Garlic and Sun-Dried Tomato Cheese Bread

not-a-shrimp's Note:

When I came up with this, my family offered to pay me to make it again on the spot. It's a savory, yet tangy herbed bread best cooked (strangely enough) on a barbecue pit, but oven directions are provided. If cooking on grill, place on higher rack if available. If you like a cheesier bread, try upping the asiago to 1/3 of a cup. Great for parties, can be cut down into snack-sized bites. Wait until it's completely cooled, and it even makes good sandwich bread.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 3 mins
• Prep Time: 50 mins
• Cook Time: 13 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 18

• 1 French baguette
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup asiago cheese, shredded
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomato, julienned
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh basil, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 pinch salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. Cut bread loaf in half, lengthwise, set aside.
3. Using a fork, fold garlic, rosemary, thyme, basil, parsley, pepper and salt into butter until well mixed. Let stand 10 minutes.
4. Fold in sun dried tomatoes, asiago cheese. Let stand 30 minutes.
5. Using a large butter or bread knife, spread mixture over bread halves.
6. Wrap halves individually in heavy-duty aluminum foil.
7. Bake at 300°F for 15 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and open foil.
9. Set oven to Broil.
10. Broil until cheese is barely golden.
11. Let cool 10 minutes before cutting into 2-inch sections for serving.

Reviews

[Chef1MOM~Connie]

DELICIOUS! This was made for dinner last to go with rigatoni and it was fabulous. So simple to put together and the tastes were great. I love rosemary and it its rare to find it as a bread herb. I love it. Used fresh rosemary from the garden window. I cut the recipe in half, using a small baguette. Will be making this often as the ingredients are usually in my house. Thank you. Made for PAC 2009

[Starrynews]

This was a really nice blend of flavors with the many herbs and spices, the strength of the flavor from the asiago cheese, and the sun-dried tomatoes. I did omit the salt when I made it. It also made a pretty presentation - I might need to serve this again at Christmas with the pretty red, white, and green colors it has! Thank you for sharing!