Korean sausage bread, or the fancier version of our childhood pigs in a blanket, is loaded with a savory corn and cheese topping and wrapped with soft, airy bread.
When we go to our local Asian market, our first instinct is to head toward the Asian bread aisle. Besides the fact that the bread aisle in right by the entrance, the reason we go toward the bread aisle is because we're constantly searching for hotdog buns and sausage breads!
They are soooo very good and Kyong's favorite! Too bad the Asian market stopped stocking up on the hotdog buns, so we had to make our own. And within the world of hotdog buns and breads, Korean sausage bread is the most indulgent of them all. And so, we made Korean sausage breads!
We hope you enjoy it, cuz Kyong loved it!
What is Korean sausage bread?
Some of you probably know Korean sausage bread as the 'so se ji ppang' from Asian pastry shops like Tours les Jours. For those of you unfamiliar with these sausage breads, they are not to be underestimated. Korean sausage bread is like a fancier version of twisty pigs in the blanket meshed with Chinese hotdog buns and a loaded topping. The bread is soft like that of Asian breads and pastry and twisted into a very satisfying lattice work. In the bread, it's stuffed with chunks of hotdog and topped with a corn and cheese topping.
Does the bread needs kneading?
Our bread recipe for this Korean sausage bread is ALMOST a no knead bread! You just got to do the initial mixing to get all the dry and wet ingredients incorporated and let the natural fermentation process do the gluten development.
Can I make the bread faster?
To make our sausage bread a little faster, you can knead the bread, either by hand or with a mixer, to skip the longer fermentation process. This will save you around 30 minutes.
If you decide to knead the dough, simply make the dough as per recipe but keep kneading it until the dough becomes supple and mostly smooth, about 10-15 minutes. It will still be a little tacky and very close to but will not pass the window pane test. After the dough has been kneaded enough, incorporate the softened butter. Cover the dough and let it proof until doubled. A way to check is to poke the dough in the middle, and it shouldn't bounce back nor should the rest of the dough deflate.
Why do I need to use hot water for the bread?
Because we wanted to imitate the airiness and softness of milk bread, we decided to use a similar method as "tang zhong" from our milk bread loaf recipe. This method, using scalding hot water to "cook" the dough, is called "tang mian (烫面)," which literally translates to "hot/ cooked flour" and does similar things for our dough.
Tang mian allows us to add more liquid than traditional methods because flour accepts more hot liquid than room temperature or cold. It also helps giving our bread a better texture and additional airiness because part of the dough is "cooked."
How to shape Korean sausage bread:
- Roll the dough into an oval long enough to fit a hotdog with an extra inch flap on each end.
- Fold the end flaps onto the hotdog.
- Pinch together the dough on both sides (long ways) to seal the hotdog.
- Roll the hotdog stuffed dough to make it more cylindrical.
- Make 8-9 cuts in the hotdog stuffed dough and pull each piece, alternative, left and right.
*DO cut through the hotdog. DON'T cut through the bottom layer of dough.*
What is the topping on Korean sausage bread?
The most popular toppings for Korean sausage bread is the cheese (of course), usually mozzarella, mayonnaise for binding, sweet corn, diced onions, and bell peppers. But feel free to adjust the toppings to your liking.
In our recipe, we made our toppings with mayo, mozzarella, can sweet corns, diced white onions, and sliced green onions. We highly recommend the sweet corn because it just gives the sausage bread a really nostalgic taste of our childhood. Corn sausage for the win! If you know what I mean, drop a comment!
If you're looking for other Korean recipes, you may like these:
- Korean Cream Cheese Garlic Bread
- Korean Fried Chicken Wing Gyoza
- Japchae: Korean Glass Noodle Stir Fry
- Sweet Potato Mochi Pancake/ Hotteok
Bake with love!
Mei ❤️
If you’ve made this recipe or any recipe from our blog, please tag us on Instagram @two_plaid_aprons! We would love to see your creations! It absolutely makes our day! 🥰
Korean Sausage Bread
Ingredients
For the bread:
- ½ cup milk , warm (about 118mL; 90-105°F)
- ½ teaspoon active dry yeast (or ½ packet)
- 2½ cup all-purpose flour , spooned & leveled (about 270g; plus more for dusting)
- 3 Tablespoon granulated sugar (about 40g)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup hot water (about 60mL; hotter than 195°F)
- 1 large egg , beaten (plus 1 optional for egg wash)
- 2 Tablespoon unsalted butter , softened (about 28g)
- 6 hotdog
For the corn and cheese topping:
- 1 cup mozzarella , shredded (about 113g)
- ⅓ cup can sweet corn , drained (about 5 oz/ 142g)
- ¼ white onion , diced (about ⅓ cup)
- 2 Tablespoon mayonnaise
- 3 Tablespoon green onion , sliced (optional)
- Dry parsley flakes (optional for sprinkling)
- Ketchup (optional for dressing)
Instructions
For the bread:
- Sprinkle the active dry yeast over the warm milk. Stir to dissolve it.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, and salt. Pour the hot water into the dry ingredients while mixing to distribute the hot water. Then, add the milk with dissolved yeast and egg and mix together until the dough is well combined and no more dry pockets remain. Round the dough into a ball, cover the dough, and let it rest for about 30 minutes to develop gluten.
- Once the 30 minutes are up, punch the dough down and knead in the softened butter until all is absorbed. Knead the dough back into a ball, cover it, and let the dough proof until doubled, about 45 minutes to an hour.*If you prefer, you can knead the dough, either with a mixer or by hand, until the dough is supple and mostly smooth, knead in the butter, then cover and proof until doubled.*
- When the dough has doubled, punch it down and knead it into a log, then divide the dough into 6 even pieces. Working with one piece of dough at a time, flatten each dough into an oval long enough to fit a hotdog and have about 1 inch extra flap on both ends. Lightly dust the surface and dough as needed.
- Fold the ends of the dough over the hotdog then pinch the long sides of the dough together to seal the hotdog. Once sealed, roll the dough to make it more a more even cylinder and arrange them on parchment lined sheet pans.Using a scissor or knife, cut the sausage bread into 9-10 quarter inch slices. Make sure to cut all the way through the hotdog but NOT the bottom layer of dough. You want the dough to stay connected. Shape the sausage bread by placing the hotdog pieces left and right, alternately. Repeat with all. *Refer to post for picture reference.*
- Cover the sausage breads and let the dough proof until 90% doubled, about 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
For the corn and cheese topping:
- In a bowl, combine the mozzarella, sweet corn, diced onion, green onion, and mayo. Mix until everything is well distributed. Set aside until needed.
- Once the sausage bread is almost doubled, brush it with a thin layer of egg wash. Top each of the sausage breads with about 2-3 Tablespoons of the corn and cheese topping. Try to keep the toppings in the center of the bread and avoid the hotdogs if possible (mostly for aesthetics). Finally, sprinkle the breads with a couple dashes of dry parsley flakes if you wish.
- Bake the sausage breads for about 20 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and the thickest part of the bread registers 190°F. Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool for for 10-15 minutes or until comfortable to handle.
- Enjoy the Korean sausage bread warm, with or without a couple drizzle of ketchup!
Andy says
Thank you so much! After moving from NYC years ago, I could no longer find sausage ppang or anything even close (no Korean or any sort of bakeries where we live). This is pretty much perfect! I’ve been making it since the pandemic hit for a little bit of home, and even with my modifications to the recipe it’s been fantastic. We like to have miniature versions of these on cookout days alongside sundubu jjigae and oi muchim. Very well written!
Mei says
Hi Andy!
Thank you for stopping by our little corner of the internet and dropping such a generous comment! It totally made it our day! ❤️
We're so happy that our sausage bread recipe is comparable to those sausage ppangs from Korean bakeries and that your family are enjoying it! And those miniature ones sound adorable!
Thanks again and happy baking!
Mei ❤️
SH says
Just made this recipe and it was great!! The bread was nice and soft ❤️ Thank you ❤️❤️❤️
Mei says
Thank you so much for trying out our sausage bread recipe! So glad you enjoyed it as well!
Bake with love!
Mei ❤️
Shey says
Hi! What substitutes would you recommend for the mayo?
Mei says
Hi Shey!
You can omit the mayo if you prefer and just top the bread with the vegetables and cheese. The mayo is mostly there as a binder and to add a little more extra flavor.
Hope this helps!
Mei ❤️
Anh says
Hi I made the breads, and they turned out really good but I want to know how to proof the dough like can I do room temperature or it has to be warmer? Because I noticed my dough didn’t really get doubled after the second proof.
Mei says
Hi Ahn!
Thanks for trying out our Korean sausage bread recipe! If your kitchen is really warm, you could proof it on the counter with something covering it. But usually, we prefer proofing it in our oven with the oven light on. I like to put a small bowl of hot water in the oven with the dough to keep them moist as well. If it's a really cold day, then I'll even heat my oven for a short moment, just enough to get it slightly warmed. You can remove the breads from the oven about 90% proofed to egg wash, load it with the corn and cheese toppings, and preheat your oven. Hope this helps!
Mei ❤️
sarah says
Hi, I would like to know what sausage do you use in the recipe?
Mei says
Hi Sarah! We actually used hotdogs. In Korea, hotdogs are call "sausages". That's why this bread is called Korean sausage bread. It's a little misleading 😅 But feel free to use sausages if you prefer! Some readers have done so, and they've loved it just as much.
Mei ❤️