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!
Ingredients
Units
- 1 loaf of focaccia
- I used my no knead focaccia recipe with 420 g of bread flour in a 10x7 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
Instructions
- Preheat: oven to 350°F (175°C).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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