I’ve been seeing the recent trend of fried cheese made with a thick block of Mozzarella cheese instead of the usual cheese sticks. I wanted to try my own version, but instead of coating a plain block of cheese, I turned it into a Hot Honey Mozzarella Cheese Bread Pocket by wrapping the cheese in flattened sandwich bread and fry the whole thing until golden and crispy.

The cheese pocket is crunchy on the outside, soft and melty in the middle, and I finished them with a brush of spicy hot honey butter sauce. It’s basically everything I love about fried cheese, but with a little extra crunch and sweetness.

A Few Tips

Don’t fry over high heat. This is probably the most important tip. Keep the oil at medium-low heat. If it’s too hot, the bread will crisp up and turn golden too quickly, but the cheese inside won’t have enough time to melt. A lower temperature gives the cheese time to get properly gooey while the outside slowly becomes crisp.

Give yourself enough room to seal the bread. Before cutting your cheese, use the flattened bread to measure how big the cheese block can be. Make sure to leave at least 1 cm of bread around the edges so you have enough space to seal the pocket properly. If the cheese comes too close to the edge, it can easily leak out during frying.

Having trouble sealing the bread? Sandwich bread can sometimes resist sticking back together after it’s been flattened. Brush a little egg wash or water around the edges to moisten them. Then press them together firmly with a fork. It makes sealing the pockets much easier.

Once they’re fried, brush them generously with the hot honey butter. Enjoy them while the pocket is hot to handle and the cheese stays warm to stretch.