Sun-dried Tomato Garlic Cheese Bread
The best Mediterranean bread ever... filled with sun-dried tomato pesto, herbs, cheese, and more!
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil
- Serrated/Bread knife
- Food processor with blade attachment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup prepared sun-dried tomato pesto, see recipe below, or store-bought
- 2 tablespoons Italian parsley leaves, chopped, packed
- 3 garlic cloves, grated on a zester/Microplane or pushed through a garlic press
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Aleppo Pepper Flakes, The Spice and Tea Exchange
- 1 teaspoon Black Garlic Sea Salt, The Spice and Tea Exchange
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
- 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 pound French loaf bread, or baguette
Sun-dried Tomato Pesto:
- 7 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, oil-packed, drained and reserved
- 1/2 cup unsalted walnuts, toasted
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh Mediterranean oregano leaves, packed, or 1/2 teaspoon dried Mediterranean oregano
- Sea salt or kosher salt, to taste (you may not need any)
- Freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste
- Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed, see Notes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place the blade attachment onto the food processor. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, cheese, garlic, oregano, parsley and ¼ cup of the sun-dried tomato oil to the food processor. Pulse until the mixture is smooth, adding additional oil until the mixture is flowing smoothly, but not oily. You don’t want oil standing as a traditional pesto would have.
- Soften the butter in a medium bowl in the microwave. It’s fine if the butter is partly melted.
- Scrape the Pesto into the bowl with the butter. Add the parsley, garlic, Aleppo Pepper, Black Garlic Sea Salt, black pepper, and the cheese. Combine well. Taste and adjust any seasoning as needed. Set aside.
- Cut 1” slices into the loaf/baguette, but not cutting through the bottom; you want the whole loaf still attached on the bottom so that the slices will hold the filling in.
- Place the loaf onto a large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil.
- Evenly divide the sun-dried tomato filling in between the slices. A soup spoon does well for this.
- Wrap the foil around the loaf, sealing all the edges. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven. Unwrap the top part of the foil to expose the top of the loaf.
- Bake for another 5 to 8 minutes, or until nicely browned and the cheese is melted.
- Remove from the oven. You may slice/cut the slices apart or allow guests to pull the bread apart.
- The bread is best when baked and served immediately, while still warm. The Sun-dried Tomato Pesto may be made and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance. Allow the butter to soften at room temperature or for about 5 seconds in a microwave.
Notes
Use the extra-virgin olive oil for an extra oil needed past the drained oil from the tomatoes. My 7-ounce jar of sun-dried tomatoes produced ¼ cup of its oil. I used all of that plus ⅛ cup of extra-virgin olive oil. When it comes to oils, we love Abingdon Olive Oil Company's extra-virgin oils, infused olive oils, dark and white balsamic vinegars and so much more! They're an excellent company in beautiful Abingdon, VA. Go visit if you're in the area!
The bread is best when baked and served immediately, while still warm. The Sun-dried Tomato Pesto may be made and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance. Allow the butter to soften at room temperature or for about 5 seconds in a microwave.
Nutrition Facts
Sun-dried Tomato Garlic Cheese Bread
Amount per Serving
Calories
330.73
% Daily Value*
Fat
19.93
g
31
%
Saturated Fat
9.75
g
61
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.88
g
Monounsaturated Fat
4.25
g
Cholesterol
42.76
mg
14
%
Sodium
540.63
mg
24
%
Potassium
124.96
mg
4
%
Carbohydrates
29.77
g
10
%
Fiber
3.02
g
13
%
Sugar
0.72
g
1
%
Protein
8.75
g
18
%
Vitamin C
2.92
mg
4
%
Calcium
125.29
mg
13
%
Iron
0.81
mg
5
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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