get. the. book.

Recently I received an email from my sweet Aunt Carolyn (the genius behind these rolls) informing me that she bought the book.  Yeah, THE book.  You know, the one I can't stop talking about?  The one that made me, a non-bread baker into a pretty much daily fancy shmancy bread baker?  The one that changed my life?  The one that makes 100% from scratch pizza a last minute dinner?  Yup, that one.  I'm excited to hear what her very skilled and experienced hands will create!

Go out and get the book, people!

Come on, you want this coming out of your oven.

i'm in love with bread

... but we all know that, right?  I mean, don't I talk about good bread about every 3~4 posts?  I think so.  I made some more of my favorite bread the other day so I could make some eggplant toasts.  But I went with a teeny batard shape instead of the typical boule, and made my eggplant toasts more like a healthy variation on eggplant parmesan.  If you don't cook much eggplant, here's a good place to start.  Super simple and delicious.  And you'll fall in love with the perfect, buttery, creamy texture of eggplant.

baked eggplant parmesan toasts
serves 4

 2 large crusty rolls, cut in half lengthwise, like a hot dog bun
1/2 C homemade tomato sauce (I used diced tomatoes, but next time I think I'll use crushed, this was too chunky), or just some chopped up tomatoes with salt and pepper
super thin sliced red onions
4 oz mozzarella cheese, grated (if you have fresh mozzarella, you can freeze it to grate it)
1/2 globe eggplant, sliced about 1/2 inch thick.  You should have 8 slices.
2 slices of stale bread
1/4 C parsley
2~4 T grated Pecorino Romano cheese (or Parmigiano Reggiano)
2 eggs
1/2 C flour
salt and pepper
canola oil spray

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place a cooling rack on top.  Toast the stale bread slices in the toaster and let cool.
2. Beat the eggs in a shallow dish and set aside.  In another shallow dish, place the flour and season with salt and lots of pepper.
3. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the toasted bread, parsley, and Pecorino Romano cheese.  Place seasoned breadcrumbs in another shallow dish.
4. First dredge the eggplant slices in the seasoned flour, then dip in the egg mixture, letting the excess drip off, and then coat with the breadcrumbs.  Place them evenly spaced on the rack over the parchment lined baking sheet.  Spray lightly with canola oil spray.  Bake in the oven until the eggplants are cooked through completely and the crust is golden brown, 15~20 minutes.
5. Take the 2 tops and 2 bottoms of the loaves of bread, and place them on a baking sheet crust-side down.  Spread 2 tablespoon of sauce, place 2 slices of the eggplant, (and a little more sauce, if you like) then a tablespoon of grated mozzarella and pecorino cheeses, and the sliced red onions on top.  Place under the broiler for a few minutes (depending on your broiler--so keep an eye on it), until cheese is bubbling and browned.  Serve hot.

pizza pizza

I know, I know, I said I was going to eat Japanese food this week.  And I have, actually.  I've eaten at least 1 Japanese meal a day, sometimes 2 or 3, and I am feeling great!  Tonight had to be something simple and quick, though, and since I had dough in the fridge, I decided on healthy pizza.  We eat a lot of homemade pizza.  So tonight had to be a little different, so I tried my artisan bread dough for the pizza dough (fantastic idea and couldn't be simpler), and the toppings were fancy but very low maintenance.  And of course, delicious.  My kind of dinner.

For toppings I used sliced, sauteed cremini mushrooms, tiny pieces of eggplant, leeks, and the usual sauce and cheeses.  The crust was perfectly crisp.  It was really good.  What kind of pizza topping combinations do you like to try?

lunch

My cute husband came home early from work today, so we got to have lunch together.  I taught a class at church last night on artisan bread, and we made some varieties.  One was herb bread.  I'm not always a fan of herb bread.  It's usually so overpowering that I think it distracts from the meal instead of complimenting it.  So I made it really subtle.  But today for lunch, I decided to try using the leftovers for some good ol' grilled cheese sandwiches.  And oh my goodness, I wish I had a sound clip to share with you of the moment we bit into our sandwiches.  Unreal crunch!

So if you're needing some variety in your grilled cheese (not that you need to, it's such a classic!), try it with some flavored artisan bread.  And use olive oil instead of butter.  You'll get the most beautiful golden exterior with a perfect, perfect crunch.  And that subtle herby aroma is a really nice change without being too distracting.

a challenge

Since my cute cousin Eliza decided to challenge me to make some naan, I thought I'd better follow through.  And since I had leftovers from a huge pot of curry I made, there was no better time than today to try.

Naan is a special item for me.  When we were kids, my parents took us to this incredible Indian restaurant in Tokyo called Moti.  And I may have mentioned earlier on this blog that the owner's son went to the same school as my brother, so his mom taught my mom how to make their signature butter chicken curry.  And it became a family staple.  But one thing we never recreated was the naan.  It was this special Moti treat for me, and I seriously think I would eat several pieces whenever we went.  Indian curry is just better with naan.  Somehow chewy and crispy at the same time, smothered in ghee.  Love the stuff.  I know the method they're made is so unique to naan that I just never thought you could make it at home.  Not the way it should taste, anyway.  But boy, thanks to this book that I can't stop talking about, I made naan.  And not that store bought, dry, dense stuff.  No, no.  It was chewy and puffy in some parts and charred and crispy in others.  Perfectly how naan is supposed to be.  I even made some clarified butter, which was a little labor-intensive, but it made it perfect.  And the whole thing was so easy!  I don't think I can go back to naan-less Indian curry again.

you can find the recipe here.

if you can call them leftovers ...

When I made my cinnamon swirl brioche, I made 2 loaves so that we could have some french toast with the second loaf.  And I know, I keep saying I'm trying to lose weight and eating brioche is probably the stupidest thing I could be doing to reach that goal ... But it was a special weekend and I'll run it off this week.  Hopefully;)

If you're making French toast with a delicate sweet bread like brioche or challah, I recommend the America's Test Kitchen method, which is to toast the bread first.  I just put the slices on a cookie sheet, stuck them in a 250° F oven for a while until they got dried out and just barely crispy.  Flip them over, and do the same on the second side.  This worked out well because last time I tried to make French toast with brioche, the slices had a hard time holding up in the custard.  But these guys did awesome!  And they soaked in the custard perfectly and it was delightful.  I was a good girl, though, I only had one slice.

As for the custard, I think everyone has their own family/individual recipe.  I'd never made french toast until I was married (because it's my husband's absolute favorite) so I had to figure out a recipe I liked.  And I LOVE it.  What do you like to put into your custard?  Cinnamon?  Vanilla?  Nutmeg?  What's your egg:milk ratio?  Do you sweeten it?  Tell me, tell me!  I'd love to know how other people do it.

weekend breakfast

This weekend is a special weekend for my family.  Of course it's Easter, which is such an important day to celebrate the Atonement and Resurrection of our Savior.  Definitely one of my favorite holidays.  And as if that wasn't cool enough, our church is holding it's Semi-Annual General Conference.

It's a really important occasion for me, so I like to make it enjoyable for my family.  Especially for my kids who are still a little too young to appreciate it fully.  So I've planned a bunch of fun activities for my toddler, and of course I made a fantastic breakfast to start off our day.  I made my usual brioche recipe from my favorite bread book, but found this idea from their blog and decided to give it a go.  Mine didn't turn out looking quite as cool as hers (but she is, afterall, a CIA graduate, and a pastry chef, no less), but it did turn out beautifully.  And it was delicious!  I usually make cinnamon rolls, but this was a nice variation.  And this way, I can have my favorite savory breakfast foods like creamy eggs and perfect hash browns, while my cute husband gets his fill of sweet food.  Can't wait to make French toast with the leftovers tomorrow.

green dinner

We had a green dinner in celebration of St. Patrick's day.  I made roasted asparagus and broccoli in garlic infused oil, roasted Brussels sprouts with smoked turkey sausage and shallots, of course pesto with pasta, and my winner of the evening, green bread.  I just made our usual bread with green water I made by pureeing spinach and parsley and soaking it in water and straining the solids.  I ended up putting some of the solids in the dough because I thought it would add to the color, and I'm glad I did.  It had really little spinach flavor, if any, and was a fun naturally colored addition to the meal.

Did YOU make anything fun for your St. Patrick's day celebration?

 2 C Brussels sprouts, cleaned, stems removed, and cut in half

1 smoked turkey sausage, cut into quarters lengthwise, then cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 shallot, sliced medium

salt and pepper to taste (go light on the salt, the sausage has plenty)

2 T softened butter

1/2 T canola oil

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.  Toss all the ingredients in a 9 x 13 pan.  Make sure the vegetables are evenly coated in the butter.  Roast in the oven for 20~25 minutes, until caramelized and slightly crispy in some party.  Let cool slightly, serve warm.

Roasted Broccoli & Asparagus:

1 head of broccoli

1 lb asparagus

2 T olive oil

2 T canola oil

4~5 garlic cloves

salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 450° F.
2. Cut florets off of the broccoli, leaving about an inch to two of stem.  Cut them into pieces small enough to eat easily, but big enough that they don't char in the oven.  Trim the bottom of the asparagus about an inch or two.
3. In a small sauce pan, heat the oil and smashed garlic cloves over medium-low heat.  Once the garlic starts to sizzle a little and turn a golden-brown color, remove from heat and let cool slightly.
4. Place the vegetables on a large sheet pan in a single layer, and pour over the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Toss to coat.
5. Place in the oven and roast for 7~10 minutes, until tips are crispy and browned.

Basil & Hazelnut pesto:

(makes enough for 1 lb of pasta, with some leftover for toast!)

1/2 C basil leaves, removed from the stem

3 T parsley

1/3 C whole toasted (and peeled) hazelnuts

2 small or 1 large garlic clove

1 large shallot, cut into medium pieces

1/4 C extra virgin olive oil

3~4 T finely grated parmigiano reggiano or pecorino romano cheese

1. In the bowl of the food processor, pulse together the basil, parsley, nuts, garlic, shallot, salt and pepper until chopped fine.
2. With the spout open and the food processor turned to the on position, slowly pour in the olive oil until smooth.  If you need to, stop and scrape down the sides.  Add the cheese and stir to combine.  Serve with hot pasta.

Dessert.  I was too lazy to make anything, and this was really enticing for some reason.  And green:)

just another bread

Yup! Another bread from that book. This is the crusty white sandwich bread, and it might be my new favorite because it's SO simple! And it crackles when you pull it out of the oven! And after baking 2 loaves of brioche and 2 loaves of this crusty white bread (I've been in a carb crazy mood ... that and I'm hoping I'll be gone for a couple of days while my cute friend Deanna comes to visit and watch my girl for me, so I wanted our kitchen to be prepared for her), my house smells amazing! I love bread.

"qu'ils mangent de la brioche"

Apparently that's a quote from Marie Anoinette saying "Let them have brioche".

I've been so into baking these days, thanks to my Christmas gift from my in-laws, and I finally ventured out of the standard boule recipe and made brioche this morning. And it was heaven. There was a huge crack down the middle that I'm planning on working on, but other than that, it was PERFECT! And so simple! Who knew such a rich, decadent bread could be so easy? Seriously, people, you need to go out and get this book!

If you've never had brioche, go out to a fancy bakery and buy some. And then come home and try to recreate it with this recipe. You won't be disappointed. These people are geniuses!
I know it looks like a lemon pound cake or something in this picture, but the flavors are so much more complex than that! And it's not cakey. Ahhhh, brioche! I just want to squeal knowing I can have brioche almost whenever I want now.

my first book review/recommendation

My very generous in-laws bought me this fascinating book for Christmas:
And this is what resulted:Isn't it gorgeous? I'd give you the recipe, but since it's more of a concept book, I'm going to have to tell you to just go out and either borrow it from your library or buy it. It's SO ridiculously easy, and gives you amazing results. So this is my first cook book review. And it is definitely a positive one. They're not kidding when they say 5 minutes a day. Of course including baking and resting time it's a lot longer, but you really only put in probably less than 5 minutes of hands-on work a day. And it's a no-knead method, so you can't even really call it work. And with this basic method, you can make a boule, baguette, ciabatta, bâtard, couronne, pain d'epi!, and basically whatever you can dream of. Those are just the ones I'm the most excited to create. We had leftover Christmas roast beef sandwiches on this bread for lunch today, and I just melted. It was too good to really have come out of MY oven!

Reading through this book can seem a little dry, though, so be warned. It's a lot of language (fascinating language, but a lot of it), and very few pictures. But this concept really needs a lot of explanation, so it's justified. And I'm the kind of person that loves to just sit and read cookbooks from cover to cover, so I have to admit I had a lot of fun studying it.

If you love good, crusty, chewy, delicious artisan bread (and who doesn't?), I highly recommend this book to you!

more bread

I've always said I'm decent at cooking, but I don't do bread. And living here can be a little sad sometimes (when it comes to bread) because there aren't too many places to buy good artisan bread. Actually I can't think of anywhere. Maybe I haven't looked hard enough ... I got pretty good at making bread machine bread;), and Irish soda bread, but that isn't a yeast bread so I feel like it doesn't count. And then my sister came to visit when my daughter was born and taught me how to make my aunt Carolyn's perfect rolls. I can't seem to get them quite like either of them do, but they're still amazing, so I'm not complaining. But that experience made me realize that (some) bread isn't as intimidating as I always thought. So I started researching breads, and for Christmas I'm getting myself a new bread book.

Anyway, in the midst of all of this, I discovered a French bread recipe I wanted to try. It was so easy and amazingly puffy and chewy and delicious! And it took me maybe a total of 2 hours, start to finish. Now, if you're a purist and you like the traditional "real" French bread with a super crispy crust and an airy interior, call it something other than French bread and make it for your family. But if you don't experience the joy of real French bread too often, and your definition of it is an oblong loaf with slits cut on top, this will be your new favorite recipe and you'll never want to buy a loaf at Walmart again!

But someday I will learn to make "real" French bread. And ciabatta. And brioche. And croissants. And foccacia. (Not the wannabe that I made, but the real thing) And all sorts of beautiful, more famously temperamental breads.

But for now, this Americanized French bread works perfectly for me. I'm going to try it with 25% whole wheat flour today. Hopefully that turns out:)

fluffy, chewy, easy French loaf
makes 2 large or 4 small loaves
2 T active dry yeast
2 T granulated sugar
1 T salt
3 C warm water
2 T butter (softened) or oil
8 C flour

egg wash:
1 egg white
2 T water

1. Place the first 5 ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and stir until combined. Switch to the dough hook attachment and add flour. Knead until elastic.
2. Let dough rise for 10 minutes, punch down and let mix for a few seconds. Repeat this 5 times (50 minutes).
3. Shape the dough into 2 rectangles (or 4, if you're making 4 smaller loaves) and roll up into a log shape. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and let rise to double in size. Brush with the egg wash and with a very sharp knife, cut 3~4 diagonal slits on the top.
   
4. Bake at 400°F for about 15 minutes (less if you're making the smaller loaves, of course). The bread is done when golden brown.

Keep in mind that the bread will flatten a bit if you eat it right out of the oven. So if you want it to maintain it's shape, let it cool a little bit. If you don't care (and why should you? Fresh bread is so worth it!), eat it right out of the oven with butter. Or even better, honey butter!

easy focaccia

We eat a lot of bread here. And that's why I am so glad I bought my bread machine a couple of years ago for Christmas. Last night I made some creamy chicken noodle soup, and I wanted a good, flavorful bread to go with it, so all I did was make my simple pizza dough recipe, added a head of roasted garlic into the dough, and when it was done, I kneaded in another head of whole cloves of garlic and a little herbes de provence (less then a 1/4 t--don't ever overdo it with dried herbs!). Then, I stretched it out carefully onto a parchment lined baking sheet, dimpled it all over, and doused it in extra virgin olive oil, baked it in a 375° F oven for about 15 minutes, and we devoured it! It was such a dense, moist bread. And so easy if you have a bread machine to do half of the work for you. You gotta try it out! I LOVE BREAD!

mmmmm

I know I talk about this bread a lot, but I make it all the time! It's so chewy and crispy and dense and delicious! I make it often without the herbs, and that turns out fantastic. Well, this time I did something different, and LOVED it! I grated a good 1/2 C of Pana Granado cheese (Parmiggiano Reggiano, Asiago, Pecorino Romano, or any hard Italian cheese will work great!), put about 1/4 C of it in the dough, and dumped the rest of it on top of the bread, after cutting the "x". It was so cheesy and rich and tasty. Next time you make bread, try it out:)

something went horribly wrong ...

I love my bread machine. I throw in the ingredients, and I wake up (several times a night since I'm pregnant) to the smell of beautiful, fresh baked bread. And Ella and I have delicious hot bread with our breakfast. I do love making one of my favorite breads and of course my genius Aunt Carolyn's rolls, but sometimes you just can't beat the convenience of a bread machine. And I have a good one. My sister did her research and I just copied her. Well, the other day I awoke to this:
So I guess this is where it's definitely better to make it by hand. You know when to stop kneading. And the bread machine just didn't seem to get it. So it was sad morning for cold cereal for me and the baby.

good ol' sunday dinner repeat

For dinner on Sunday, I made a roasted chicken with root vegetables and my favorite bread. Even my little sweetie couldn't wait for dinner.
The only difference was that this time I only brushed about 2 tablespoons of melted butter on top of the chicken and seasoned it with salt and pepper. it was amazing! (And please ignore the fact that for some reason ... probably my pregnant brain ... I roasted the chicken upside down)

so much better homemade

Have you ever had a homemade bagel? Or one from a really good quality baked-right-there bakery? It's so not the same as those dense, dried out (but somehow still amazingly delicious) store-bought ones. They're rich and chewy and need no toasting (but still love a little time under the heat) to taste incredible. Well, I was grocery shopping with my dear friend Lori the other day, and she was talking about how much she loves bagels and cream cheese. I was tempted to buy some right then and there when she was talking about them, but I didn't and totally regretted it when I got home. But then I remembered my mom making homemade bagels when I was a kid and knew the store-bought ones just wouldn't do. So I went on a search of bagel recipes and discovered that I could make the dough in bread machine, and that cuts out half the work! Genius. So I went to work, and when they were done, I ate ... 4. And one more when Blake got home. Oops! But seriously, you MUST try them! So easy to make, especially if you have a bread machine, and SO WORTH IT!

Home made plain bagels
makes 6
3/4 C warm water (about 110°)
2 C and 2 T bread flour
1/2 T salt
1.5 T sugar
1 T active dry yeast

large pot full of water, for boiling
1 T sugar

1. In the bowl of a bread machine, put in dough ingredients in the order written, making a well for the yeast (making sure the yeast doesn't touch any water). Set to dough setting and let the machine do it's work!
2. Once the dough is done, pull it out and on a lightly floured surface, cut into 6 equal pieces. Form each one into a ball, and them shape into a bagel shape. I figured out that the easiest way to do this, actually, is to poke a hole with a chopstick and then twirl it on the chopstick until it stretches out a bit. But do it how you want:)
3. Set all 6 formed bagels aside, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 20 minutes.
4. When the 20 minutes is almost up, bring the pot of water to a boil, and add sugar until it dissolves. Turn the heat down to a simmer. Add bagels, upside down, and simmer for 3 minutes. Flip over and cook for another 3 minutes. Place on a cooling rack over a towel to let drain. Repeat with the remaining 3.
5. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F (240°C). Line up the bagels on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake for 25~30 minutes, rotating halfway, or until golden brown on top. Let cool slightly before serving. Or let cool completely and store in a zipper-lock bag for a only a few days.
   

*To make asiago or parmesan ones, when you pull out the bagels to rotate them (after about 15 minutes of baking), sprinkle a generous amount of grated cheese on top, place back in the oven and continue baking. Those are super good, too!

sunday dinner {insert contented sigh}

For Sunday dinner this week, I decided to make my sister's pot roast. Delish, fall-apart roast beef that you just can't beat. Ahhh, thanks, Lis, for teaching me how to cook a good roast.

Slow-cooker pot roast
1 2.5~3.5lb roast
3 medium sized carrots, peeled (or scrubbed really well) and cut diagonally into 1 inch pieces
2~3 medium sized potatoes (I prefer the waxy yukon gold potatoes, but I used russet today and it was ok. Just doesn't cook as well), peeled and cut into 1.5~2 inch chunks
1 large onion, peeled and cut in half and then into quarters
3 cloves garlic, peeled and ends trimmed
1 can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
oil (such as canola or olive) to coat the pan for searing the meat

1. Pat the roast dry of any excess moisture on the surface with a paper towel. (Otherwise it won't brown) Season it generously on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until slightly smoking. Add the roast and sear the meat on all sides.
2. Toss all the ingredients in the bowl of a slow-cooker, set to low and let cook for 6~8 hours. The longer the more tender your meat will be. The meat should just fall apart so don't bother slicing when you serve it.

I was planning on making my aunt Carolyn's famous dinner rolls, but alas, I was too lazy. But we needed bread with our roast, so I remembered a fancy and easy looking bread recipe by Pastor Ryan on The Pioneer Woman's blog, and thought I'd give it a try. I've noticed that it's kinda trendy to bake bread in an enameled cast iron pot, so it was time I joined the cool foodie club, right? Anyway, I gotta tell you, this was the easiest bread I've ever made. And super fast and very low-maintenance. And SO DELICIOUS! Honestly, I thought it would turn out more like Irish Soda bread, but it was chewy and dense and aromatic and PERFECT! The crust was super crusty, but really yummy. Not distractingly crusty at all. Honestly, if you have a cast iron pot, you have to try this. And if you don't, go buy one. You deserve to have one of the most important kitchen items anyway.

mother's day feast

For Mother's Day, my sweet husband got up early and made me a beautiful breakfast in bed. I thought Just in case any of you wanted to learn how to make some of these things, I would show you so you can treat someone to breakfast in bed, too!

Eggs en Cocotte
makes 4
4 eggs
2 t minced fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1 t freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (optional)

4 small ramekins
1 9x13 inch baking pan

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Fill a kettle or small pot with about 2~3 C water and bring to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, crack one egg in each ramekin. Sprinkle each with a little salt and pepper, and divide the parsley and cheese (if using) evenly between each egg.
3. Place the filled ramekins into the 9x13 inch baking pan, leaving plenty of space in between each ramekin and the sides of the baking pan. Once the water has come to a boil and the oven is preheated, place the pan in the oven, and pour the boiling water into the pan, about 1/2 up the sides of the ramekins.
4. Bake for 15~18 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs. Remember, the eggs keep cooking once you take them out of the oven, so don't leave them in any longer, even if they look a little underdone after 18 minutes.

Greek Yogurt
Either you could buy one of these, for $5Or make it yourself with one of these for $2You'll need a fine mesh strainer, a deep bowl, and coffee filters. Place three coffee filters in the fine mesh strainer, suspended over the bowl like this:Then pour in your yogurt.Let that sit in the fridge for a few hours, and you'll be amazed at how thick and creamy it is! And it's FAT FREE! (IF you use fat free yogurt, of course) Of course, discard the water that collects in the bottom of the bowl, then you can transfer your new Greek yogurt into a container and keep it in the fridge.

Serve it with fresh fruit and honey, and you'll be so glad you did!

My recipe for Shrimp Scampi can be found here.

Garlic bread
4 T butter, softened
3~5 cloves garlic (to your liking), minced
fresh parsley, minced (optional)
1 loaf of good quality chewy dense bread such as Ciabatta

1. Preheat the oven to 300°. Slice the bread to a desired thickness.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic and butter. Butter each slice on both sides with a little of the garlic butter. Sprinkle with parsley, if using. Cover the loaf generously with foil, and place in the oven until completely warmed through. Serve warm.
   

Improvising

Last week we had a couple of friends over for Christmas Eve dinner. I was on the phone around the time I knew I needed to start on the rolls, so I attempted to get them started while talking ... and ... they looked weird when they came out of the oven. So I ate one and realized I forgot to add the salt! So, I had to start all over again, and thankfully, things turned ok. But I felt like it was such a waste to throw away these rolls, so I let them dry out a little for a couple of days and froze them, thinking maybe I'll make croutons or panzanella with them. But today I suddenly felt inspired to make some savory bread pudding for dinner, and I'm so glad I did! And I still have plenty for some croutons for later. Anyway, this recipe will work really well with some left over dinner rolls from all of your festivities, or use some day old bread from the store. I liked it with the dinner rolls because it was a nice combination of slightly sweet and salty. If you're going to buy bread at the store, I recommend croissants or a nice hearty crusty bread like ciabatta or french. Or, if you happened to have messed up your Aunts beautiful dinner roll recipe, feel free to use those, too. Don't throw them out. It's too much of a waste to throw away bread that you used over 7 C of flour on ... But maybe I'm the only idiot that forgets to add salt to rolls.

Savory Bread Pudding
serves 6~85 large eggs
2 C milk
1/2 C heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste (I had to use a little extra salt because the bread was tasteless ...)
1 t fresh rosemary, chopped fine
4~5 day old dinner rolls, cut in half or into big pieces
1 C freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
3 strips of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, salt, pepper, rosemary, and cheeses, until combined.
2. In a small skillet, cook the bacon until crispy. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.
   
3. In a 9x13 baking dish (or I used a 7x11 or 2.2 qt baking dish), place the bread in a single layer, equally spread out. Spread the bacon around evenly. Pour the egg and cheese mixture on top, and with a fork or spoon, gently press down on the bread to make sure the eggs get absorbed.
4. Bake in a 350° oven for 40~50 minutes until the eggs are set and the top is browned.