Artichoke/pesto/cheese bread

In my basket of goodies from My brother’s family, I got a jar of artichoke pesto spread. I like the flavors, but not chunky artichokes, so I was happy when I opened it up that it was a smooth spread. You could use it on crackers, put some on hot pasta, but I decided to use some to make bread. Similar to the Cheese and Chile-filled bread I made a few months ago from the 2000 Cooking Light Cookbook. This takes only a few minutes to put together, you just have to wait for the dough to rise twice, so its a good thing to start in the morning or at least the afternoon if you want it for dinner.

I basically made the dough, then rolled it out into a large rectangle, slathered it with the artichoke pesto spread, and about 2 oz. of shredded muenster cheese. Then roll it up, slice a few slats in the top and bake!

Holy moly it was good!

Here is the recipe for the bread

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour (or bread flour)
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 package dry yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp.)
1 cup very warm water
1 TB. olive oil
1 large egg with 2 tsp. water (for brushing over the bread before baking)
3 tablespoons artichoke/pesto spread
2 oz. of your favorite cheese (I used muenster)

Combine 1 cup flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a bowl. Add 1 cup very warm water, and the 1 TB. of olive oil. Stir until well blended. Add 1 1/2 cups of flour (or a little more) until a soft dough forms.

I used the dough hook of my kitchen-aid for 8 minutes (or you can knead it by hand). Add a little cooking spray and cover with a towel and let rise for 45 minutes.

Next, punch the dough down, and roll out into a 15 x 10 rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Spread the artichoke/pesto spread and cheese across the dough. Roll up and place seam side down on a baking sheet. You can bake it now, but the recipe says to let it rise for another 30 minutes, so that’s what I did. Using a sharp knife, make a few diagonal cuts across the top. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes or until loaf is golden and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Makes 16 slices @ 108 calories, 5 grams of fat and 16 grams if carbs.

************
Now on to some of my favorite gifts I got for Christmas!

My Uncle apparently watched the infomercial for this microwave pasta boat! I LOVE watching infomercials and can pretty much be talked into purchasing any product. So, I had to try this ASAP. I made baked mostacolli for dinner last night. I got out the container, filled it with water, added a box of shell pasta and cooked in my microwave on high for 15 minutes. The pasta came out great! My only complaint was that some of the water came out, so there was a small pool of water underneath the container, but other than that, I really liked it! He apparently bought one for many people in the family!

I also got a small 3 quart soup pot which is awesome! I have a HUGE pot so it will be nice to make soups in smaller quantities, especially if its a soup only I will eat 🙂

My Momma got me 2 new pyrex dishes. If you recall, mine broke a few months ago, so now I have not only a new 9 x 13 pan, but an 8×8 pan which is perfect for making brownies.

I’ll be making some recipes from this cook book for sure! Comfort foods that have less calories and fat! I’ve read about 1/2 the cookbook so far and everything sounds amazing!

My Mom also got me a totally deluxe food processor. Believe it or not, I’ve never had one, so I am super excited to try it out. Now my kitchen is complete!

I am so easy to buy for, as long as it’s kitchen gadget, food, spice related I am set!