No Tea After 12 // Parmesan Parsley Casserole Bread

Parmesan Parsley Casserole Bread

posted in, Bread on Sunday, March 14, 2010

There are three things I remember cooking with my Dad as a kid...popcorn (every Friday night), Apple Pie (more than most people would) and THIS bread. OK, there's four things I remember cooking but I didn't really think microwaved cheesy flour tortilla rolls counted as cooking per se, so let's stick with three.

I'm not sure why I remember this bread so clearly, it must be one of those deeply rooted subconscious things that stick with you for life, but still the details remain fuzzy. I have absolutely no idea where this recipe came from and I don't even really remember what prompted us to first make this. But as I am frequently reminded that I am my Father's Daughter I have to put it down to the fact that I could eat cheese and bread at ever meal and Dad is the same, so I'm guessing it had something to do with that. Dad if you're reading this, please feel free to enlighten us! However, I do remember clearly that once we discovered how good it was we made it many, many times together.

Now...onto the bread. Oh the bread. It is beyond easy, requires no kneading, comes out of the oven golden crusted and soft inside and it slices like a pie. It is really the perfect thing to make when you are entertaining guests as it is best served warm from the oven, and your guests will think you are domestic goddess supreme, whilst you snigger smugly from the kitchen knowing it took you all of 20 minutes to put together. I like a bit of smug sniggering.

I used half white, half wholewheat flour for this reincarnation and it gave the bread a subtle nutty flavor and slightly crumblier texture that what I remember it to be, so I may try it with all white flour next time just to see if it is exactly as I remember it. But that said, it still invoked great memories of my childhood and even though I am many miles away from home, it made me feel a little bit closer to my Dad. The parsley gives it a little burst of garden freshness, and I bet you could swap it out for fresh dill, or rosemary and it would be just divine. I also think you could probably get away with a lot of different types of cheese, although I would probably steer away from anything too heavy as it might change the texture of the bread quite dramatically. I think something like pecorino romano would be utterly fantastic. You probably have everything you need to make it right now, so off you go.

Parmesan Parsley Casserole Bread

For the bread:
2 1/4 teaspoons fast-acting dried yeast
1/4 cup / 60ml lukewarm water
3/4 cup / 75g plain white flour, sifted
3/4 cup / 75g whole wheat bread flour, sifted
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup / 75g butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup / 60ml lukewarm milk
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup / 90 - 130g parmesan cheese (more is better, obviously)
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley

Butter an 8-inch cake pan.

In a small bowl, stir the yeast into the lukewarm water to dissolve. In a large bowl, combine sifted flour, sugar and salt. With a pastry cutter, blend the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse sand. Add the egg, yeast mixture and lukewarm milk and beat the mixture well. It should start to come away from the sides, but it will not be like a 'regular' bread dough so don't panic if it does not behave the way you think it should. Stir in the cheese and parsley, and make sure you have an even consistency in the dough.

Plop that dough right into the already prepared pan, cover it with a bit of oiled plastic and a damp cloth over the plastic, leave it a warm place to rise until doubled. I left mine for 2 hours and it was perfect. While you wait, you could watch this movie. Bring kleenex.

Once risen, dot the loaf with little pats of butter. Heat the oven to 375f / 190c and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until just golden brown and a tester comes out clean. Let it cool for a few minutes, if you can. Slice it and serve to your lucky guests. Or eat it all yourself, I probably would.

Makes 6 to 8 slices, depending on how generous you are feeling.

Over to you....

Hey! This sounds delicious and I’d love to try it, but I think the recipe text got a little mixed up, so it’s not showing how much yeast to use. How much is required? Thanks!

Hey Dani thanks so much for getting in touch! We just moved the site to a new design and are still working out a few kinks…I’ve fixed it now. Thanks for letting me know! :) Happy bread making!

This looks awesome. My girlfiends and i chose “yeast” as our ingredient of the week this week - so this gave me some inspiration to get going on a recipe!