The Ultimate Garlic Cheesy Bread

I really don’t have a whole lot to say about this bread….except that is it utterly addicting and too good to be true. The last day my sister was in town, we went all out and made a huge spaghetti dinner with salad, this garlic cheesy bread and some double chocolate cookies for dessert. (I’m still working my butt of from from eating so much from this meal!) I totally ate half of this bread but it was soooo worth it and so delicious.

I was feeling over ambitious and made this bread totally from scratch. What a difference it made! Even though you do have to knead it and wait for it to rise, please please oh please do your self a favor, take one for the team and make this. You get a chewy yet fluffy french bread loaf that you slice down the middle and fill with garlic butter and sharp cheddar cheese. Stick it under the broiler and you are set.

I also substituted garlic salt for regular plain salt in the bread dough which added a nice extra garlic jolt. If you wanted to make plain french bread, then keep the regular salt and disregard all the other directions and ingredients.

Again, I urge you to make this, especially if you love carbs and are making spaghetti and/or lasagna for dinner. Go make this right now and report back. Thank you and you’re welcome.

Garlic Cheesy Bread
yield: 2 servings if you like carbs, realistically though, 6-8 servings for you normal folk.
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Ingredients:
1 packet instant rise yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon garlic salt
4 cups all purpose flour
drizzle of olive oil
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1/4 cup salted butter, softened
2 cloves garlic, minced finely
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used sharp)
parsley flakes for garnish (optional)

Directions:
In large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Proof 5 minutes. Stir in garlic salt and 3 cups of flour. Once dough becomes kneadable, remove from bowl and knead in remaining cup of flour. (You may or may not need the remaining cup of flour, so add it slowly. On the flip side, you may need more, so beware!) You want dough to feel slightly sticky. Grease ball of dough with small drizzle of oil and place into a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or clean kitchen towel and let rise 1 – 11/2 hours or until dough has doubled in size.

While dough is rising, mix softened butter with minced garlic. Set aside.

Punch dough down and remove onto clean work surface. Punch dough out into a free form rectangle about 12×16 inches (or about the size of your cookie sheet). You can use a rolling pin if you like. Roll dough up lengthwise (jelly roll style) so you have a long skinny log. Place on greased cookie sheet seam side down and tuck the ends under. Cut 4 diagonal slats in the top of the dough about 1/4 inch deep and brush top with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap or clean kitchen towel and let rise 30-60 more minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 35-45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool at least 15 minutes.

Turn oven on to broil. Slice loaf down the center lengthwise. Spread garlic butter equally on both loaf halves. Top with grated cheese. Place under the broiler until cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with parsley flakes if desired. Cut into pieces and serve hot.