Aperitif Bread

Recipe in video

Hey foodies,

This week, I'm sharing another savoury recipe with you. :o)

Your guests will love this aperitif treat! Every time I make this "aperitif bread" with onions, bacon, herb butter and sun-dried tomatoes, it gets devoured in record time.

Here is the recipe for an adjustable loaf tin (30 cm long):

Bread dough

- 5g dry yeast (or 30g fresh yeast)

- 200g lukewarm water

- 1 pinch of sugar

- 400g flour (spelt)

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 35g olive oil

Herb butter

- 80g butter

- 1 clove of garlic

- 1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence

- 1 tbsp mustard

- Pepper

- juice of half a lime

Topping

- 1 onion

- 135g sun-dried tomatoes

- 135g bacon

Bread dough

We'll start by making the bread dough, as it needs time to rise (rest).

Weigh 200g of lukewarm water in a measuring jug. Add 5g of dry yeast (or 30g of fresh yeast). Use a precision scale spoon to be accurate with your measurements. Finally, add a pinch of sugar.

Using a whisk, mix the 3 ingredients together and let them rise for about 15 min.

In a mixing bowl, pour 1/2 tsp of salt, 35g of olive oil and the water/yeast/sugar mixture.

Add 400g of flour (I used spelt flour) and knead everything for 15-20 minutes at speed 3 to obtain a smooth dough.

After 5 minutes test your dough by taking a piece and trying to stretch it.

If a thin skin forms as in photo N°1, the dough has been kneaded enough. If the dough tears and is not elastic, you need to knead it more.

Once the dough has the right texture, place it in another previously floured bowl.

Cover your dough with a damp cloth and let it rise at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes.

Herb butter

While the dough rests, we'll prepare the herb butter.

To do so, beat 80g of soft butter until it becomes fluffy.

Then add 1 clove of pressed or chopped garlic, 1 tsp of Herbes de Provence mix, 1 tbsp of mustard, pepper and the juice of half a lime. Mix everything together for a few seconds with a whisk.

For the garlic, you can either finely chop it with a knife or use a garlic press. It's up to your taste ;)

Little tip: If you love herb butter on your meats, double the recipe. You can put half of the mixture in a piping bag with a star nozzle and pipe small rosettes. The next time you grill a nice piece of meat, you'll have your homemade herb butter ready — and it can be frozen ;).

Topping and finishing

For the topping, I cut into small pieces 1 onion, 135g of sun-dried tomatoes and 135g of bacon.

Prepare the loaf tin by setting it to 30 cm long and spray it with a non-stick baking spray.

Flour your work surface and place your bread dough on it. This way it won't stick to your work surface.

Roll out your dough into a rectangle the size of a baking sheet (about 35 x 45 cm) using a large rolling pin.

Then spread the herb butter over the dough using a large offset spatula.

Spread the bacon, onions and sun-dried tomatoes over the dough and press them gently into it.

Cut the dough with a pizza cutter into 5 strips (the width of the loaf tin) and fold each strip accordion-style.

Place each piece into the greased tin until all the folded strips are in the tin.

If it's not perfectly folded, don't worry. And don't be concerned if the dough sticks a little. It may not look great before baking, but after baking it's perfect. :o)

Preheat your oven to 230°C, top/bottom heat.

Note: We recommend placing your tin on a baking sheet rather than directly on the oven rack so that the butter doesn't drip all over your oven (since the tin is adjustable and therefore not airtight).

While your oven heats up, let your aperitif bread rise for about 20-30 minutes at room temperature. No need to cover it.

Then bake your aperitif bread for 15 minutes at 230°C with top/bottom heat. Reduce the temperature to 200°C and continue baking for an additional 20-25 minutes.

Your aperitif bread should be nicely golden. Remove it from the oven and let it cool a little before unmoulding.

I love eating it while it's still warm, but whether warm or cold, it's delicious!

There you go! Your aperitif bread is ready to eat :o) It's the perfect occasion to invite your loved ones for an aperitif ;)

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I and the entire Cakelicious team do! I can tell you it won't stay on the table for long ;)

By the way, you can also change the topping with whatever you like: olives for a Mediterranean version, or why not go Mexican with corn and chorizo. Let your imagination run wild ;)

Have a great Sunday!

Jenny

P.S.: All the equipment used can be found at the bottom of the recipe.