One of the first cookbooks I ever owned was The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook by Zoe Coulson. It was published in 1980, and I was living in a student apartment in Knoxville, Tennessee. My father bought the cookbook for me so I wouldn't starve. He especially liked the fact that it is illustrated throughout and has color photos of all the dishes in a handy index in the front. While some of those jello molds and noodle ring dishes look a little dated today, it is still a good all-purpose cookbook.
When our daughter moved into her own student apartment, I passed the cookbook on to her. I didn't think I would miss it, but I did. Every now and then, I'd think, if only I still had the recipe for this or that. Then last year, I was helping clean out my husband's uncle's house and, lo and behold, there was the same cookbook buried in a drawer. I quickly put it in the keep pile.
So this time, when that "if only" thought hit me, I had the recipe. And this time it was fondue bread that crept into my brain. I hadn't made it in years. In fact, I don't think my kids had ever had it, but over Easter weekend, I had a yen for fondue bread. I made it for a late breakfast along with free-range fried eggs and fresh fruit.
This is a very hearty and cheesy bread. I reduced the amount of cheese from the original recipe. The original calls for two pounds of cheese! I used about one and three-quarter pounds, but you could reduce it to one and a half and still have plenty of cheese. The cookbook classifies this bread an entree; you might think of it as a baked cheese sandwich.
This is also a fairly easy bread for people who are not experienced with yeast breads. It doesn't have to rise; it only "rests" a couple of times. If you are using yeast for the first time, be warned -- the temperature of the liquids is important. Use a thermometer to make sure you do not overheat your liquid ingredients. Overly hot liquid will kill the yeast.
Fondue has had a resurgence of popularity in recent years. Maybe it's time for fondue bread to make a comeback, too!
Printable recipe
When our daughter moved into her own student apartment, I passed the cookbook on to her. I didn't think I would miss it, but I did. Every now and then, I'd think, if only I still had the recipe for this or that. Then last year, I was helping clean out my husband's uncle's house and, lo and behold, there was the same cookbook buried in a drawer. I quickly put it in the keep pile.
So this time, when that "if only" thought hit me, I had the recipe. And this time it was fondue bread that crept into my brain. I hadn't made it in years. In fact, I don't think my kids had ever had it, but over Easter weekend, I had a yen for fondue bread. I made it for a late breakfast along with free-range fried eggs and fresh fruit.
This is a very hearty and cheesy bread. I reduced the amount of cheese from the original recipe. The original calls for two pounds of cheese! I used about one and three-quarter pounds, but you could reduce it to one and a half and still have plenty of cheese. The cookbook classifies this bread an entree; you might think of it as a baked cheese sandwich.
This is also a fairly easy bread for people who are not experienced with yeast breads. It doesn't have to rise; it only "rests" a couple of times. If you are using yeast for the first time, be warned -- the temperature of the liquids is important. Use a thermometer to make sure you do not overheat your liquid ingredients. Overly hot liquid will kill the yeast.
Fondue has had a resurgence of popularity in recent years. Maybe it's time for fondue bread to make a comeback, too!
Printable recipe
