with 420 g of bread flour in a 10×7 inch pan.
• 3–5 tbsp shredded parmesan or mozzarella cheese, for topping

For the Cream Cheese Filling

• 1 tub (227 g) cream cheese , softened
• 2 scallions (20 g), finely sliced
• handful of finely chopped parsley
• 1 head of roasted garlic or 2 tbsp (20 g) minced raw garlic
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup (60 g) loosely packed shredded cheese, optional (I used mozzarella and sharp white cheddar)
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper

Garlic Butter Custard

• 6 tbsp (80 g) unsalted butter, melted (omit salt if using salted butter)
• 1 1/2 tbsp (20 g) kewpie mayo
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup flat leaf parsley, minced
• 2 tbsp (16 g) minced raw garlic
• 1 tbsp condensed milk (or sugar)
• 1/2 tsp salt

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Instructions

1. Preheat: oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Make the Cream Cheese Filling: In a medium bowl, add the softened cream cheese. Using a spatula or hand mixer, beat until smooth and creamy. Mix in the scallions, parsley, roasted or raw garlic, garlic powder, mozzarella, cheddar, honey (if using), salt, and pepper. Stir until the mixture is fully combined. Transfer the filling to a piping bag (or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped). Set aside.
3. Make the Garlic Butter Custard: In another bowl, whisk together the melted butter, kewpie mayo, egg, parsley, raw garlic, condensed milk (or sugar), and salt. Mix until smooth and emulsified. The mixture should look slightly thick and glossy.
4. Prepare the Focaccia: Place the baked focaccia on a cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut diagonal slits across the loaf, making sure not to slice all the way through the bottom — the pieces should stay attached so it becomes pull-apart style. Place it onto a piece of parchment paper and then transfer it onto a baking tray. 
   • Tip: Aim for 8–10 sections depending on the size of your loaf.
5. Fill & Coat the Focaccia: Slowly pour the garlic butter custard between each slit, letting it seep down into the bread. Use a pastry brush to coat the top and inside of the cuts so every surface is well saturated. Pipe the cream cheese filling generously into each slit.
6. Add Cheese & Bake: Sprinkle the top with shredded parmesan or mozzarella. Cover the focaccia with foil and bake for 10–15 minutes to warm through. Remove the foil and bake for another 5–10 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden and the cheese is melted.
7. Serve: Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve warm. This focaccia is best enjoyed the same day when it’s ultra-soft, buttery, and gooey. Enjoy!!

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Category: Appetizer, Side Dish
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: Korean-italian fusion inspired

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 batch
• Calories: 3950
• Sugar: 30 g
• Sodium: 5600 mg
• Fat: 245 g
• Saturated Fat: 134 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 108 g
• Trans Fat: 3 g
• Carbohydrates: 332 g
• Fiber: 10-12 g
• Protein: 82 g
• Cholesterol: 580 mg