Make Garlic Bread Ultra Fancy With Brie Instead Of Mozzarella
Garlic bread is delicious, but garlic bread with cheese is even better. Gooey, warm cheese melting into crunchy toasted bread with hot garlic butter makes for a wonderful combination of flavors and textures with every bite. For the best results, you'll want a cheese (or a combination of cheeses) that melts well. However, you might also consider using a cheese that's soft and creamy to begin with.
Mozzarella is commonly used for garlic bread because of its delightful stretchiness and meltability. With its high moisture content, mozz guarantees a good cheese pull, and its gentle, milky flavor makes it suitable for everything from pizza to lasagna to, of course, bread. But while different types of mozzarella can add variety to a basic garlic bread recipe, there's another cheese that it's definitely worth trying: Brie.
Brie is a soft-ripened cheese that can already be quite runny at room temperature, so it's excellent for melting into a delicious gooey layer on top of your garlic bread. It's high in fat and moisture with a distinctive rich, creamy, yet mild flavor that goes beautifully with the garlic, butter, and herbs. For a version of garlic bread that feels much fancier and suitable for a dinner party, but is just as easy to make, you must try using this French cheese.
Brie and garlic make a delightfully savory pairing
One of France's most famous cheese, Brie is traditionally made with raw cow's milk, which means you can't buy "real" Brie cheese in the U.S. But the Brie sold in the United States still has a similar soft texture and buttery, creamy, savory taste. It's easy to add it to your simple garlic bread recipe to class things up with little extra effort.
A wheel of Brie has a white rind on the outside, and while it's completely edible, you can remove it if you wish. Once your Brie has been prepped, you can cut deep pockets or a crosshatch pattern into a whole loaf of bread, spread it with garlic butter, then stick slices of the cheese between the cuts before baking. Or, if you like to cut your bread lengthwise or into slices, dollops of Brie can be put on top before baking, so that the cheese melts in the hot oven or air fryer.
While parsley is the most common herb used in garlic bread, other flavorings also work well with the Brie. You could add additional herbs such as thyme or rosemary, mix a little honey into the garlic butter for sweetness, or sprinkle some chili flakes on top for a touch of heat.
Other ways to combine Brie and bread
Brie and bread really go together like a match made in heaven. As well as being great in garlic bread, this cheese can make a deliciously creamy topping for flatbreads, with a quick blast in the oven creatin a perfectly melted texture. To take the dish to the next level, try adding fruits such as sliced apples, pears, or peaches, whose sweet flavors match well with the rich cheese. A sprinkling of nuts on top can add extra crunch.
Chunks of Brie can also be added into bread dough before the loaf goes into the oven for a delicious loaf of pull-apart bread. Or, try stuffing a little piece of Brie into individual balls of dough before baking to create mini cheesy dinner rolls that go well with soup.
When baking with Brie, it would be remiss to not mention classic baked Brie. In this dish, a whole round Brie, with the rind on, is baked in the oven for around 15 minutes, creating a melty fondue-style dip that can be scooped up with crusty bread. It's common to add toppings like jam, nuts, and honey to the cheese. You can even use a hollowed-out loaf of sturdy bread, such as sourdough, as an edible bowl for baked Brie. Just slice off the top of a loaf, scoop out the insides a little to make room, and place the whole cheese inside before baking. The off-cuts of bread can be used for dipping.