Yes, your girl is back with another garlic bread recipe! This time, we’re using Gochujang.

What is gochujang? Gojuchang is a Korean fermented red pepper paste that’s made up of Korean chilli flakes, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans and salt – it’s red, spicy with a tinge of sweetness. In South Korea, you can find it fermenting in big vessels called onggi for months. It really is the cornerstone of Korean cuisine and serves in so many of the most popular Korean dishes like tteokbokki, bibimbap and ddakgalbi and so many more. Nowadays, it’s also popular to add gochujang in many non-Korean dishes due to its versatility.

Why are we adding gochujang to garlic bread? Gochujang is super spicy, quite salty and a little bit sweet which pairs perfectly with garlic butters. The spiciness and sweetness of the red pepper paste cuts through the richness of the butter and pungent flavours of the garlic, and overall really adds another layer of flavour and complexity to your traditional garlic bread.

Where can i find gochujang? You can easily find Korean red pepper paste at any Asian grocery stores, either in the sauce section or where the fridges are. Due to the popularity of Korean foods nowadays, some big supermarkets will also stock gochujang so keep your eyes peeled next time you’re at the supermarket.

If you love a bit of spice in your garlic bread then you should definitely try out this recipe!

Ingredients you’ll need for this recipe and some tips!

1. Roasted Garlic: garlic is good but roasted garlic is sooooo good. Roasting your garlic low and slow makes it milder but so much sweeter. The nuttiness of the garlic comes out while the harsh flavours are muted – which i think elevates this dish. Think garlic but sophiscated is how i would describe it.
2. Bread: i used a good ol’ crusty Pane di Casa. I think any good crusty white loaf will be great for this recipe. I generally stay away from sourdough for these types of recipe as the crust is a bit too chewy and dense for me, but if that speaks to you then please go for it!
3. Garlic butter: it’s a classic garlic butter, consists of good quality butter, the roasted garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.
4. Gochujang: aka Korean red pepper paste, you can easily find this at any Asian grocery store and some big supermarkets. The spiciness adds a nice kick to offset the richness of the garlic butter, while the sweetness adds another layer of complexity!
5. Cheeses: i used a mixture of parmesan and mozzarella for this recipe. Parmesan cheese, i highly recommend you use fresh parmesan blocks for freshness and strong flavours. Mozzarella is mainly for the stretch.
6. Honey: before you question my sanity on adding honey to garlic bread, please try it before you knock it! It’s honestly my favourite ingredient to add onto garlic bread after chilli oil. The sweetness of the honey adds interest and another layer of complexity to the garlic bread – and it wonderfully compliments the spiciness of the gochujang so well.
7. Storage: i highly recommend you consume the garlic bread fresh out of the oven while it’s still warm and crispy, and within 1 hour for best taste. If this is not possible, you could store it in an air-tight container and in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Remember that while storing bread in the fridge extends the freshness of your bread for longer, it also dries out your bread. When you’re ready to consume it again, just pop it onto a baking tray and place it under the broiler for a few minutes or until warmed through and crispy. You can also do this in an airfryer.

Ingredients

1 loaf of any Italian bread (I used Pane de Casa)
2 garlic bulbs
125g butter, softened
1-2 tbsp gochujang (Korean red pepper paste), adjust to taste
1/3 parmesan
Parsley, chopped
Mozzarella
1-2 tbsp honey

Method

Chop the tops off of the garlic bulbs. Place them on a piece of foil, drizzle generously with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold up the piece of foil and bake at 180C / 350F for 1hr – 1hr15min or until the garlic and shallots are golden and caramelised. Leave to cool.

In a bowl, squeeze out the garlic and shallots. Add butter, gochujang, parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper, and mix well until combined.

Slice your loaf of bread in half lengthwise and spread over the mixture generously (you can also make slits in your bread to let the butter better seep through). Top with mozzarella cheese and grill/broil at 180C / 350F for 15-20 mins or until golden brown (remember to keep an eye on it and don’t let it burn!).

Once golden and crunchy, top with parsley and honey. Slice to serve.