Garlic-Cheese Bundt Loaf

My Venture into Cheesy Bread

There are three things that I really hate in life:
1) Feet
2) Any commercials involving slurping or loud smacking of food
3) American football

I've never understood football and that's probably why I don't watch it. I think it is so boring. Now Rugby – THAT'S a sport that's exciting to watch. It's fast paced and the players don't wear helmets or those huge shoulder pads. I mean, what are they thinking? Shoulder pads are soooooo 1987. ..And don't get me started with those skin-tight capris they like to wear.

A couple of weeks ago, I turned on the television and a football game had delayed the start of one of my favorite shows. The announcer said that there was 3 minutes and 26 seconds left on the game clock. I thought, "Oh good. I have just enough time to finish the dishes and get a glass of tea by the time the game is over." I tell you – I could have grown the tea plant from seeds, plucked the leaves, steeped them, and still had plenty of time before that stupid football game was over. Football time flows at a different rate than real time. I swear that two glasses of tea and 45 minutes later, there was still a minute left on the game clock. If God made announcement that the world was ending in 5 minutes, I'd quickly turn on a football game because then I'd have PLENTY of time to clean my apartment before the end came.

Someone told me that the Super Bowl was coming up. I used to get excited about the Super Bowl, not because I wanted to watch it, but because 60 Minutes with Andy Rooney wouldn't be shortened to 42 minutes by a football game that went into overtime. In the past, I've thrown anti-Super Bowl parties. It's a great time for the dozen or so people in the U.S. who don't like football to get together to celebrate the end of football season. Junk food is always on sale right before the Super Bowl, too. Ka-CHING!

Because many of you are probably football lovers, I thought I would post a couple of recipes that you could fix as an appetizer for the big game. One of my blog buddies, Sara H., sent me her WONDERFUL recipe for Garlic-Cheese Bundt Loaf. I fixed it and it was SO good that I instantly thought of ideas on how I'd like to change it. You know me! I love playing around with recipes! Sara has given me permission to publish her recipe so I'll let you decide which one you'd prefer to fix. Oh, what the heck – fix both!

Sara's Garlic-Cheese Bundt Loaf
Vince's Garlic-Cheese Bundt Loaf

Two of my teenage nephews are avid football players. While we don't share a common interest in football, we all agree that this bundt loaf is really good. It's garlicky, it's cheesy, and it is SO good to eat when watching 60 Minutes. Thank you Sara! Enjoy – and happy footballing!

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Vince's Garlic-Cheese Bundt Loaf
** An adaptation of a recipe from Sara H. **
(Printable Version)

20 frozen dinner roll dough balls (I use Rhodes Rolls)
7 TBSP unsalted butter, divided use
1 medium onion, diced
1/8 tsp sugar (optional)
Kosher salt to taste
1 head garlic, minced (Yes, that was 1 HEAD!)
2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 TBSP chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese (optional)

Night Before Serving:
Spray a sided sheet pan lightly with cooking spray. Place the balls of frozen dough on the sheet pan and lightly spray the tops of each ball. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to allow the dough to slowly thaw.

The Day of Serving:
In a skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of butter. When melted, add the chopped onions, a couple pinches of kosher salt, and the sugar. If Vidalias or another variety of sweet onion are in season, you may omit the sugar. Cover the onions with a lid and saute for 10 to 12 minutes or until they are very soft – stirring two to three times to keep them from browning too much. The lid will prevent the onions from losing too much moisture during cooking. When the onions are soft, add 4 tablespoons of butter, the garlic, Italian seasoning, and another couple of pinches of kosher salt. Since you're using unsalted butter, it is important to salt the mixture here. Cook for 1 minute and immediately transfer the mixture to a medium-size bowl and allow it to cool.

While the onions are cooking, use the remaining tablespoon of the butter to generously grease the entire interior of the bundt pan. The rolls will fill the entire pan when baked so butter all of the way to the top. Sprinkle a little kosher salt on the interior of the bundt pan (the butter will keep the salt from sliding down the sides).

When the onions have cooled a bit, add the parsley, parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese (if using) to the mixture and stir to combine. The onions should not be too hot or it will start to melt the cheese. I'm still debating if I prefer this recipe with the mozzarella or not. I like it both ways so I'll let you decide.

Remove the thawed rolls from the refrigerator and cut them all in half. Spoon 1/3 of the onion-cheese mixture into the bottom of the bundt pan – allowing some of the mixture to come up the sides of the pan an inch or so. You don't want a thick layer of the onion-cheese mixture sitting on the bottom or the rolls will steam instead of browning. Place several of the halved dinner rolls side-by-side but not quite touching on the bottom of the bundt pan in a single layer. Sprinkle 1/3 (or less) of the cheese mixture on top of the rolls. Add the remaining pieces of roll dough in another single layer – tucking the roll halves as needed around the inside and outside edges of the pan. Try to keep the dough in a single layer. Sprinkle the remaining cheese mixture evenly over the top of the dough. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise until it is about 1 1/2" from the top edge of the pan – about 60 to 75 minutes. If you allow the dough to rise above that mark, the bread will rise too much in the oven and spill over the sides when baking.

When the dough is nearly at the 1 1/2" mark at the top of the pan, place a rack on the LOWEST SHELF in your oven. Preheat the oven to 325F. When the dough has risen to 1 1/2" from the top, remove the plastic wrap and bake the rolls for about 36 to 40 minutes or until the top is dark brown. Immediately invert the rolls onto a serving platter and serve piping hot.