Herbed Garlic Bread

I write a lot about my weaknesses for chocolate and baked goods (if you were here right now, you'd smell a pan of brownies baking in the oven in fact).  But I don't put a lot of words towards one of my other weaknesses.

Bread. 

Specifically... warm, crusty, fresh baked bread.  Served in a basket with a linen napkin and a little bit of melty butter or EVOO and fresh grated Parmesan at a restaurant.  I could eat complete meals of nothing but bread.

I eat it in moderation at home, but all bets are off when I'm at a restaurant.  I will absolutely take that bread basket, thankyouverymuch.

A few weeks ago I made some veggie laden "secret" spaghetti so I thought I'd indulge and make this new herbed garlic bread to go with it. 

It was a few more steps than normal garlic bread but I really liked the inclusion of the minced garlic and the fresh parsley.  It added some really nice fresh flavors and the crust got good and crispy while the middle stayed soft.  The bite from the itty bitty garlic pieces was really nice, and something you don't get when you use a traditional garlic bread spread or sprinkle.

Spreading the mixture between the slices was challenging, and unfortunately I wasn't able to cover enough surface area on a few pieces.  It was nothing that a little bit of "after the fact" butter couldn't fix though, and the mixture is so flavorful it doesn't need to cover every square inch.  For the most part, it seeped all the way through.  And on those pieces it was divine!  Both the night of and surprisingly, as leftovers.

Next time I'm going to try slicing all the way through the loaf, laying the slices on a baking sheet, drizzling with the mixture and baking uncovered.  I may also add a sprinkle of cheese because cheese makes everything better.  This was a fun variation on an old standard and it can definitely feed a crowd!

*****

Herbed Garlic Bread
5 mins active, 25 mins total

1 loaf Italian Bread
4 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp EVOO
2-3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp chopped parsley

Slice a loaf of Italian bread, stopping short of the bottom so the loaf stays intact.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil; add 2 to 3 minced garlic cloves and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons chopped parsley.

Spread the garlic mixture between the bread slices; wrap in foil and bake at 375 degrees F, 15 minutes. Unwrap and bake until crisp, 5 more minutes.

Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Bread

It's no secret, I'm in love with all things blueberry...

...and lemon dessert related. 

Bonus points if they happen to be in the same dish, like this recipe for lemon and blueberry yogurt bread that I found on Pintrest.  I love the combination of flavors - the tartness of the berries, the sweetness of the lemon zest.  The recipe also seemed really easy (like this Cooking Light Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread) using ingredients I had on hand. 

As expected, it was very easy to put together!  And it was so hard to sit still and let it cool like the blogger said it would be.  But it was worth the wait. 

I've never baked a bread with yogurt before and it was an amazing addition!  The bread turned out super moist and dense, almost like a moist pound cake.  Only with less of the bad stuff, and more of the better stuff, like non-fat yogurt.  This came out of the oven at 12:30 on a Sunday afternoon and by 3pm, half the loaf of bread had mysteriously disappeared.  Pretty impressive considering Roy doesn't really like blueberries and would prefer non-lemon flavored desserts. 

Despite coating the blueberries in flour, they still sank once they hit the batter and most of them ended up on the bottom, as you can see from photos.  Regardless, it was wonderful!

This is a great choice if you're hosting family or friends for brunch and it would be a fantastic hostess gift. 

*****

Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Bread
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen who adapted it from Ina Garten
20 mins active, 70 mins total
Makes 24 skinny slices or 12 regular slices


1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup vanilla yogurt
3/4 cup sugar
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (approximately 2 lemons)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries


Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper.

Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl.

In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and oil.

Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

Mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 (+) minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before flipping out onto a cooling rack. Carefully place on a baking rack and allow to cool.

Homemade Banana Bread with Strawberry Jam

I'm not a huge fan of the banana + strawberry flavor combination but this banana bread with strawberry jam has me rethinking my choices.  I first made this as a gift for Roy's family at Thanksgiving. Another guest had made strawberry jam (did you know you could make that in a bread maker?!?! My mind is blown). Lo and behold... banana bread with strawberry jam. 

A few weeks ago as part of my fruit and veggie bender, I overbought on bananas and then they went ripe FAST.  Perfect opportunity for some banana bread! 

I modified this recipe based on some feedback from the reviewers - adding in a cup of natural, no sugar added applesauce and a 1/4 tsp of vanilla.  They were great recommendations, kept the bread very moist!  I also mash my bananas with a potato masher.  So much easier than a fork.  4-5 mashes and you're done. 

As for the jam, I went simple and picked up a jar of Smucker's spreadable fruit.  Feel free to use whatever your favorite is and play around with flavors.  If strawberry isn't your favorite grab something else. 

*****

Homemade Banana Bread
20 mins active, 90 mins total

1 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
3-4 ripe bananas
1 tablespoon milk
1 cup natural, no sugar added applesauce
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt


Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.

Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a small bowl, mash the bananas. Mix in the milk, applesauce, vanilla and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan, invert onto rack and cool completely before slicing.

Spread slices with strawberry jam or honey or try serving with ice cream.