Memorial Day Sale! Only $3.99! Country Italian Bread to make Italian Roasted Garlic Bread. Limit 1

What you'll get!

• One Country Italian Bread Mix
• Instructions for making your Italian bread mix in the oven or in your bread machine. (See below)
• Instructions for making roasted garlic dipping oil like that in Italian restaurant chains. (See below.)

What you'll need!

• Garlic cloves
• Olive oil
• Ingredients for the Roasted Garlic Oil (See below)

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Our Country Italian Bread makes wonderful garlic bread. These instructions make it easy to do. It's a delightful bread. The crust is crisp and crackly, lighter than sourdough but distinctive and chewy. 

But you don't have to. You can bake the bread, make the roasted garlic oil, and use it as dipping oil, just like downtown.  Or you can drizzle the oil over the bread. It's easy either way.

You can make any night an Italian night.

"This bread is delicious! Rises well - crusty outside, chewy/light inside."  Cris Parr

Learn more about the bread!

• Is this a sourdough bread? Not really. It's a European country sour—a little sour without being a full-blown sourdough. It tastes slightly sourdough, not nearly like a full sourdough bread. but more character and taste than a grocery store loaf.
• Is it crusty like a sourdough? It's more like a French bread—crusty on the outside but soft in the middle. It's more crackly than chewy. The interior is creamy and soft.
• What's the difference between a French bread and an Italian bread? Both French and Italian breads are broad in scope and can vary from region to region with overlap. Some Italian breads have herbs--this one doesn't.  Some Italian breads have traces of olive oil and milk.  This one has a touch of dairy.
• Will my kids like it? Kids like white bread. This is white. 
• Can I make it round or long? You can make it any shape you want, even sandwich rolls. 
• Why is the water temperature important? The ideal temperature for yeast is 79 degrees. That's where yeast grows best. 
• Is it sweet at all? Not really, pleasant, but not sweet. Actually, it's a little sour.
• What do I need to add? Only water.
• It says "no preservatives."  We add nothing except a touch of dough enhancer to help the yeast grow.  Without preservatives, it won't last forever. If you're not going to use it in four or five days, freeze the extra.

Learn more about the roasted garlic oil!

• What makes this dipping oil so good? What's in it. Roasted garlic has a delightful nutty taste.  Then we add butter and parmesan cheese. What's not to like?
• Do I have to make it in the oven? No. It tastes just as good when made on the stovetop, it's quicker, and you don't heat the kitchen.
• How long does it take to make? Prep and cooking is going to take about 30 minutes.
• Can I store the leftovers? Yes. Put your leftover oil in a glass jar with a tight lid. Avoid soft plastic containers, as it may be hard to get the garlic smell out of a soft plastic container. 

Dennis Weaver

How to Make Roasted Garlic Bread

Italian bread has an open crumb and is, therefore, light and airy. The roasted garlic gives your bread a pleasant nutty-garlic taste. 

First, roast some garlic . . .

That’s easy. Grab a muffin pan and stick a bulb in each cavity, as many cavities as you want. You’re going to want garlic bread often so don’t skimp, stock up.

Bake your garlic at 400°F for 30-40 minutes, or until the cloves are lightly browned and feel soft when you press your finger against them. You may also wrap each bulb of garlic in foil and bake them in your oven.

You can store your extra garlic in the freezer for two or three months.  You can also store your extra roasted cloves in the refrigerator, submerged in olive oil, for two weeks. (Do not store roasted garlic at room temperature, not even for a short period. It's hazardous to do so.)

Ingredients

• 8 to 10 cloves of roasted garlic
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 loaf of French, Italian, or sourdough bread
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Set out a baking sheet.

1. Squeeze the roasted garlic from its outer wrappings into a small bowl. Mash the garlic with a fork or use a garlic press.
2. Blend the butter, parsley, parmesan cheese, and garlic together to make a paste.
3. Slice the bread. Spread each slice with the garlic mixture.
4. Bake on the baking sheet for 10 to 12 minutes or until crispy.

Baker’s note: If you are using raw garlic, you will want to reduce the amount used. Raw garlic may be up to four times as strong. Roasted garlic is much milder tasting.

How to Make Roasted Garlic Oil (A Johnny Carino’s Copycat Recipe)

When we go Italian, it’s usually to Johnny Carino’s. I’m hooked on the bread and that wonderful olive oil with the crunchy roasted garlic bits.

The original recipe calls for roasting the garlic in the oven. That certainly works with wonderful results. But like you, I’m always in a hurry. So, I left the cheese out and made it on the stovetop.

It’s great. Now, that’s the only way I make it. It’s much quicker and still very good. So, you can make it either way.

Ingredients:

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
• 2 teaspoons fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons fresh oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 teaspoon medium coarse sea salt 
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Chop the herbs and Parmesan cheese in a blender or food processor until finely chopped. Add the olive oil.
3. Spread the chopped garlic, herbs, and oil mixture on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
4. Roast the mixture for 20 minutes, stirring twice while cooking. Check on it before the 20 minutes is up; the garlic should be golden and crispy, but not burned. Use what you need and save the rest in a paper bag in the refrigerator.
5. Add more olive oil as desired at serving time.

How to Bake Bread in the Oven in Three Easy Steps

What you'll need

• A stand-type mixer with a dough hook
• A kitchen thermometer
• A baking sheet or a large bread pan

Step 1: Mix the dough

• Empty the mix into the mixing bowl
• Add the water (110 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit)
• Add the yeast
• Mix for eight minutes at medium-high speed using a dough hook
• Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit for an hour in a warm place

Step 2: Form a loaf

• Prep your pan or baking sheet with shortening or line it with parchment paper
• Form the dough into an oblong ball
• Set it in/on the pan and cover it with plastic again
• Let it rise until blisters just start to form

Step 3: Bake

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Farenheit
• Take the plastic off the bread and place the pan in the oven
• Set your timer for 25 minutes
• Test it for doneness with your thermometer. The temperature should be 190 when you insert the thermometer probe to the center of the loaf
• If it's not 190 degrees, bake it for another four minutes
• Remove the bread from the pan and set it on a rack to cool

Let the bread cool for at least ten minutes before slicing.

Baker's Notes and Recommendations:

A common concern is forming the loaf.  You'll be proud of your bread even if the shape is not picture-perfect. It will taste the same even if it's not symmetrical.  But if you want your bread to be pretty, not interesting, there's a way to wrap a loaf.  Stretch the dough around the center of the loaf and pinch the seams together on the bottom. Picture a ball inside the dough that you're wrapping. The tension on the skin of the loaf will tend to make the loaf rounder and higher.

A little cornmeal or semolina flour sparsely dusted on the baking sheet is a nice touch for artisan loaves. Navajo ground corn is a nice touch.  

Proofing bags work better than plastic wrap for proofing bread.  The bags act as puffy little greenhouses while the plastic warp tends to hold the dough down so that the loaves aren't quite as high.

What others say: 

"My Perfect Bread! I’ve tried many of the Prepared Pantry’s creations, but this bread has to be my favorite. It is moist with a crunchy outside and has the perfect chew. I can slice it thin and it doesn’t fall apart. Plus, it takes like Heaven."  Linda Christensen

You can load it into your bread machine and push a button. You can set your bread machine to the "dough" setting and bake the bread in a pan or on a baking sheet. Or, you can use your stand-type mixer. Easy. Authentic.

You'll love it too. Just try it.