Tag Archives: baking

Amazing Garlic Bread (with Roasted Garlic!)

This wonderful bread experience involves very simply roasting a couple heads of garlic and then slathering the results on the loaf before baking it. Roasting takes the pungency out of the garlic and makes the flavor mellow and deep.

The original recipe was called “Garlic Bread to Die For,” and though I wouldn’t die for it per se, I might at least faint a couple times for it provided there was a soft couch to fall on. Let’s make it!

Ingredients

2 heads garlic

2 TBS olive oil

2 sprigs rosemary, minced

1/3 c butter, room temperature

Pinch salt

1 baguette

First, preheat the oven to 400 F. Now let’s mince that rosemary.

Cut the tops off the two heads of garlic so that the cloves are exposed.

Create a loose tin foil wrapping for each head of garlic; pour a tablespoon of olive oil over each head, and press some of the minced rosemary on top.

Close up the tin foil packages and roast 40-50 minutes in a 400 F oven, until the garlic is getting soft (not crispy!).

When it’s done roasting, open up the little packages and let the garlic cool. Oh. It’s divine.

Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze out the cloves into a small bowl.

Make sure no garlic skin sneaks in there!

Mash the pulp with a fork.

Add in the rest of the minced rosemary . . .

. . . as well as the butter, and a pinch of salt.

Continue mashing until it’s all combined.

If your loaf is on the large side, add more butter (up to 1/2 cup total) so that there is a generous amount of spread coating the entire surface.

Split the baguette in half lengthwise and spread the garlic mixture onto both halves.

I wrapped mine in aluminum foil, which keeps the bread soft, but you could probably bake yours unwrapped if you’re looking for a crispier experience. Next time I’ll try for the crispier experience.

Bake at 400 F for 15-20 minutes, remove the bread and inhale deeply. Exert your self control so that at least some of the bread makes it to the table.

The butter has soaked into the bread, and I can’t think of anything else besides taking that first bite.

Cut it into chunks for easier serving.

If you’re into cheesy bread, for the last few minutes of baking time you can sprinkle on some Parmesan and crank up the broiler for a couple minutes.

I, however, was happy with this bread exactly as it was.

Dee-licious!

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Poppy Seed Bread

There’s just something about poppy seed bread (okay–and banana bread, pumpkin bread, zucchini bread–the whole family!): it feels just all too right to eat a slab or two for breakfast, despite the fact that these quickbreads are cake’s first cousins. Maybe even its stepsisters. If you enjoy sweets in the morning with your coffee, whip up a batch! I ate it for breakfast every single day last week. As long as pouring 50 gallons of oil and sugar into the batter doesn’t turn you off, this recipe (from the lovely redhead Bridget over at Bake at 350) is a real winner!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups milk

3 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

1 cup + 2 TBS vegetable oil

2 1/2 cups sugar

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 TBS poppy seeds

First, preheat the oven to 350 F. Grab ahold of two 9×5 inch loaf pans and grease them up, sides and bottom. You can do this with butter, or with good old baking spray.

Can you tell I chose baking spray? (I can just feel my organic friends shivering in horror)

It was about this time I realized we were out of milk. With the loaf pans already sprayed and the ingredients already assembled and my camera settings toyed with, I couldn’t just abort the effort. I contemplated doing a late night run to the grocery store–but that sounded massively unappealing. Thankfully my roving eyes spotted a lone can of evaporated milk, and a quick Google search told me that I can substitute evaporated milk for regular milk in baking as long as I do 1 part milk, 2 parts water.

I exhaled with relief. Thank you, Google. Thank you, internet. Having to change back out of my PJ’s and face a dark and cold Chicago night might have sent me over the edge.

Using a mixer on low speed, mix together the milk, eggs, vanilla, almond extract, and vegetable oil.

It looks like a freaky alien experiment.

I should mention that if you’re not a huge fan of almond extract (I’m not) you shouldn’t worry one bit. I can’t even tell it’s there in the finished product, but I’m sure it adds a little something something that shouldn’t be skipped. Bridget said to use it. And I trust Bridget.

Okay, looking slightly better . . .

Add in the sugar . . .

. . . the flour . . .

. . . the baking powder and salt . . .

. . . and beat on a higher speed for about 2 minutes.

Please forgive the whacko focus in these pictures. It will help you learn patience. Forgiveness. Mercy. Yep, I’m just here to cultivate your virtues through my under par photography.

Aw, you don’t have to thank me–I’m always glad to contribute.

Measure out those poppy seeds:

Stir them into the batter, and voilà!

Look at this gloriously thick batter.

Hey, it’s eating my mixer attachment!

I’m sinking! I’m sinking!

Heh heh.

Now! Pour the batter into the two loaf pans.

I’m entranced by the thick, ribbony strands.

Looks like we’re ready to let the heat of the oven finish this here jyarb.

Jyarb = job. Yes, I talk like that on a regular basis. I find funkifying my accent a highly amusing endeavor.

Bake the loaves for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. For some reason mine took more like an hour and a half. Maybe my oven was having a freaky evening, or maybe my shenanigans with evaporated milk changed things up too much. I’ll never know . . . until I make it again!

Use the time of bakination to contemplate the state of your kitchen.

I’m thinking of calling my kitchen manager and registering a complaint with the state of Illinois.

Then again, I hate being on hold. Might as well take care of these myself instead of waiting for the Secretary of State to get on the line.

So put on a little music, do a little washa-washin’, and before you know it these little golden delights will pop out:

The one on the left looks like a Marsha. The one on the right, we’ll call ‘Milfred.’

When you take them out of the oven, let the loaves rest for 10 minutes before removing the bread to a cooling rack. If I had waited, this probably wouldn’t have happened:

There went Marsha! Maybe it was a lack of generosity with the baking spray. In any case, it gave us a great shot of the tender interior of this bread.

And I guess it doesn’t matter anymore, since I’ve eaten it all regardless.

It’s a delightful bread–the crust is sugary and crunchy and the inside is sugary and tender. One would hope, with 2 1/2 cups sugar–and one would not be disappointed.

Let’s take things to a new level.

Need I expound on the wonders of melting butter over freshly baked bread?

I need not.

This picture says it all for me.

I’m told you can also wrap the bread in heavy-duty aluminum foil and freeze it. Brillante.

More quickbreads will definitely be in my future. Hope everyone is having a lovely Tuesday morning!

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