Savory Bread Braid

This summer, I decided to grow a few of my own fresh herbs on our little apartment patio. I chose just a few, the ones I knew I'd use the most: chives, cilantro, basil, rosemary, and mint.

It has been delightful to harvest and use my own herbs in my kitchen this summer. I love to make my own fresh salsa, so the cilantro is perfect for that.

I recently used basil in this delicious and easy recipe for a bread braid. It turns out so pretty! And it's really easy to switch up the ingredients you use in the bread.

I got this recipe from my Gooseberry Patch Cookbook:

Ingredients:

1 can of refrigerated bread dough

1/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

3 T. chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 T. unsalted butter

flour for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Roll the bread dough out flat on a lightly floured surface. Melt the butter, then brush onto the bread. Sprinkle the sun dried tomatoes, basil, and cheese evenly over the bread.

Slice the bread dough into three even sections.

Roll each section up to make a "rope."

Braid the ropes together.
{The sections tend to unroll a bit as you braid, but don't worry.}

Place bread onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 17 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve warm. Enjoy!

The first time I made this recipe, I tried the variation with garlic and Parmesan cheese:
1-1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t. garlic powder
2 T. fresh chives or green onions, chopped
2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
{melt butter over medium heat in a small skillet. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds or until golden. Remove from heat, stir in garlic powder. Brush this onto the rolled out bread and sprinkle with chives/onions and cheese. Make into braid as instructed above.}
*This was good, but my kitchen reeked of garlic afterwards! It was seriously overwhelming!*

I'm sure I'll also try the other two variations the cookbook suggests. In one, I'll use rosemary, crispy crumbled bacon and blue cheese crumbles. The other--cinnamon, diced apples and cheddar cheese.