2.16.2013

Hassleback Garlic Cheese Bread


Everyone has seen the Hasselback Potato, right? Well this is a much more scandalous take on that. Think MORE butter, MORE garlic and MORE cheese. Carbs are my friend, can you tell?
They hang out in my booty.
{LoL!}

This bread is the very reason why I attempt to work out. It helps lessen the blow to the whole ‘carbs setting up shop in my hiney’ .


And believe it or not, this is super simple to make! I think its safe to say we all have the ingredients for bread in our pantries. Butter-most likely and cheese-uh, yeah! I seem to have these ingredients on hand all.the.time. I used garlic herb butter from Kerrygold and I’ve seen pre-made garlic butter at the store, but it’s really easy to make at home. {Mix butter, parsley and finely minced garlic together. Yup, that’s it.}
So, that’s all the info you need to know, m’kay? Let’s make some bread!

Ingredients:
1 cup Warm Water
1 Tablespoon Honey
1 envelope Active Dry Yeast (2 1/4 Teaspoons)
1 teaspoon Salt
3 cups Bread Flour
Olive Oil, For Greasing Surfaces
⅓ pounds Sharp White Cheddar, Or Any Other Cheese You Prefer
½ cups Garlic Butter


Directions: 
In a large bowl, stir water, honey and yeast together. Let yeast proof 5 minutes it should be foamy which means the yeast is active. Stir in salt and the flour in 1/4 cup increments. If you are using a stand mixer, be sure to not increase your speed higher than a 2 or ‘stir’. Once dough starts pulling away from the sides and the bowl seems to be pretty clean, set a timer for 5 minutes and let the machine knead the dough. After 5 minutes, dough should be smooth and tacky but when touched shouldn’t leave any dough on your fingers.
Grease the bowl and the dough. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Punch down dough and cut into two equal portions. Form into two long baguettes the length of the cookie sheet. I like to twist mine because it looks cool, but it also keeps its length and doesn’t shrink. Cover with plastic wrap and rise 30 minutes. Start to preheat oven to 400 degrees F and place dough close to the oven where it’s nice and warm. Once oven is preheated, remove plastic wrap, from the dough reduce oven to 350F, put the bread into the oven and bake 20 minutes. 
In the meantime, slice the cheese into thin slices and melt the butter.
Pull loaves of bread out of the oven after 20 minutes and brush with the melted garlic butter. Bake another 5-7 minutes or until bread begins to turn a golden brown. Remove from oven and cool 15 minutes.
Cut 1-inch slices 3/4′s of the the way through the loaves. Brush garlic butter in between each slice and fill with a slice of cheese. Bake another 3-5 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.
Serve immediately. 















All you need is some Marinara to dip it in....Who am I kidding, this bread is great all on its own!

Enjoy!

Happy Eating! 
 




 

Valentine's Day Breakfast


I can take or leave French toast a lot of the time, but now that I've perfected it...I can't get enough. The key to good french toast is day-old Challah. French Toast is breakfast simplicity.  A little bread, some eggs and milk and in a snap you can pull together a delicious breakfast in no time. Which works out great because it's my husband's favorite. What better way than to surprise him with breakfast of Valentine's Day. Although we're not really big on the holiday because we spoil each other year round. I still try to do a little something. =)
 
This is my standard recipe, the one I love and come back to again and again. It originated with Alton Brown, but I have changed it over the years to accommodate my needs. The two biggest changes are that I add vanilla, cinnamon and a few other things.

Ingredients:
Day Old Challah Bread
5 Large Eggs
1 Cup of Half & Half
1/4 Cup of Vanilla Creamer 
1/2Teaspoon of Cinnamon Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon of Cinnamon
Pinch of Salt
Maple Syrup

Directions:
Preheat oven to 250°F. In a shallow bowl, whisk together eggs, half & half, creamer, vanilla and spices until smooth and creamy. 
Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Working with 4 or 5 slices at a time, dip challah in egg mixture, turning to coat thoroughly, then gently shake free of any excess. Arrange challah in skillet in a single layer and cook, flipping once, until deep golden brown and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a large baking sheet as done and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with remaining butter, challah and egg mixture.  Serve Immediately.




 

Enjoy! 

Happy Eating!