This giant grilled cheese with hot honey butter is a crowd-pleasing snack that you are going to love. The thick cheesy topping bubbles in the oven and gets covered with a spicy hot honey butter dressing that takes it to a new level.
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This is a very large and fancy cheese on toast designed to be shared. Cut it up as a snack or add a salad to make a light lunch. If you don’t mind the sweetness, you could add a fried egg to make it a more substantial meal.
The inspiration behind the recipe comes from growing up eating Jucy Lucy’s open grilled cheese sandwiches. I loved the one with spring onion. I often miss this healthy fast food chain that always made the best fruit juices.
British food writer Ixta Belfrage did a recipe in her latest book ‘Mezcla‘ which uses honey butter spiced with Urfa chilli and that inspired the topping for this grilled cheese. I have chosen Aleppo-style pepper as I love the mild heat and flavour it delivers.
You could use dried chilli flakes and a hint of smoked paprika if you can’t find Aleppo-style pepper or Urfa. A combination of cayenne and smoked paprika could also be nice, just be careful not to add too much.
Either way, cooking honey with butter and chilli until bubbling makes the most glorious topping to put on a grilled cheese sandwich.
I tested this out on a smaller piece of bread before committing to the large half loaf for this recipe and both worked well. Bake a smaller one for a little less time (max 8 minutes).
What bread to use for a giant grilled cheese:
Use sturdy bread such as ciabatta or country loaf. You don’t want the bread to be too chewy so sourdough could be too tough here.
You also want it to hold up to the amount of topping so a very soft focaccia could be too soft unless it has a firm base.
How to make a giant grilled cheese:
You can make it in any kind of oven. I used a small fan oven that is quite close to the grill. If you are making it in a larger oven and can turn the grill on while the oven is on, then do that.
Alternatively, bake it in the upper third part of the oven so the surface of the grilled cheese is closer to the grill element.
You could also just roast it in the middle of the oven and then lift it up closer to the grill for the last few minutes, or roast it and then crank up the grill towards the end.
You will want to ensure all the cheese has melted all the way through and is bubbling. It will start to go a light golden brown in colour. If you are too close to the grill the surface could burn before the middle has melted.
You will need to bake your giant grilled cheese for anywhere from 8 – 14 minutes depending on oven type and proximity to the grill.
I did not test this in my air fryer but think it would work at 180C/350F for around 5 – 8 minutes. If you’re using an air fryer, pre-toast the bread for around 3 minutes but keep a close eye.
Pre-toasting the bread gives it a firmness which will prevent the giant grilled cheese from getting too soggy.
A combination of sour cream and yoghurt binds the grated Cheddar together making a luscious texture when the cheese melts.
I used the creamy and delicious Kerrygold salted butter to make the hot honey dressing and their mature Irish Cheddar to make the giant grilled cheese. You want to use the best ingredients with this.
Make the hot honey chilli butter just before your grilled cheese comes out of the oven. It will start to bubble fairly quickly which will cook the garlic.
To double this recipe you could trim the domed top half of the bread and make a second grilled cheese. Alternatively, use that to make croutons or bread crumbs for a pasta pangrattato topping.
If you like this giant grilled cheese you might also like my toasted Cheddar cheese sandwich with buttery leeksor my perfect cheese scones.
The best French onion grilled cheese
Classic South African braaibroodjie jaffles
Pizza jaffles
For the most delicious cheesy appetizer, try my
Recipe serves 2 – 4 as a snack
Giant grilled cheese with hot honey butter
The most delicious giant grilled cheese (cheese on toast) with spring onions and a hot honey butter dressing.
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Prep Time:5 minutes mins
Cook Time:15 minutes mins
Ingredients
Grilled cheese:
- Half a medium loaf of bread such as country loaf or ciabatta
- 200 gms Kerrygold Mature Cheddar cheese grated
- 125 ml 1/2 cup sour cream
- 50 gms yoghurt 3 Tbsp
- 6 spring onions finely sliced the white and green parts
- Sliced jalapeno optional
Hot honey butter:
- 40 gms salted Kerrygold butter
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 heaped Tbsp runny honey
- 3/4 of a tsp Aleppo pepper or use dried chilli flakes and paprika
- A good pinch of salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F.
Slice the loaf in half horizontally and use the top half for another purpose. If you are doubling this recipe you could trim the domed top of the bread and make a second grilled cheese.
Bake the bread for around 5 minutes until it’s starting to get toasted and golden brown. This might vary depending on your oven.
Mix the remainder of the grilled cheese ingredients in a bowl to form a stiff paste.
Spread the cheese mixture roughly onto the toasted bread. It can be a thick spread.
Place the cheese-covered loaf onto a lined baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes until it starts turning golden on the top. This could take longer depending on your oven. If it’s taking too long, turn your oven grill to high and give it a blast of heat for the last 3 minutes or so.
While the grilled cheese is in the oven, put the butter, garlic, and Aleppo-style pepper into a small pot. Bring this to a bubble just before the bread is finished.
Top the grilled cheese with sliced jalapeños (optional) and drizzle over the hot honey butter.
Slice and serve while hot.
Servings: 2 – 4
Author: Sam Linsell
*This post is proudly sponsored by Kerrygold
