Delicious forgoza bread full of garlic, onions, herbs and of course LOTS of cheese!
In honor of Cheese Half-Day, I am pleased to share with you the recipe for forgoza bread, the delicious cheesy bread created by my dear friend Daniel J.! This is my go-to bread for any fromage feast or cheese celebration. A combination of garlic, onions and, of course, CHEESE, yields rich, savory forgoza bread. I like that this bread can be made on a budget–it doesn’t require any expensive ingredients to taste good. It’s also easy to make, starting from frozen bread dough, and kneading in cheese, garlic, onions and herbs. I know, I know–frozen bread dough?!?! Even I was skeptical at first, but it’s a surefire recipe for any fan of fromage! It does take some planning, to let the bread rise, so I usually have to start prepping a couple of days in advance. But it’s worth the wait–this bread is mighty tasty!
Read on for the recipe you can try at home . . .
Forgoza bread
Makes 3 “pies”
Ingredients:
1 package (3 loaves) frozen bread dough (Rhoades bread dough preferred)
1 pound extra-sharp cheddar cheese, cubed, about 1/3 large (over 1/2 inch) cubes and 2/3 small (smaller than 1/2 inch) cubes
1 bunch of green onions, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
3 cubes frozen garlic, thawed (equivalent of 3 cloves of garlic, freshly chopped)
2 tablespoons garlic salt
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
Directions:
Allow 3 loaves frozen bread dough to thaw in refrigerator overnight.
Grease large bowl with olive oil. Place thawed dough in greased bowl, cover tightly with greased foil and allow to rise to three times the original size. (Best done at room temperature overnight.)
Spread dough over counter and top with cheese, chopped onions, thawed garlic cubes, garlic salt and Italian seasoning. Fold the dough in half to cover the ingredients, press down onto center of mixture. Continue to knead, fold and press until mixed. Separate the mixture into thirds. Place each third into a pie tin that’s been lightly greased with olive or canola oil.
Allow the three breads to rise again in their tins. (This is best done by heating your oven to 110 degrees ONLY, then turning the oven off. It may take an hour or two for the breads to double in size.)
Once the breads have risen to twice their original size, remove them from the oven.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake breads 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. (Remember, if you’re using two oven shelves to fit all three breads, make sure to rotate the breads between the shelves after ten minutes of baking.)
Remove breads from oven and let cool.
Enjoy!
For an extra crispy top:
Set oven to broil.
Lightly coat breads with olive or canola oil.
Place breads directly under broiler for 1-2 minutes.This will darken the tops of the bread and, combined with the oil, add a nice crunch to the top–but don’t broil for more than 2 minutes!
Eat them hot or let them cool to room temp.
Storage:
Forgoza bread is best eaten fresh, but it’ll be okay for a couple of days. Don’t store them in the fridge–if you won’t be eating them right away, cover tightly with foil and store at room temperature.
Bistro Hopping 