Monday, November 30, 2009

Garlic Cheese Rolls

















My Venture into Garlic Cheese Rolls

There is something heavenly about the combination of bread, butter, garlic, and cheese. It's simple but delicious nonetheless. Simple foods often have the biggest appeal. Pizza, one of the world's most popular foods, is, after all, nothing but bread topped with a tomato sauce and cheese.

I adore garlic bread and soft breadsticks. Anything doused in butte
r and garlic is right up my alley. I love the way garlic bread gets all butter-soaked when it bakes in the oven. When I began experimenting with this recipe, I knew that I wanted the rolls to have a strong garlic flavor – something that is often lacking in garlic bread or breadsticks. Sometimes, people bake breadsticks that have been rolled in garlic butter and they're OK but the garlic has a tendency to burn when exposed in the oven. I hate that. I also hate it when people are skimpy on the butter. I don't want to get all "Paula Deen" on y'all but a copious amount of butter is needed with any bread.

I came up with two different methods of preparation for these rolls but couldn't decide which one to post. My mother and sister preferred one method and I preferred the other. So, because I was not in the mood to labor over a decision, I decided to post both methods and let you choose which one is better for you. The ingredients are virtually the same but the difference in preparation produces vastly different end results.

METHOD 1 – My preferred method
In this method, you bak
e the rolls in a pan and, after they're out of the oven, you drizzle on some melted butter infused with garlic and a little parmesan cheese. Here is what you can expect with this method:
1) The bottoms
of the rolls will brown nicely but will not get butter-soaked like in Method #2.
2) This method is better for those who do not like an intense garlic flavor. Not only is the garlic less pungent, you can control how much garlic goes on each roll.
3) Your guests or
family members can control how much butter to add to each roll. This is especially nice for those who are watching their calories or fat intake.
4) I think this method has a better presentation for formal occasions.


METHOD 2 – My mother and sister's preferred method
With this method, you add the garlic, butter, and parmesan cheese to the bottom of the pan and the rolls bake on top of it. When you pull the pan out of the oven, you flip the rolls out and they will have soaked up all of the flavors of the garlic, butter, and parmesan cheese. Here is what you can expect:

1) This method is for t
rue garlic lovers only. The garlic flavor is more intense than in Method #1. 2) After baking, the bottoms of the rolls will have absorbed all of that butter. The bottoms will be thoroughly baked but soaked in butter. Very butterlicious.
3) The parmesan cheese will brown some – especially around the sides of the pan.

4) This method seems less pretentious and is perfectly suited for dinner with family and close friends.


Both methods are delicious so it's hard to choose which one is better. That's why I'm posting instructions for both. The end result is different for each preparation – but they're both really good. These make a PERFECT appetizer or a sinful side at any meal. You can fix them for the guys who come over to watch football or make them for Bridge Night with the ladies. Whatever you do, just fix 'em!

If you make them, be sure to leave a comment and let me know how they turned out – and which preparation you opted for. If you made some using both methods, let me know which method you prefer
red. Enjoy – and happy snarfing!

Printable Recipe for Both Methods of Preparation

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Click on an image to see a larger version

Unbaked rolls that have risen and are ready to put in the oven.








Freshly baked rolls hot out of the oven.









Here is what Method #1 looks like. Garlic and melted butter are drizzled over the top. The rolls are then sprinkled with freshly grated parmesan.







Here is what Method #2 looks like. The rolls bake on top of a mixture of butter, garlic, and parmesan. After baking, the rolls are inverted onto a serving plate.

13 comments:

  1. Hello Blog Buddies!
    Due to a known problem with the blogging software I use on this website, you may get an error when you attempt to post a comment. If you try to leave a comment and get an error, simply click the "Post Comment" button again. It should work after clicking the "Post Comment" button one or two additional times.

    ReplyDelete
  2. These look great. I'm a little intimidated by homemade bread but I will give these a try.

    BTW...I love your klingon chicken. The doritos give it nice flavor without tasting like doritos. Also, your budget friendly goulash is a family favorite. The zesty diced tomatoes do the trick!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Actually, these are made with frozen roll dough so they are incredibly easy to make. You're welcome to make your own dough but you don't have to.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I just had to try this recipe. We are garlic lovers here so I did the whole shabang.....well, I don't know what happened because they did not brown up like yours in the picture. Also, when I flipped them over, the butter sloshed out over the sides and made a mess....I did check the recipe, and was correct in my measurements.....so can you tell me if this ever happened to you?
    thanks

    ReplyDelete
  5. Puppydog -- No, that's never happened to me and I've made these many times. Just to confirm:
    1) You adjusted your oven rack to the bottom third of your oven.
    2) You used a dark cake pan (which help promote browning.
    3) You put 5 tablespoons of melted butter in the bottom of the 8" cake pan and used the remaining tablespoon to brush on the top.

    If you did all of those things, you may have used a differnt brand of rolls than I use or one of our ovens is off (in terms of temperature). When I make it and flip them oven, there is no measureable amount of butter left in the pan.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Here's my Method 3: Defrost 2 loaves frozen bread dough. Melt butter in saute pan. Saute minced garlic and parsley. Remove from heat. Spray bundt pan with Pam. Make walnut-sized balls of dough and roll in butter mixture. Place garlic butter dough balls in bundt pan. Sprinkle parmesan on dough layers as you go. Pour any remaining butter over the top. Bake for about 40 min @ 350 F. Turn out onto plate. Basically, Garlic Monkey Bread. Always a fave at family get-togethers. YUM!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sara -- Oooooh. That's sounds really good!

    ReplyDelete
  8. OMG Vince, I LOVE this recipe !!!
    I especially like garlic AND bread, I always want to go to Pizzahut (my husband hate it) just to eat the garlic bread !
    (now I have a "secret" ! I asked the employee to give me one spray bottle of this amazing garlic oil they use on the top of the pizza ! ha ha)
    Have a great day Vince, I am happy to be your friend !

    ReplyDelete
  9. I just watched your recipe, you can tell your mother my favorite is her method ! :)) Mmmmmmh I can smell it here in Belgium !

    ReplyDelete
  10. This sounds delicious, I like the idea of the butter and cheese on the bottom of the pan and then flipping them out like a sticky bun!

    ReplyDelete
  11. My mouth is watering for the Garlic Cheese Rolls. I just found your blog not too long ago and I have to tell you how much I enjoy it. If you were a woman Vince, I would call you my long lost sister. Your funny stories and embarassing moments could have made us related. I think I'll try these tomorrow. I have a bag of frozen Rhode's dough in my freezer just calling out to me now!

    I also just saw that Muschroom Gravy Smothered Chicken breasts you have posted and my stomach is growling. That will be number two on my list to try.

    Pam

    ReplyDelete
  12. Just mentioning garlic bread, I'm already hungry! I think I'll try making this tomorrow. I'll post it in my blog, full credits to you! ^_^

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hello! I just found your blog, through Tasty Kitchen, and I just had let you know how much I am enjoying your recipes! Thank You! I made your slow cooker pulled pork recipe (which I found on TK, which led me here, lol) and it was Dee-licious! The best barbecue!!! I can not wait to try these rolls, mmmm! Thanks! :)

    ReplyDelete

A moderator reviews all comments before they are posted. After submitting your comments, please check back in a few hours to see if they were added.

Related Posts with Thumbnails