Cakes & Bread
Korean Braided Bread with Red Bean Filling (Kkong Bbang Bakery Style)
Prep
45 min
Cook
20 min
Servings
8
Level
Medium
This beautiful Korean bakery-style braided bread is filled with a sweet, rich red bean paste that contrasts wonderfully with the soft, slightly chewy bread. Its three-strand braided shape makes it a perennial favorite in Korean bakery display cases, perfect for breakfast or an afternoon tea companion. It's just sweetly balanced, never cloying, and smells wonderfully of butter fresh out of the oven.
🧂 Ingredients
🍽️ Servings: 8
Adjust the servings and the ingredient amounts & nutrition below update automatically.
- 300 grams high-protein bread flour
- 15 grams full cream milk powder
- 50 grams granulated sugar
- 5 grams instant yeast
- 4 grams salt
- 160 ml cold milk
- 1 egg
- 40 grams unsalted butter, softened
- 250 grams sweet red bean paste (homemade or store-bought)
- 1 egg yolk, for brushing
- 1 tbsp white sesame seeds, for sprinkling (optional)
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👩🍳 Instructions
- 1 Mix the flour, milk powder, sugar, and instant yeast in a large bowl until well combined. Make a well in the center, and add the salt to the side so it doesn't touch the yeast directly.
- 2 Add the cold milk and egg, then knead by hand or with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook for 5 minutes until the dough starts to come together and is somewhat smooth.
- 3 Add the softened butter little by little while continuing to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic — it should stretch thin without tearing easily (about 15-20 minutes).
- 4 Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth. Let rest in a warm spot for 60 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- 5 Punch down the dough, then weigh and divide it into 8 equal portions (about 65-70 grams each).
- 6 Take one portion of dough, flatten it, and add about 30 grams of red bean paste filling. Shape into a ball, pinching the edges together firmly so the filling doesn't leak out.
- 7 Roll each filled ball into an oblong log shape, about 15-18 cm (6-7 inches) long, like a small tube. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- 8 Take 3 dough logs, pinch one end of all three together, then braid them like braiding hair until you reach the end. Pinch the other end together to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough (you should end up with 2-3 braided loaves total).
- 9 Place the braided loaves on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let rest again for 40-45 minutes, until puffed up.
- 10 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Brush the surface of the bread evenly with egg yolk, and sprinkle with white sesame seeds if desired.
- 11 Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the surface is a beautiful golden brown and the bread is cooked through evenly.
- 12 Remove from the oven and let cool briefly on a wire rack before serving, so the texture of the bread doesn't turn soggy.
💡 Tips
• Make sure the edges of the dough are completely sealed when adding the red bean paste filling, so it doesn't leak out while braiding or baking.
• Use cold milk (not warm) so the dough doesn't ferment too quickly and the yeast stays active during proofing.
• If you don't have ready-made red bean paste, boil red beans until soft, mash them, then cook with granulated sugar and a pinch of salt until it thickens into a paste.
• Store the bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or wrap tightly and freeze for up to 2 weeks — warm briefly in the oven before serving.
📊 Nutrition Facts / serving
245 kkal
Calories (kcal)
6 gramg
Protein
8 gramg
Fat
38 gramg
Carbs
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