Garlic Butter with Fresh Herbs

 

It’s a rare day when I don’t have a crock of garlic butter in my fridge. I love to make it up fresh every week, finding multiple uses for it as the days progress. It’s delicious on vegetables, makes garlic bread an easy fix, and when buried in the center of a patty of ground beef ready for the grill, adds flavor and yields a juicy burger. I think you will find that it will serve you well this summer, providing you with many uses throughout, making cooking less of a chore, while amping up the taste of a variety of foods.

Garlic Butter with Fresh Herbs

1 c. butter, softened,
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 T. minced fresh parsley
1 T. minced fresh chives
1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

In a medium mixing bowl, beat together all ingredients with a hand mixer. Using a rubber spatula, scrape into a container, cover, and store in the fridge until ready for use.

To make garlic bread, cut a baguette on the diagonal in slices about 1 inch thick. Spread copious amounts of garlic butter on each slice, and top with a mound of cheese. Slide into the broiler until the cheese has melted, and then enjoy.

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Cheddar Bay Biscuit Loaf

If you, like me, are absolutely in LOVE with the Cheddar Bay Biscuits from Red Lobster, then you will go crazy over this similarly tasting, super easy loaf. It is incredible warm from the oven, but also delicious when cooled. It makes fabulous toast, and the tastiest croutons ever.

Cheddar Bay Biscuit Loaf

Adapted from bellyfull.net

 For the Bread:

1¾ c. flour

1 T. sugar

1 T. baking powder

½ t. fine sea salt

¼ t. Old Bay seasoning

3 c. freshly shredded cheddar cheese

1 c. whole milk

1 large egg

¼ c. unsalted butter, melted

 For the Topping:

¼ c. unsalted butter, melted

¼ t. garlic powder

1/8 t. fine sea salt

Pinch Old Bay seasoning

Pinch onion powder

Pinch dried parsley

 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9”x5” loaf pan with PAM; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and Old Bay until combined. Add the cheddar cheese and stir it together so the cheese is coated in the flour mixture. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and egg; pour into the dry mixture and stir it until just combined. Add melted butter and mix it in until everything is combined and there are no dry patches.

Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

While the bread is baking, make the topping: whisk together the butter, garlic powder, salt, Old Bay, onion powder, and dried parsley.  

Remove loaf pan from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool slightly. Immediately brush the bread with the butter topping. Let the bread cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then take it out of the pan and cool completely on the wire rack. Slice and serve.

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ABM Cheese Bread

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Yesterday I posted a recipe for tasty Italian soup. Today I am going to give you a recipe for something delicious to go with that soup, cheese bread. This bread is fabulous, and incredibly easy to make, thanks to the automatic bread machine. It’s delicious when warm, wonderful at room temperature, and absolutely superb when toasted to enjoy at breakfast the next day. It also makes a mean BLT.

ABM Cheese Bread
Adapted from Red Star Yeast

Bread:
1/2 c. buttermilk, warmed to 110° F
1/3 c. water, warmed up to about 110° F
5 T. unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 large egg, room temperature
3 c. bread flour
1 t. salt
¾ t. garlic powder
2 T. granulated sugar
1 packet (2¼ t.) yeast

Filling:
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Topping:
2 T. unsalted butter, melted
2 T. chopped fresh parsley (or your favorite herb)
¼ t. garlic powder
10 cheese cubes, your choice of cheese

Place bread ingredients, in the order listed, into the bowl of the bread machine. Put the machine on the “dough” setting and press “start.” When the cycle has run its course, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Punch down. Roll the dough into a 9“ x 15“ rectangle. Sprinkle cheese all over the top, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Tightly (and I am talking TIGHTLY) roll the dough into a 15-inch log. Place the log seam side down on the work surface. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log in half lengthwise. Crisscross 1/2, cut side down on top of the other half, forming an “X.“ Tightly twist the two together. Pinch the outer edges to seal. Place in a greased loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with Pam. Allow the covered loaf to rest for 30 minutes. It will rise slightly.

Place the oven rack in the bottom third of your oven and preheat to 350° F. Whisk the melted butter, herbs, and garlic powder together, and drizzle over the top of the dough. Shove cheese cubes into various splits on the surface of the loaf. Bake until golden brown, about 45 to 55 minutes. If it begins browning too quickly, tent with aluminum foil. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove from pan and cool completely before slicing and serving.

Strawberry Butter

 

By now your pantry should be full of a wide variety of homemade jams and jellies. I have given you a lot of delicious recipes (This one is my very favorite!), so you have no excuses. Here is a clever use of what may be an overabundance of jam if, like me, you have gone wild with all of the fresh produce. It is simple to make, delicious on toast, scones, and biscuits, and lovely to have on hand when serving a special breakfast to out-of-town guests. The color, depending upon the jam you chose, is lovely and reminiscent of springtime and Mother's Day, so keep this in mind for the future.

Strawberry Butter

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons jam

Beat together until well blended.  Spoon into an attractive serving dish and refrigerate until ready to use.  Keeps 1-2 weeks.

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Be Inspired Friday

Toasted Hazelnut Bread

Mr. O-P likes mixed nuts. Well, let me rephrase that. Mr. O-P buys mixed nuts. There's a difference. Once he gets the oil-drum-size container of nuts home, he then painstakingly removes those he doesn't care for - the almonds and hazelnuts, and sometimes the Brazil nuts, depending upon his mood.  He places each type into its own little separate plastic container and passes them along to me as if I'm loaded with recipes and uses for this nut duo/trio. Let's face it, a girl can only use so many nuts. Imagine my delight then, when I stumbled upon this recipe in my “Try before I die” file. Not only did it make use of hazelnuts, but also employed one of my favorite appliances, the automatic bread machine.

I wasn't sure if I wanted bread or rolls, so decided to make both - a pan of rolls, and a small loaf of bread. When I make it again (and I will), I'm going to make a large loaf and forget the rolls.  This bread was tasty out of the oven, but the next morning made the best tasting toast that I think I've ever eaten.

Toasted Hazelnut Bread

2/3 cup warm milk (70° to 80°)

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups bread flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 package active dry yeast

1/2 cup finely chopped hazelnuts, toasted

***

Egg wash (1 egg + 1 T. Water)

Place the ingredients (milk through the hazelnuts) into the bread machine in the order listed. Select the “Dough” setting and press “Start.”

When machine signals that the dough is done, remove to a lightly floured cutting board. Shape dough into rolls or one large loaf (or two small ones, or both -- the world is your oyster). Place shaped dough into greased pans and set in a warm spot to raise until double in size, 30-45 minutes. Brush top with egg wash and sprinkle with Kosher salt or finely ground hazelnuts. Bake at 375°F for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown and makes a hollow sound when thumped. 

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Foodie Friday

Sour Cream Onion Bread

I just finished reading How to Bake a Perfect Life by Barbara O'Neal and I really enjoyed it.  Told from three different points of view (and generations), it is a wonderful story of life, love, hardship, discovery, and baking bread.  Interspersed throughout the story are tips on bread baking (including how to make your own sourdough starter), history, trivia, and recipes. I was so inspired by both book and recipes that yesterday I baked, for the first time ever, a French baguette!  It was less than what I'd hoped, but then again, I've decided to try again (and again) until I learn how to make one as perfectly as those I find at the local Boulanger.


This morning I decided to take the easy route and go with a tried and true recipe where the bread machine did most of the work, so I made a loaf of Sour Cream Onion Bread, a finely textured, soft crust bread with lots of flavor.  With the bread machine doing the hard part in making the dough, the rest was easy. I simply shaped it, let it rise, baked it in the oven, brushed the top with butter, let it cool and then sliced and sampled. Yum!

Delicious warm from the oven, and also makes an excellent toast.  This bread is perfect for sandwiches.

Sour Cream Onion Bread 
3 cups whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup water

Place flour, sugar, salt, yeast, dried soup, sour cream, and water in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select the dough cycle, and press start. Shape dough, and place in a greased loaf pan. Place in a warm spot, and allow to rise until doubled in size. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F (175 degree C) 

oven for 30 minutes. Cool.

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