QUICK ROASTED GARLIC BREAD
Lately I’ve noticed a lot of recipes using cottage cheese in bread and cake batters to lighten the dish. I thought I’d give it a shot and try a quick bread. The only thing that really takes much time is waiting for the garlic to roast. Other than that, you can have fresh bread in less than 30 minutes. Full disclosure—this is more like a naan style bread rather than a fluffy risen bread. It’s great to use for sandwiches, as a base for spreads or as a side dish for soups and stews. Also, you can add in scallions or grated cheese—get creative with it!
INGREDIENTS (makes 8, 3” rounds)
1 head of garlic
1 cup cottage cheese
1¼ cup flour, plus a few teaspoons for handling dough
1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon ice water
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
PREPARATION
Preheat over to 400 degress.
Chop the head of garlic in half. Place on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle olive oil over the halves. Close aluminum foil around the garlic and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
Allow garlic to cool. Squeeze the cloves away from the skin and discard the skin. In a small bowl, mash the garlic cloves with a fork.
In a large bowl, combine 3 tablespoons of the mashed garlic (save the rest for other dishes), cottage cheese, one cup of flour, chives, salt and ice water. Using your hands, combine until it begins to form a cohesive dough. If it’s too sticky, add the remaining ¼ cup of flour and knead until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Divide into 8 pieces. Roll each piece and then flatten into a 3” round. (NOTE: You want to keep your hands floured to keep the dough from sticking. Also, I like to use a 3” cookie cutter to keep the shape even, but you can do it just using your hands. And of course, if you want to make them bigger, just divide dough into 4 pieces.)
Heat olive oil in a large grill pan or skillet. Place dough roughs down and cook for 3-4 minutes each side. (You might only be able to fit 4 at a time depending on the size of your grill pan or skillet.)
Serve while hot.