Is kimchi bread possible?

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JustJoel

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I love Asian cuisines. But I also like bread, which is not a common menu item in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean cooking. I thought it would be interesting to make a bread that incorporates kimchi, but I’m not sure how it will affect the rise and crumb, or if I have to decrease the liquid to accommodate the wet pickles. I could, I suppose skip the actual kimchi and just use gochujang as a seasoning…

Does this even sound like a good idea? (Probably not, if you don’t like kimchi!).
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgx4T_8jgzE

In the video, he scissors up the kimchi, then dries it out in a frying pan. Rolls out dough, fills it with kimchi and something creamy, rolls it up, lets it rise, cuts the top open, then bakes it. Looks great.

I've also seen people make a bread, like a monkey bread with balls of dough tossed with salsa and cheese, put in a pan, rise and bake. Not as pretty or formal but I'm sure it tastes good.
 
Yeppers, kimchi bread is possible. My modus operandi when searching a recipe is to first check google images and then the recipes behind the pics. This does not always compute. A good photographer does not necessarily mean a good recipe. Mostly what I saw is stuffed buns with filling in the middle. There were a couple pics with kimchi striated throughout the bread.

I didn't read any recipes today. My personal inclination is when it comes time to chop up the kimchi, is to add any drained liquid as part of the liquid that goes into the dough batter.

Disclosure: I am not a bread baker. I like sandwiches.
 
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgx4T_8jgzE

In the video, he scissors up the kimchi, then dries it out in a frying pan. Rolls out dough, fills it with kimchi and something creamy, rolls it up, lets it rise, cuts the top open, then bakes it. Looks great.

I've also seen people make a bread, like a monkey bread with balls of dough tossed with salsa and cheese, put in a pan, rise and bake. Not as pretty or formal but I'm sure it tastes good.
Wow! Those look scrumptious! I was looking for a recipe that actually incorporated kimchi into the dough, rather than a stuffed bread, but this something I definitely want to try! What’s the white stuff he tops the filling with? And is he adding Kewpie mayonnaise to the slits?

I’m thinking I could make this like a babka, filling the dough, twisting and braiding it. But I’m sure what kind of dough to use. Either a brioche or a French bread, maybe?

Thank you so much for the video!
 
Yeppers, kimchi bread is possible. My modus operandi when searching a recipe is to first check google images and then the recipes behind the pics. This does not always compute. A good photographer does not necessarily mean a good recipe. Mostly what I saw is stuffed buns with filling in the middle. There were a couple pics with kimchi striated throughout the bread.

I didn't read any recipes today. My personal inclination is when it comes time to chop up the kimchi, is to add any drained liquid as part of the liquid that goes into the dough batter.

Disclosure: I am not a bread baker. I like sandwiches.
Yeah, stuffed bread or buns are the only recipes I’ve been able to find. Thinking of using either brioche dough or French bread dough, and twisting it like a babka.

And you’re absolutely right about the ”phood photos” being a bit “mis-representational!” Food photography is an entirely separate art form that has little to do with actual cooking. When was the last time you got a Big Mac that looked like the images in Mickey D’s commercials?!? Right?
 
Justjoel, I don't know what the creamy filling is...kewpie mayo or cream cheese or ?? The recipe is on his webpage but it is in Korean. Good luck if you do decide to make it. Take pictures if you can. I'd love to see how it turns out. I'm a big fan of spicy kimchi.
 
Kimchi is pretty acidic, and salty, neither of which are good for the yeast. That may be why you can't find recipes incorporating it into the dough.
 
I've seen kimchi bread for sale in a Korean market that I frequent.

There's a small bake shop inside a mini-mall of Korean products that sells various breads and sweets. I've seen it as a special a few times. I'll have to buy some to try it next time.

I've found Korean breads to be very light and airy for the most part, but I would imagine a bread with kimchi would have to be more dense.
 
There are a bunch of great recipes out there for bread with sauerkraut which is essentially the same as kimchi so far as the chemistry of making bread goes. My guess is that you could easily substitute kimchi for kraut...
 
Ive decided. Kind of.

It appears that incorporating kimchi into the dough during the second knead (at the raisin beep, if you will) may be problematic. I think the best thing would be to make a stuffed dough, twist it and then braid it, like a babka. But I’d rather use a firmer dough than babka, maybe a French bread dough, or brioche? Sourdough might be nice, but I have consistently failed at making the starter. And since I’m stuffing it, I thought a bit of Monterrey jack might add a nice note.

Any suggestions for what dough I should use?
 
This looks delicious, but maybe not well suited to a stuffed, twisted and braided bread. I’m definitely gonna try it though. Thanks!
 
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