Hi there,

We had some friends for dinner a few weekends ago. I waited until the last minute to buy a loaf of bread to serve with dinner. Unfortunately, this particular weekend the weather forecast called for snow and I was like Old Mother Hubbard, the cupboard was bare. The only thing left to buy was a soft loaf of French bread. I took the bread home and figured I would do my usual trick to make it crispy. I have learned if you take a sad loaf of bread and pat it all over with water and put it in the oven set at 375 degrees for 15 minutes it becomes crispy. But I recently purchased some Crave Brothers mozzarella cheese that was close to expiring. I decided to make garlic bread. I cut the loaf Hasselback style. It was delicious and easy. A winning combination. I don’t think I will ever go back to my old recipe again.

INGREDIENTS

½ cup/8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
4 tablespoons of garlic paste
½ cup Parmesan, grated
¼ cup dried parsley
1 baguette
½ pound Crave Brothers mozzarella, thinly sliced

PREPARATION

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together the butter, garlic, Parmesan and parsley. Add the salt and generously season with pepper. Set aside while you cut the baguette.
Cut deep slits into the baguette, 1-inch apart — don’t cut all the way through the loaf — and place the baguette on a large piece of foil. Using a teaspoon generously spread the seasoned butter inside each slit. Make sure to reach the bottom of the slit. Add a small piece of fresh mozzarella between each slice. Spoon some of the butter mixture over the top of the baguette.
Wrap the baguette in the foil, place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the baguette from the oven and unwrap the top (leave the bread on the foil). Return bread to the oven and bake until crisp and golden on top, another 5 minutes. Slice with a serrated knife (or tear with your hands) and serve at once.

Do you have any special trick or recipe that you use to liven up dull bread? If you do, please share in the comments section.