Garlic and Herb Bubble Bread

It's the simple pleasures right now.  Soon, I'll be planting flowers outside but we're not there yet, weather-wise.  Frost warning last night. Time for soup and some bread!  Or, just bread :)  

I found this recipe for Garlic and Herb Monkey Bread in my Bread Machine Magic cookbook and wanted something to add to our grilled salmon dinner last week.  My husband loved it so much I made it for him again when we had soup this week.  It is delicious! I prefer the term bubble bread to monkey bread just because it just sounds more appetizing :)  "Bubble" refers to the balls of dough that look like bubbles on top when they rise. 

My first attempt at making this bread, I used a 9 x 5 loaf pan.  The bread rose so high that it made a 'shelf ' across the top because of the pan I used.  Not the prettiest, but it still tasted great. The dough is cut into small pieces and each piece is dipped into garlic and herb-infused butter as it is placed into the baking pan.  After rising and baking, the bread pulls apart into small bite-sized pieces.

The second time I made it, I used a chiffon cake pan which worked much better and created more browning in the center.  Any pan with a flat bottom and higher sides should work.   I would not recommend a bundt pan as bundt pants are rounded on the bottom.   This bread gets tipped out of the pan after baked and then inverted again onto a serving plate so the 'bubble' part is on top.

You don't need to have a bread machine to make this bread and, if you're lucky, you have found yeast and flour after the hoarding began in late March and April. 

I hope you can give this bubble bread a try next time you're in a baking mood as it's worth the effort!
I'm including ingredient amounts below for small, medium and a large recipes.  I hope you enjoy it!

Just wanted to add a special thank you to both of my daughters for arranging a wonderful, social distancing Mother's Day visit on Sunday.  Along with flowers and some special gifts from them, I was also given some artwork made especially for me by my 3 grandsons.  They are placed in order by age, 4, 7 and 10.   The last one, my daughter painted as an extra Mother's Day card.

While I've been Covid baking, they've been Covid painting.  Keeping them busy is essential right now with no school since mid March.  They paint almost every day after they do their online schoolwork.  The 4 year old has no school work so he is just on vacation :) 

Hope you are all well and continue to stay safe.

Garlic and Herb Bubble Bread

Printable Recipe

Dough (Small Recipe for a (8-1/2 x 4-1/4 inch loaf pan)

3/8 cup warm water
3/8 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups all purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast

Dough (Medium Recipe for a tube pan or large loaf pan 9 x 5)

½ cup warm water
½ cup sour cream
1-1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons instant dry yeast

Dough (Large Recipe for 2, 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 loaf pans)

5/8 cup warm water
3/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons salt
4 cups all purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast

Herb butter (ingredients for small, medium and large recipe)

1, 2, 3 small garlic cloves, minced (small, medium, large recipe)
3 tablespoons, 4 Ts, or 6 Ts melted butter (small, medium or large recipe)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
Note: Increase or decrease herbs 1/2 teaspoon for each size recipe. I like a lot of herbs. Garlic can be optional if you don't care for it. 

Thoroughly butter the pan you chose to use whether it be a loaf pan or tube pan.

If you have a bread machine, combine water and sour cream and warm gently. Melted butter. Pour liquids into pan of bread machine. Add sugar, salt, flour and lastly, yeast. Turn on dough setting, which takes about 1-1/2 hours to mix and rise. Note: If conditions are dry in your home, you may need to add a little more water, so watch the dough carefully as it's mixing. It should be soft and pliable but hold together in a ball.

If you do not have a bread machine, you can use a stand mixer with the dough hook to mix and knead until the dough is pliable, about 2 minutes. Place into a greased bowl and cover loosely with a tea towel and place in a warm place until doubled in size (about 45 minutes to an hour depending on the temperature in your home). Alternately, you can mix the dough by hand, kneading the dough until soft and pliable, about 8-10 minutes. Place into a greased bowl, cover with a tea towel and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size. (Tip - turn your oven on to preheat for 1 minute and then turn off. This makes a good warm place for the dough to rise.)

When your dough is almost finishing rising, mix the herb butter ingredients together.

After the bread machine has finished the dough setting, or after your dough has doubled in size, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 1-2 minutes to release the air. Form into a ball.

Cut the ball in half, then each half into half again. Keep cutting the pieces in half the pieces are roughly the size of a walnut. Exact size is not crucial.

Dip each piece of dough into the herb butter mixture and arrange in layers spaced about ½ inch apart in the prepared pan. If you have extra butter mixture, drizzle over the top of the bread. Cover pan with a tea towel and place in a warm place until doubled again. This will take about 30-35 minutes. (Tip – turn on your oven to preheat for 1 minute and then turn off. This makes a good warm place for the dough to rise).

When the dough is almost finished rising, take it out of the oven but keep it covered. Preheat oven to 375F. Remove tea towel and place pan in the 375F oven and bake for about 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of your pan, or golden brown on top. Watch closely, as ovens differ. Add or subject time accordingly.

When bread is finished, remove from oven and invert onto a large plate or baking sheet. Then invert again onto a serving dish so that the ‘bubbles’ are on top. Brush bread with extra melted butter, if desired. Note: If I think the bread looks too pale on the bottom after removing from the pan, sometimes I carefully put it back in the oven without the pan and leave it in for another 5 minutes.

Buttermilk Sandwich Bread

What do you do on Easter weekend when you can't be with your family because of social distancing?  Bake bread!  At least, that's what I did.  It's was satisfying having something that turned out so delicious, I wanted to make it again and again (which I did in the past two weeks).  Quarantine carb heaven!

Unfortunately, I realize that it's very difficult, if not impossible, to find yeast right now.  Even flour is scarce in some areas. I was lucky enough to find an out-of-the-way store, which specializes in ethnic groceries, that carried 1pound packages of instant yeast.  Knowing that I could freeze yeast for up to a year, I didn't hesitate to buy the large quantity (which was only a little over 5 dollars, so a real bargain.  I also found it at another local grocery store today that offers pick up so keep checking with your stores, especially the smaller independent or co-op stores.

The first time I made this bread I didn't have buttermilk so used the DIY buttermilk hack, which is to add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to 1 cup of milk and let it sit on the counter for 10 to 15 minutes to thicken.  The last time I made it I was able to use real buttermilk and I did not notice a significant  difference in taste but noticed that the bread was slightly more 'soft' in texture with the real buttermilk.

I have a bread machine, which I used just for the dough setting, but you can easily use a stand mixer with a dough hook or knead it on your counter the old-fashioned way.  Above you can see the dough ready to be punched down after the first rise, second is the shaped loaf (I like to keep tucking the dough underneath with the floured palms of my hands, and lastly, the dough after the second rise and ready to go into the preheated oven. I use a small sheet of parchment paper to use as a 'lift' to remove the baked bread from the hot pan to cool.

The finished loaf!  Did my husband hesitate after hearing the words buttermilk bread?  Yes, he did, but after he tasted it he told me it was really, really good :)

I waited 15 minutes for it to cool and cut a few slices it while it was still warm.  The dark crust and soft, interior is perfect for any kind of sandwich.

How could I resist the first warm slice with butter?  Oh my!

This past weekend, I used the same recipe and formed it into sandwich rolls instead.  I baked a small ham on Easter Sunday for the two of us, and we enjoyed these delicious rolls for our sliced ham sandwiches with Dijon mustard and looking forward to using them for ham salad spread next. 

Buttermilk Sandwich Bread

Printable Recipe

Note: This recipe makes 1 loaf of bread, and uses a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. If you only have an 8-1/2 x 4 inch pan, measurements for that size are in parentheses.

The recipe will make about 1 dozen sandwich-sized rolls to use for sandwiches, hamburgers, etc.

1-1/8 cups buttermilk (1 cup), warmed slightly (if your home is dry you may need a little extra milk)
3 tablespoons honey (2 T)
2 teaspoons salt (1 tsp)
1-1/2 tablespoon butter, melted (1 T)
3 cups all purpose flour (2 cups)
2 teaspoons dry, instant yeast (1-1/2 tsp)
1 tablespoon melted butter for brushing on loaf before baking

Poppy seeds or Sesame seeds, optional, for making rolls.

Place liquid ingredients followed by the dry ingredients into your bread machine pan with yeast added last. Use the 'dough' cycle for the initial kneading and 1st rise.

Alternately, if you do not having a bread machine, in a large bowl, whisk together the salt, flour and yeast. In another smaller bowl, stir together the melted butter, honey and warmed buttermillk, then pour into flour mixture and stir until smooth it forms a soft dough. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place into an oiled bowl, turning once to oil the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. I like to turn my oven on to heat for 1 minute, then turn it off. Put the covered dough in the slightly warmed oven with the door closed to rise.

Meanwhile, prepare a loaf pan by cutting a piece of parchment to fit the pan lengthwise and long enough to hang over each edge to use as 'handles' to remove the hot loaf from the pan. Then spray the pan and parchment with non stick cooking spray such as canola oil.

After the dough cycle is finished on your bread machine, or after the dough has risen until almost doubled, remove it to a flour surface, gently deflate it and knead again for about 5 minutes. Form an oblong loaf shape about the size of your pan by tucking the sides under with the palms of your hands to for a tight loaf. Place the dough into the prepared pan, cover loosely with a tea towel and place in a warm place to rise again until doubled in size. The dough should have risen to about top of the loaf pan.

Preheat oven to 375 about 15 minutes before loaf is done rising.

Gently brush loaf with melted butter over the top and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes, depending on your oven. When the loaf looks golden and sounds hollow when tapped, it is probably done. I like to remove the loaf from the baking pan and return it to the oven rack to bake for 5 minutes longer to ensure a browned crust on the sides and bottom, but this is optional. You may also brush the top of the loaf when out of the oven with additional melted butter, if desired.

To make rolls, rather than bread, after the first rise and knead, divide the dough in half, then each half into thirds. Each third should make 3 rolls. I like to use a digital scale and use about 2 ounces of dough for each roll. Take each 2 ounce piece of dough and form it into a ball tucking the edges under with your palms as you turn it. Place the dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover loosely with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. After the dough has doubled, brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter and sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds, if desired.

Bake rolls in a 375 preheated oven for about 20 minutes until golden.

Recipe adapted from Bread Machine Magic.