If you love kimchi in a grilled cheese or macaroni and cheese you will enjoy this recipe. Well, I certainly did and see my links to recipes below. This Korean pickled vegetable loves being paired with cheese and is delicious in this spicy bread. Be sure to chop the kimchi very small or you might get a piece of it as it otherwise blends in with the rest of the ingredients.
This bread is a part of King Arthur Baking 49 Best Fall Recipes, Ranked. KAB gave this recipe number 21 in their list. It’s dense, cheesy, spicy with lots of heat in every bite. The kimchi isn’t obvious in flavor just that there is some kind of heat. You could sure smell it as it baked though. A delicious blend of flavors that kept me coming back for more. A meal in itself any time of the day. Would you look at the color – perfect for Fall!!!
Spicy Kimchi Cheddar Bread
Recipe by King Arthur Baking, Adapted by Judi Graber
- 4 tbsp. sesame seeds, divided (I prefer to use less so only used 2 tbsp.)
- 2-1/2 cups AP flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 3/4 tsp. table salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese
- 4 tbsp. unsalted cold butter
- 3 medium scallions, finely chopped
- 1 cup kimchi, drained and finely chopped (I used (2) 5.64 oz. cans) see comment
- 1/4 cup kimchi liquid (if you can’t get enough liquid from the kimchi substitute 1/4 cup buttermilk)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees with a rack in the center. Grease (I used butter) an 8-inch square pan. Sprinkle about 2 tbsp. of the sesame seeds in an even layer across the bottom of the pan. As mentioned above I cut the amount of seeds back so I only used 1 tbsp.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and black pepper. Grate the cheese and the butter on the large holes of a box grater. Add to the dry ingredients along with the scallions, toss to coat and place the bowl in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Mix the kimchi liquid, buttermilk and egg until combined in a small bowl. You need 1-1/4 cups liquid; set aside.
Add the finely chopped kimchi to the dry ingredients, tossing to combine.
Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until everything is moistened, it is a wet dough. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and sprinkle evenly with more sesame seeds. Instead of 2 tbsp. I only used 1 tbsp. of seeds.
Bake the bread for 38-45 minutes until a paring knife comes out clean and the temperature in the center of the bread registers at least 200 degrees on a digital thermometer. (after 50 minutes the temperature in the center of the bread was 205 degrees)
Once baked let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Wrapped tightly, store at room temperature for 3 days. Wrap in aluminum foil to reheat at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. I’m sure the bread freezes well too.
Comment: Kimchi varies a lot in terms of flavor, heat, ingredients and juiciness. KAB recommends using a spicier kimchi. Taste the kimchi, if salty only add 1/2 tsp. salt to the bread. Remember to finely chop the kimchi!!!
Recipe by cookingwithauntjuju.com
Delicious as a side with homemade cabbage soup…
this sounds delicious Judi.
sherry
It really was Sherry – perfect as a snack or as a side for any dinner 🙂
Yumolicious, Judy. 😋🌾🍞🧀
You can say that again Gail 🙂
🤣🤣🤣
Love kimchi but have never used it in a bread or, to the best of my recollection, eaten it thus > so, very interesting with its buttermilk and sesame seeds . . .
Me either Eha – but it all worked. I had a hard time saving it as a side for soup because I’ve been snacking on it so much 🙂
Kimchi is a favorite condiment of mine, so I know I would love this bread. Great find! 🙂
Super delicious and moist with so much flavor – such a great combination of ingredients 🙂
Yum! I know this is good. Kimchi goes so well with cheddar! I made a batch of kimchi once but I’m the only one who eats it in this house!!!
I know you meant to comment on this post as you already have commented on mac and cheese. Can’t seem to get your picture instead of mine! It’s a great way to use kimchi and I just love this bread 🙂
This might be one of the most unique breads I’ve seen, Judi! Kimchi and cheddar together sound bold and absolutely delicious.
Thanks Ben – KAB prefaced their recipe if you like kimchi mac and cheese and kimchi grilled cheese you will love this bread. Without a doubt it ranks No.1 of my favorite way to use kimchi. The bread was very addictive and hard to stop at one piece 🙂
Hi Jodi, my husband loves kimchi (me not so much…) but looking at this recipe and the ones you have made with the grilled cheese and the mac n’ cheese, you might have changed my mind. I think he will definitely love your cheddar bread. And the photos are so beautiful, it is hard to resist! Cheers, ~Nessa
Thanks Nessa – I like Kimchi as long as it’s an ingredient in a recipe, but not on its own. It’s a healthy condiment and so easy to add to many dishes 🙂