XOXO Valentine’s Day Bread
“Happiness is freshly baked bread.”
Happy Valentine’s Day friends.
If you’re into love, and love bread, check out this lovely slice of heaven.
I recently did a search for ‘art bread’ and wow you guys, people are insanely creative. Do yourself a favor and search those terms. The bread images are so pretty and beautiful like a painting and the canvas is completely edible. Perfect, right? It absolutely made me want to try this out – so, I did!
I first started by identifying my favorite bread toppings and bruschetta came top for me. You may remember my Slow Roasted Cherry Tomato Bruschetta. I love tomatoes, garlic and onion on bread and throw in some fresh herbs and it becomes pure perfection. And since it’s the month of love, I decided to get a little creative with the shape and design. So if you’re looking for an edible love letter for your Valentine, try this simple sweetheart bread.
How to make this bread.
First you want to roast your garlic bulb. Mmmm, roasted garlic tastes amazing. Begin by peeling and discarding the papery outer layer of the whole garlic bulb. Using a sharp knife, cut 1/4 to a 1/2 inch from the top of cloves. Sprinkle the top with olive oil and salt & pepper and wrap in foil. Bake garlic for 30-minutes, until garlic is soft. Allow to cool until you can handle with your hands and squeeze out the garlic. Chop and set aside.
Oil a sheet pan with about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and use your hands to stretch out the bread dough to the edges of your pan.
NOTE: for the bead in these images, I used a gluten free box bread mix. With either type of bread you use, mold the bread into the shape you want – today was a heart for Valentine’s Day. Otherwise, you can stretch the bread to the edges of your sheet pan.
Allow the dough to rest and rise for 10-15 minutes then brush the top of the bread with another tablespoon of the olive oil and begin decorating your bread with your ingredients – tomatoes, red onion, roasted garlic, sage, rosemary, sea salt, and press everything a little into the bread.
Brush a little more olive oil over top to coat the veggies and herbs and sprinkle with Parmesan (optional).
Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and enjoy the beauty.
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-pound frozen bread dough, thawed (alternatively you can use a gluten free box dough)
1 cup mix of red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup sliced red onion
1 whole garlic bulb, roasted
2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
2 teaspoons flaky sea salt
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat your oven to 400°F.
First begin by peeling and discarding the papery outer layer of the whole garlic bulb. Using a sharp knife, cut 1/4 to a 1/2 inch from the top of cloves. Sprinkle the top with olive oil and salt & pepper and wrap in foil. Bake garlic for 30-minutes, until garlic is soft. Allow to cool for 10 minutes or until you can handle with your hands. Squeeze out the garlic, chop and set aside.
Increase your oven heat to 450°F.
Oil a sheet pan with about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and use your hands to stretch out the bread dough to the edges of your pan.
Allow the dough to rest and rise for 10-15 minutes.
Brush the top of the bread with another tablespoon of the olive oil and begin decorating your bread with your ingredients – tomatoes, red onion, roasted garlic, sage, rosemary, sea salt, and press everything a little into the bread.
Brush your last tablespoon of olive oil over top to coat the veggies and herbs and sprinkle with Parmesan (optional).
Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Enjoy your artwork and wow your sweetheart with this one.
Peace & Love,
Nikki
