11 April 2009

Artichoke Bread


The inspiration for this artichoke bread came from Katherine at Smoky Mountain Cafe and I have to say, it is one fabulous recipe.  I modified it from Katherine's recipe because of lack of all the ingredients in the right amount, but this bread came out fantastic.  It is decadent and gooey, and would suffice as a main course in its own right.  Because this recipe makes two halves of a good sized loaf of bread, and it is so filling, we had 1/2 of the loaf of bread left-over.  I wrapped up the leftover half in foil, put it in the refrigerator, and the next day threw it in a 400 degree F oven for 20 minutes.  It was still as crunchy and gooey as it was the day prior.  Mmmm,  mmm.

Artichoke bread by Joie de vivre adapted from Katherine at Smoky Mountain Cafe

Ingredients:

One large loaf of crusty Italian or Tuscan type bread
1/4 c. unsalted butter
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and pressed through garlic press
1 14 oz. can chopped artichoke hearts, drained
6 oz. shredded Mozzarella cheese
4 oz. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 c. sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1.  Cut the loaf of bread in half, lengthwise.  Scoop some bread out to form a well in each of the bread halves.  You may save the scooped out bread for bread crumbs or discard.  Set aside loaf halves.
2.  Place your oven racks no higher than the middle position in the oven.  Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
3.  In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4.  Remove from the heat and stir in the artichoke hearts, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese and sour cream.  Stir to blend together.  Scoop 1/2 of the mixture into each of the bread loaf halves.
5.  Place bread halves on a baking sheet, sprinkle each half with half of the cheddar cheese, cover lightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes, remove foil and turn on the broiler.  Broil from the distance of the middle rack until cheese is bubbling and starting to brown and the edges of the bread are browning, about 5 minutes.  Watch the bread carefully as it is easy to burn it under the broiler.
6.  Let the bread cool for 5 minutes and cut into slices.

31 comments:

Heather S-G said...

Ingenious! This sounds wonderful! It would be a holiday get-together hit, for sure! Yummy.

Lori Lynn said...

At first i thought one had to bake the bread, not my forte, but after reading it, I see it is something i would love to make, and those around here would eat up in a minute.

Happy Easter to you and your family Amanda.

Lori Lynn

Wandering Coyote said...

This look AMAZING! My SIL makes a fantastic artichoke dip that has many of the same ingredients in it, but this bread looks, as girlichef says, ingenious!

Reeni said...

I was lusting after this on Katherine's blog and now I'm doing the same here. It looks fantastic! Have a Happy and Blessed Easter!

Jenn said...

The only time I usually have artichoke is when it's in a spinach dip. Never had it in bread before. But looks really delish and healthy. Get some carbs and veggies at the same time.

Meg said...

Wow! This is amazing. I love anything with artichokes!

momgateway said...

Oh YUM and SO practical! Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Yum! Like that spinach artichoke dip served in a bread bowl, only hot and bubbly. Quite the nice upgrade, I think!

Chef E said...

I saw artichokes on sippitysups kebabs, and now here...I so have to buy some and do something now, cause this sounds freakin delicious to boot!

Anonymous said...

this is so creative!!! :) happy easter...

Angie's Recipes said...

This is absolutely delicious. Very much like Bruschetta, crunchy crusty covered with a combination of fav. toppings.............but I never thought of using artichoke.

Alicia Foodycat said...

That is the most delicious-sounding thing I have ever heard of! Wow! Yum! Does it hold together enough that you can pick it up in your hands, or do you eat it with a knife and fork?

Happy easter!

Netts Nook said...

Your bread looks great. Where is the butter.

Trish said...

This looks so delicious! What a unique recipe!

Anonymous said...

I know, Katherine is amazing, isn't she? I love this bread...artichokes are one of my favorite foods, but I never really know how to prepare them!

Laura in Paris said...

How ingenious! That's really creative cooking!

Daily Spud said...

Oh my goodness. I want. Like right now.

MaryBeth said...

WOW...this bread sounds scrumptious!! I would love to give this one a try.

Jaime and Jen DISH said...

Hmmmm, I can smell it all the way over here in Arizona, that looks AMAZING!!! DELISH!!! BRAVO!

-Jenifer

Sarah said...

The bread looks like heaven, I bet it tasted like it also! Yes american girl was amazing I took her there a few times before but this year she was the right age! I so wish I had gone there as a little girl!!

Donna-FFW said...

The bread looks fantastic.. I have got to try it. Love all its goodness.

Tangled Noodle said...

This looks beyond delicious! And what do you know? I have all the fixins' for it!

Anonymous said...

Katherine's recipe had me drooling and now you too! I definitely have this on my list to make.

Thanks as always for visiting my blog. I'll try to share some passover recipes soon too!

Elyse said...

I saw this bread over at Smoky Mountain Cafe, too. It looked delicious there, and it looks delicious here. I totally have to try this bread now. How yummy!

Jo said...

Sounds like a great recipe. I haven't made bread for ages and it's giving me inspiration. Hope you had a great Easter.

Robin said...

This sounds amazing- what a great appetizer for a party! I need to entertain more often so that I can make some of these delicious dishes I keep bookmarking!

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

I know I would love this artichoke bread. I can only imagine what great food would come out of the kitchen if you and Katherine got together.
Sam

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

That looks and sounds so good! Yummy!

Cheers,

Rosa

Maris said...

I love artichokes!

Soma said...

Very Very innovative idea!

Jude said...

Great spring recipe! Can't wait to get mu hands on some artichokes. Haven't had a chance to pick some up just yet.

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