Recipe of the Month

Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread

This is a good one.  I also appreciate any excuse to my bundt pan.  It's a great appetizer, side dish or entree (that is, if you're like me and love a good side dish for dinner).  Make sure everyone has some gum handy because this recipe can some major dragon breath!

Start out with:

2 tsp dry active yeast
1 1/3 cup of warm water

Mix these two together and let them sit for 5 minutes or so.  While that's going on, throw the next few ingredients in a mixer with the bread hook attached.

2 Tbs olive oil
2 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups flour

Mix these all together and add the yeast.  Mix the dough until it's a big ball.  You might need to stop and scrape the sides a few times.  Stop when it gets all stretchy and bread dough-y, about 5 minutes or so.  Then get a large mixing bowl and spray it with cooking spray.  Put the dough in and cover with a clean dish towel.  Let it rise about 2 hours or until it doubles in size.  Punch it down and get the following ready:

1/4 cup (half a stick) butter, melted
1 Tb Italian seasoning
2 cloves of minced garlic

Blend these to make a delicious butter garlic sauce.  Take a bundt pan and spray it with cooking spray.  Then tear off a piece of dough and make a ball about 1 inch in diameter.  Dip the ball in the butter and place it in the bundt.  When you have a single layer, cover it with grated Parmesan.  I only had shredded Three Cheese Italian, which worked okay but I'd used grated next time.  The shredded cheese melted out to the edges instead of inside the dough.  Make another layer and cover with cheese.  Repeat until all the dough is used. 

Cover with the dish towel and let it rise again about 20-30 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.  Invert onto a plate and dig in!  Make sure you have plenty of marinara for dipping, or Ranch (for William).  So good when it's warm from the oven!  I can't tell you how it is reheated because it doesn't last that long around here!