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Herb Peel-Away Bread


My mom baked me an amazing blueberry pie for my birthday last week when I was in California, so when the actual day came around, I was all set on the dessert front. But that didn't mean that I was ready to go without a birthday treat! Tonight, I had friends over for dinner and the star of the show was Herb Peel-Away Bread, one of my family favorites. It was just as delicious as I remember, plus it's got star-power: it looks far more impressive than the simple preparation it takes.

Herb Peel-Away Bread

3 1/2 cups flour, divided
2 packages of Rapid-Rise yeast
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried dill
1 cup water
1 egg (room temperature)
6 Tbsp butter, divided

Set aside 1 cup flour. Combine 2 1/2 cups flour, yeast, sugar, cheese, salt, and herbs. Heat water and 4 Tbsp butter until hot to touch. Stir into dry mixture. Add the beaten egg and only enough reserved flour to make soft dough. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes, incorporating the rest of the flour. Cover, and let rest 10 minutes.

Roll dough into 12-inch square on a lightly floured surface. Brush with remaining 2 Tbsp melted butter. Cut into 25 squares with a pizza cutter. Overlap squares, butter side down, in a greased 12-cup bundt pan.

Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Remove to wire rack or an inverted plate. Best when served warm!

Given the ton of butter in this bread, we ate it with a "thoroughly inoffensive" chilled cucumber soup from Cooking Light that I tried to jazz up with mint, cilantro and a dash of Sriracha, and accompanied by a beautiful salad made by my friend Addy. An eclectic meal, but all-in-all a delicious one.

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