bread

The Best Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

I’ve searched for the best homemade cinnamon roll recipe forever. Perfectly fluffy and slathered with a buttery cream cheese frosting, this is it.

The BEST Cinnamon Rolls Ever

Finding the best homemade cinnamon roll recipe has been my mission for more years than I can count on two hands.

Strike that.

Finding the best homemade cinnamon roll recipe and actually making it, now THAT is what has been my mission for that number of years.

I’ve Pinned hundreds of recipes on Pinterest, and liked all of them on Facebook. I’ve torn out every recipe from every magazine that’s shared cinnamon rolls deemed fit to bake. And it seems that just about every week of Friday Faves has one more recipe for the perfect cinnamon roll included in it.

Not that I’ve ever made any of them.

For some reason, the notion of baking homemade cinnamon rolls has always intimidated me. I blame it on my childhood. That’s when my early cinnamon roll baking adventures relied on using the pre-made dough from the can that came out of the oven tasting like they’d been baked 3 days before and then quickly turned into 5-day-old rolls as soon as they cooled.

It ruined the notion of cinnamon rolls for me until I had a REAL cinnamon roll from a true blue bakery and realized just how many light and fluffy pillows from cinnamon and brown sugar slathered with glaze bundles of heaven I’d been missing out on all those years.

Now THOSE rolls are the ones I want to bake. The homemade cinnamon rolls I want to be known for. The rolls that when family and friends take one bite they blissfully roll their eyes in satisfaction as they slowly absorb each sweet, flaky bite, and then look to one another in agreement and say, “Heidi makes THE BEST cinnamon rolls.”

And now, I have that recipe.

continue to the recipe… about The Best Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

How to Make Homemade Croutons

Nobody’s going to give you the side-eye if you buy a bag from the grocery store, but homemade croutons are so quick and easy to make, they’re totally worth making from scratch instead.

Homemade garlic croutons. They’re the crunchy toppers I crave for my fave tomato basil soup, and an essential part of every classic Caesar salad. And let’s face it, what kid doesn’t pick out all of the croutons from their dinner salad before they even touch the greens? Okay, and a whole bunch of adults too.

Grocery store or salad bar croutons can be dry, hard nuggets that could nearly break a tooth with each bite. But this homemade crouton recipe makes soft on the inside, crisp on the outside flavor crunches with each cube of bread bit bites.

Making croutons at home is super easy to do and takes only about 15 minutes to bake a batch. Baking them in the oven is the easiest way to cook them, but I’m sharing how to make them on the stove top as well. Add your own favorite seasonings and spices—garlic and herb is my favorite—and you’ll find yourself making these bread bites all of the time, too.

continue to the recipe… about How to Make Homemade Croutons

Cheddar and Jalapeño Skillet Cornbread

Crispy on the bottom but moist on the inside, this easy jalapeño cornbread is kicked up with jalapeños, creamed corn, cheddar cheese and green onions, and is a family favorite.

Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread Recipe

You know how they say owners start to resemble their dogs (as evidenced here)? I think the same thing may be happening to me, but with the food I eat.

Spicy and sweet…Yep, that’s me. Crispy on the outside but soft on the inside…Sure, I’ll admit to that. And, why yes, I do melt every time I come into contact with butter.

Just like the food I like to eat, I’m a contradiction in terms.

I’ve become a spicy-sweet, crispy on the outside but soft on the inside, better-with-butter humanoid version of…cornbread.

So does this mean I need to turn my bed into a cast iron skillet?

My mother-in-law, Pat, is a master at Southern cooking. As a little girl growing up in Arkansas and the second to youngest of 7 children, she would ask her her mom if she could help her cook but her mom was too busy putting from scratch food on the table for the large family to become a teacher too. “It was just easier for mother to do it herself,” so my MIL was more often shushed off to set the table instead.

But Pat paid attention. She watched. She learned from the sidelines. And she took those lessons through life to develop her own cooking style.

The other night Pat made this jalapeño cornbread recipe for us. Unlike her mother, Pat is happy to share her how to’s in the kitchen, even when I ask a million questions and sometimes interject a few ideas of my own.

But Pat takes it all in stride. She knows her way is the best way, and her way always starts in true Southern form.continue to the recipe… about Cheddar and Jalapeño Skillet Cornbread

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

This double chocolate zucchini bread is the best of both worlds: healthy thanks to zucchini and a true chocolate craving cure with a double dose of cocoa and chocolate chips.

Ah September, the most bountiful month of the year, you are my favorite one of all.

I literally can’t even think of going into my neighborhood grocery or taking a stroll though the local farmers market without being stopped in my tracks by the fruits of summer’s labor. And I mean literally stopped because there’s no way I’m going to pass up samples of fresh local peaches and perfectly ripe, juicy watermelon. It makes enduring August’s inevitable round of late summer heat waves totally bearable.

Of course you know fruit isn’t the only seasonal bounty out there come harvest time. How dare we even think of leaving out the veggies in our seasonal haul. And if you’re a home gardener, you’re very likely up to your earlobes in everyone’s favorite grow at home varietal: the mighty zucchini.

One of the most obvious recipes that puts zucchini to work is everyone’s favorite: zucchini bread. And as will happen with classics like this, everyone has their favorite. I did too. Until I tried this one, and now I am not ashamed to say, I’ve totally jumped ship. Sorry mom, your recipe is no longer the favorite child. (Even though I know I still am.)

I can’t take credit for this double chocolate zucchini bread recipe because a far more talented baker created it well before blogs were even a twinkle in the world wide web’s eye. Before blogging (thank you www.com) Letty of Letty’s Kitchen was the Executive Pastry Chef at Deer Valley Resort for more than 30 years.

If you’ve yet to visit Deer Valley, you are missing out on some of the most amazing desserts you’ll ever taste. And most of those are desserts Letty created or had a hand in (and a spoon, and a whisk and probably a whole lot of finger that she licked) and were published in the cookbook The Chocolate Snowball: and Other Fabulous Pastries from Deer Valley Bakery featuring some of Letty’s and Deer Valley’s signature sweet eats.

I’ve been a huge fan of Letty’s skills for years and so of course I had to buy her cookbook, and I haven’t stopped baking from it since the day Amazon dropped it on my doorstep. Because these recipes were created for a ski resort, each one has high altitude adaptations for home cooks like me.

continue to the recipe… about Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Blueberry Oatmeal Quick Bread

This incredibly easy blueberry bread gets an added dose of healthy with the addition of Greek yogurt and oats, making it an even better option than banana bread or blueberry muffins.

This quick bread recipe is a favorite I originally shared back in 2013. Lately I’ve been making it over and over again—it’s that perfect food gift for welcoming the new baby (hello, baby Max!) or saying hello to new neighbors. So while I was at it, I took new photos to share again here.

This oatmeal blueberry bread recipe came about after standing at the kitchen counter one day with a half dozen super ripe bananas, swatting my husband’s headed-to-the-garbage-can-hands in an attempt to quell their discarded fate.

I knew by the super sweet smell and the mooshy touch—not to mention Smudge’s squinched up expression each time she passed them by thanks to their rather unattractive state—that I’d be lucky to squeeze even one more day in before my opportunity to make banana bread would be gone. And just like that, it was.

That’s when blueberries came to my quick bread rescue, for a quick bread worthy of any breakfast, brunch, or treat.continue to the recipe… about Blueberry Oatmeal Quick Bread

Easy Instant Pot Monkey Bread

This easy pull-apart bread starts with frozen dinner rolls that rise overnight and are then baked in the Instant Pot pressure cooker for a sweet and fast cinnamon sugared breakfast or brunch treat.

I’m not sure who made up the name for this sweet, sticky pull-apart bread, but whoever did nailed it on the head. Because just like monkeys who are known to pick, pick, pick at their favorite things, this cinnamon, brown sugar, and pecan-laced monkey bread is the perfect sweet breakfast or brunch finger food.

This overnight monkey bread is made with frozen yeast dinner rolls so be sure to plan ahead and allow time for the rolls to rise overnight.

The unique part of this recipe is that instead of being baked in the oven, this monkey bread is baked in the Instant Pot pressure cooker. Yes! You can bake in the Instant Pot, and successfully do so too.

The other part of this recipe I love so much is the “balls” of the monkey bread are cut in half before baking to make smaller bites, ensuring that every single nugget is lathered in that classic sticky, cinnamon and brown sugar goodness.

Half the size means you can enjoy them all year long, whether it’s Christmas breakfasst, or New Years brunch, or any time you’re craving that sweet treat any monkey would put his hat on and dance for.continue to the recipe… about Easy Instant Pot Monkey Bread

Cranberry and Walnut Stuffing

This simple turkey stuffing recipe is studded with dried cranberries, walnuts, celery, and onions, and scented with a mix of fresh herbs, for an easy and comforting addition to your Thanksgiving table.

The Best Turkey Stuffing Recipe

Every year, the holiday season begs for taking note of all things nostalgic. From shopping mall Christmas Santas to familiar family stories, reminiscing and relishing the familiar sights, sounds and smells of the holidays goes hand in hand with the season itself.

While the destination of where we gather changes from year to year, being with those we love is always the centerpiece of our holiday table. Family is that one essential ingredient that makes the holidays the special occassions that they are: familiar but in so many ways, brand new.

But sometimes, traditions are begging to be broken, and sometimes you just need to bust out of the same old and put a new spin on things.

continue to the recipe… about Cranberry and Walnut Stuffing

Avocado Toast with Tomato and Hard Boiled Egg

Healthful, nutritious, and filling, this avocado toast with hard boiled egg is an easy to assemble open faced sandwich ready for eating on the go.

Are you over the “put an egg on it” movement yet? I know. Me neither. It seems like it’s the mantra for making any favorite recipe a little harder to resist.

It’s the most popular way to sexy things up. Simply top whatever you’re making with a golden drippy yellow yolk that oozes down the edges of whatever it’s topping and BAM! You have one Instgrammable dish. I’m certainly a fan of the egg drip over anything and everything, but it can be a bit of a mess, and far from being hand-held fare.

To make my egg topped avocado toast a little less napkin-needy, I’ve taken to topping it with the simple but mighty hard boiled egg. And this time around, this egg gets a shave. continue to the recipe… about Avocado Toast with Tomato and Hard Boiled Egg

German Chocolate Banana Bread

My favorite banana bread recipe gets a nutty chocolate chunk upgrade, making this quick bread a dessert lovers dream.

To say I have a fetish with German Chocolate anything and everything is a severe understatement. Proof in the chocolate pudding is right here.

I could try and blame it on my German heritage, but let’s just say it like it is: I am a load-it-up-with-all-the-nuts-chocolate lover and I have no willpower when this flavor-bomb combo is in sight. I mean, have you ever had Baskin Robbins German Chocolate Cake ice cream?

Has chocolate ever been considered a part of our DNA? Apparently so! Who-da thunk that someone (not me) was likely to investigate?

My favorite part of this banana bread is all the additional fixins, but the secret is what lies under the toppings, and proof that beauty is more than skin deep.

continue to the recipe… about German Chocolate Banana Bread

Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Bread

Garlicky chunks of bread are mixed with cream cheese, spinach, and artichoke hearts, then stuffed back into the shell and baked for a show-stopping appetizer everyone will want seconds of!

This post is in partnership with Arla USA

Like so many of my favorite recipes, I keep the originals in my tattered, over stuffed, recipe book I bought when we were first married. It’s filled with the hand-written recipes I’ve discovered have been handed down to me by my mom and grandmothers or shared with me by friends.

This is a variation of one of those special recipes. Its title in my much-better-penmanship-then-than-now-because-all-I-do-is-type is Mark’s Yummy Bread. Mark was the post college boyfriend of one of my besties. He and Julie aka Flash (whose nickname came about because she is so smart and such a thinker she is the opposite of fast) made this stuffed cheese bread for us at a friend party we hosted at our house. Ironically, about a year later, Mark actually bought that house from us. Apparently, we really know how to throw a house party.

And now, even more years later, we still talk about this bread. You could say it became legendary.continue to the recipe… about Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Bread

Greek-Style Panzanella Bread Salad Recipe

This simple, healthy Tuscan bread salad recipe gets a Mediterranean makeover with the addition of kalamata olives, roasted red bell pepper, capers and feta cheese.

This post is in partnership with McCormick.

The first time I heard the word “panzanella”, I thought it was a dessert.

I mean, doesn’t it sound like something fabulously decadent you could only find in a European bakery with those cute little tables sitting outside on the sidewalk? Made by a chef in a white toque (fyi, that’s what they call those Chef Boyardee hats) with mounds of sugar, the sweetest butter and the flakiest crust, intended to be nibbled slowly through the afternoon side by side to a steaming cup of the most perfectly poured espresso?

Yeah, I was so wrong.

Panzanella is a traditional Tuscan salad made with the summer’s juiciest tomatoes, and get this: day-old, definitely-not-soft, hearty bread. Since our family is a family of bread dippers, the addition of bread in this salad makes it really popular—no additional dipping required.

To switch things up from the traditional Tuscan way this salad is prepared, I added a few Mediterranean-inspired flavors to our usual bread salad mix.

Yeah, and this time, I am so right.continue to the recipe… about Greek-Style Panzanella Bread Salad Recipe

Caprese Avocado Toast Plus 10 Avocado Toasts You’ll Love Forever

Cottage cheese subs in for mozzarella in this healthy and simple avocado toast that’s perfect for a favorite breakfast, lunch and snack, plus 10 more toasts to try.

Does the world really, Really, REALLY need another avocado recipe post?

Likely, not.

I mean, the recipe isn’t really even as much a recipe as it is a formula. Toast. Avocado. Extra stuff you put on top depending upon your cravings and whatever is in the fridge.

And flaky salt. Always flaky salt.

But when I made my breakfast the other day and stopped myself mid-bite to get a snap of it for Instagram, realized that this hum-drum and routine breakfast for me is indeed a blog-worthy recipe/formula to share.

Because often those routine recipes are usually the best. Even if they’ve already cycled through the trend scene.

continue to the recipe… about Caprese Avocado Toast Plus 10 Avocado Toasts You’ll Love Forever

Lemon Poppyseed Bread with Cranberries

This easy to make lemon poppyseed quick bread is studded with cranberries, and uses creamy Greek yogurt to add flavor and extra protein to each sweet slice.

This post is brought to you by Fleishmann’s® Simply Homemade® because sometimes a little shortcut in the kitchen is just what you need.

Picture this. Or rather, smell this.

The wafting scent that hits you when you stride through the front door.

Something’s baking in the oven. Something slightly sweet. Something in need of a slather of butter.

Something you didn’t have to spend the morning, afternoon or evening slaving over. But still smells—and tastes—like you did.

continue to the recipe… about Lemon Poppyseed Bread with Cranberries

Farro, Butternut Squash, Sausage and Dried Cherry Stuffing

Farro, a healthy whole grain, adds a nutty bite to stuffing’s traditional flavors with sausage, butternut squash and sage with a sweet taste of dried cherries.

This post and its bountiful Thanksgiving flavors is sponsored by Jones Dairy Farm.

At my house it’s called stuffing.

Drunk with chicken stock, brimming with celery, onion, and butter, and perfumed with sage, this bread concoction is always cooked in the bird and comes out supremely moist. Yes, I did say “moist.” Moist. Moist. Moist. It’s how I prefer my stuffing.

At your house you may refer to it as dressing.

To me dressing delivers a dryer bite. Something maybe even a little crunchy. A bit more austere, perhaps even a little stark.

Not like my beloved stuffing. It’s my favorite part of the feast.continue to the recipe… about Farro, Butternut Squash, Sausage and Dried Cherry Stuffing

French Onion Cheese Bread

Onions. You either love ‘em or leave ‘em. I’ve always been a fan of melty, gooey cheese with a side of soup so of course my French Onion Soup recipe is my downright, most craveable shhhlurp.

So when I was assigned with coming up with a craveable appetizer recipe, I set my sights on an alteration of caramelized onions, cheese and bread.

They are the three main food groups, right?

While I clearly have a love for the hearty broth that my caramelly onions usually swim in, this time around I left the idea of soup to its own devices in my favorite tortellini soup recipe.

This time, the onions topped crusty halved pieces of melty white cheese topped french bread. The melted cheese pulled from nose to nose ala Lady and the Tramp, with plenty of crunching in between.

continue to the recipe… about French Onion Cheese Bread

Smoked Mozzarella Pizza Bread and Friday Faves

There may be a war breaking out around here soon. I’m not talking about a world war, just a war at my house.

It doesn’t center around who’s done or didn’t do the dishes or who wouldn’t just get out of the car to ask for directions or even who took the last piece of my Smoked Mozzarella Pizza Bread.

No, this is a serious one. And it’s sort of my fault. But maaayyybe, by design.

I’d been threatening to do it for about a year thanks to the dirth of boringness that appeared before my eyeballs. And finally it happened.

A few months ago we cancelled our Direct TV. Okay, they disconnected it.

See, ‘someone’ rented a movie and since I have all of the bills on autopay and my husband gets the email notifications because we don’t get paper statements (because we’re oh-so ‘green’ like that), and I was out of town and wasn’t missing the TV so didn’t really pay heed to his requests to get the dang bill paid, a running tally of about $8 bucks caused our traditional viewing habits to bite the dust.

No more Today Show with their pseudo journalism and fakey friendships to wake up to. No more late night bantering back at the TV with Dave. And no more Food Network or Real Housewives. Since that was about the extent of my television viewing habits, especially given the lameness that is produced and titled “Must Watch Summer TV”, we decided we’d rather not.

continue to the recipe… about Smoked Mozzarella Pizza Bread and Friday Faves

Grilled Caprese Skewers

Summer grill time certainly shouldn’t be limited to meats and burgers, bring on the tomatoes and sturdy halloumi or bread cheese for my Grilled Caprese Skewers.

“Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren’t very new after all.”

~ Abraham Lincoln

and

“We are all feeding from each other, all the time, every day.”

~ Dave Eggers, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

I’m not usually one to pepper my blog with inspirational quotes from famous/infamous people. And you absolutely won’t see me write, “According to Webster’s dictionary…” when I’m stumped on how to introduce a post, when the creative juices simply aren’t flowing. It’s just kind of the cheater way out in my opinion, but hey, I’m not judging. And besides, doesn’t everyone use Wikipedia now?

But for the reasons I have today, I thought these quotes fell into the appropriate category because they indeed describe the lack of originality, or at least the increasing commonality, of how recipes come about and how they’re shared.

I mean, how many different ways, really, are there to cook a burger or make a classic chicken divan casserole? And what about pound cake? Prime example of how ingredients can’t be copyrighted. It’s all in how you describe the process that makes it your own.

It’s one reason why this summer I’ve been posting more basic recipes, favorite recipes, because it’s summer and I for one am craving a little simplicity. Let’s blame it on the heat.

continue to the recipe… about Grilled Caprese Skewers

12 Traditional Christmas Recipes

We’re on the final countdown. Just days away from a twinkle in his eye, a squinch of the nose, scarf up those cookies and up the chimney he goes.

As a young kid, I spent every Christmas Eve at my aunt Marilyn and Uncle Tom’s house where I would gorge myself on those pastel hard candy covered licorices as I tracked the jolly old elf’s progress toward our home, hoping against hope he’d find me and my sister all nestled in our single set beds. I was glued to the radio, (this was pre-NORAD ) raptly listening to the DJ’s talk of the man in the red suit fighting his way through the clouds toward the twinkling lights of my little old Utah neighborhood.

Later in my teens we moved the party to Grandma and Grandpa’s house, where everyone was greeted by Grandma’ MJ’s coveted ceramic lit Christmas tree holiding court in the foyer, her collection of Avon holiday plates nestled in evergreens and boughs artfully adorning the mantle, and where I would gather the younger cousins in front of the fire to read to the younger kids from Grandma MJ’s coveted edition of The Santa Claus Book.

As Grandma and Grandpa grew older we moved the party to Aunt Jill and Uncle Ben’s, where I spent most of my time either helping dish out Aunt Jill’s famous lasagna or arm wrestling my studly football playing boy cousins—and beating them—while reciting every word from my all-time favorite Christmas movie.

continue to the recipe… about 12 Traditional Christmas Recipes

6 Back to School Easy Breakfasts Plus a Frog In the Hole

Back to school is hard. And the end of summer is even harder.

So when the two collide in a how-can-it-be-over-I-want-summer-back flurry of a.m. activity because nobody is back on an appropriate school time sleep schedule, breakfast takes a back seat for too many school-bound families.

In my search to find some new breakfast routines that don’t include commercial, big-brand sugar cereals with way too loud of packaging for the early hour, I find myself gravitating to a go-to favorite breakfast my husband introduced to me just a few years ago. How in the world did I survive my adolescence without this breakfast?

Frog In the hole. Yup, that’s the name, don’t wear it out.

Odd name it may be, but easy it most definitely is. By choosing a whole grain bread that provides a long-wearing carbo load, protein packed eggs and the finish of cheese just because, and a bit of fresh fruit, it’s a healthy, power-packed breakfast that’ll keep my 7-year-old’s brain churning ’til lunch.

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

4.67 from 6 votes

Frog In the Hole

This kid friendly egg and cheese breakfast Recipe

Ingredients

1 slice whole wheat bread I like my local brand Grandma's Sprouted Wheat
2 eggs
1 tsp butter
1-2 T shredded cheese

Instructions

Heat a fry pan on medium and spray with cooking spray and 1 tsp of butter. With the rim of a water glass or biscuit cutter, cut out the center of a slice of whole wheat bread. Place bread slice and remaining round in fry pan and crack 2 eggs in center of holed-out bread. Place a lid over the pan and cook for 2 minutes or so. As eggs set and whites become cooked, flip bread and egg with turner, also turning bread round. Add shredded cheese to top of egg and bread, cover to cook and melt until eggs are cooked as desired. Serve with fresh fruit. For the adults, I serve with Chohula or salsa and sour cream for a little kick.

Need a few more ideas for make ahead or easy a.m. recipes? These will get you through the morning and are as easy as putting on a fresh cup of joe.

photo > Family Fresh Cooking

Entice the kids with Family Fresh Cooking‘s sweet Berries and Goat Cheese Mini Pizza, a recipe that brainwashes the young-uns into thinking they’re eating dessert for breakfast. Pick up a pre-made pizza dough (Marla likes Trader Joe’s Pizza Dough) then go with a mild goat cheese—or a more potent flavor if your kids aren’t picky—and choose your own fruit and nut combo to keep them happy.

photo > Framed Cooks

Simplify your morning but still get mom (and dad) star points? Yes! Thanks to Framed Cooks maple-ey on-the-go version of the good old stand-by French Toast, Kate’s French Toast Muffins are perfect to make the night before and toss to the kids as they sprint out the door.

photo > What’s Gaby Cooking

Clear out the veggie crisper and bake ahead the night before so that the next morning you’re ready to warm up What’s Gaby Cooking‘s Petite Vegetable Frittatas in the microwave for a minute and toss to the kids as they bolt out of the door. This recipe would also be great in a ham and cheddar cheese variety for a meat lovers option.

photo > Ingredients, Inc.

Ingredients, Inc. is full of healthy and delicious recipes. And with peaches coming into their peak season, Alison’s Fresh Peach-Pecan Muffins are no exception thanks to healthy whole-wheat flour giving kids a dose of good carbs that they’ll never see coming, pecans packing the protein and good fats (yes parents, you can eat them too, and keep your cholesterol in check) and the peaches, well, the peaches are just plain tasty and sweet.

photo > Mountain Mama Cooks

Super easy and quick to bake while still finding your morning coffee, Kelley uses store-bought puff pastry, milk chocolate bars and almond paste to keep her kids morning breakfast sweet and simple with Mountain Mama Cooks Chocolate Croissants Cheater Style .

photo > Taste Food

I’m a sucker for the thick, tarty flavor of Greek yogurt, and Lynda’s easy breakfast of Yogurt, Plum and Granola Parfait is another supreme example of a make-ahead-becomes-breakfast-in-a-minute recipe. I’m betting Taste Food‘s spiced plum compote could easily be adapted to showcase any stone fruit like spring’s apricots or fall’s peaches.And a side note, Maria is receiving some great holiday cookie submissions from our foodie blogger friends and can’t wait to showcase them in our upcoming Winter Issue, and we’d love to see yours. Submit your holiday cookie by September 1 and share your sweetness with the world.

Thanks for reading. If you liked this post, please subscribe to foodiecrush and follow me on twitter, Facebook and Pinterest

BLT Panzanella Plus 5 New Spins on Panzanella

Tomatoes, vinegar, pucker. I’m craving salty and fresh. And maybe a little smokey. But not your typical light-lunch salad, something with some girth.

I’m thinking summertime and fresh tomatoes, and that crusty bread from my new favorite find at the farmer’s market. I’m calling for summertime panzanella.

But not the typical panzanella, I’m creating a version of my summertime favorite sandwich, the BLT. A hipped-up version of the traditional BLT— with smokey thick pancetta, spicy arugula and a few sour notes from pickled capers. And of course I have to add in some crunchy cucumbers to satiate my husband’s salad desires.

Here’s my new fav version, and then try some of the spins on the classic below.

0 from 0 votes

BLT Panzanella

Ingredients

4 medium tomatoes chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large cucumber seeded and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
3 cups arugula
2 T capers
1/2 lb pancetta cubed
2 cloves garlic
3 cups day-old crusty white bread french or ciabatta, cubed
3 T olive oil
2 T champagne or red wine vinegar
1/4 cup basil slivered
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumber, capers, basil and arugula.
Over medium heat, brown pancetta in a frying pan. Remove pancetta from pan and retain 2 T of rendered fat. Smash garlic cloves and place in frying pan with pancetta fat, cook for 3 minutes until garlic is lightly browned. Remove from pan and discard. Add cubed bread to pancetta fat, mix and lightly toast. When toasted, add bread and pancetta tomato mixture. Mix olive oil and vinegar until emulsified, add salt and pepper to taste and dress. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts

BLT Panzanella

Amount Per Serving (6 g)

Calories 0

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

photo > Five and Spice

Five and Spice‘s heartier Winter Panzanella brings together beets, kale, squash and apple tossed with a maple-mustard-balsamic vinaigrette and with Emily’s addition of cubed smokey mozzarella, it’s a super satisfying meatless main meal.

photo > The Other Side of 50

This recipe is one that just might make me want to give brussels sprouts another try. Topped with an apple vinaigrette, The Other Side of 50‘s tangy combo of radicchio and brussels sprouts is crisped up with salty bacon bites and crunchy, herby croutons in Panettone Panzanella with Bacon and Brussels Sprouts

photo > The Hazel Bloom

Karen’s love for tomatoes and mozzarella inspired this twist on panzanella with The Hazel Bloom‘s Caprese Panzanella , a basic ingredient list that lets the veggies, bread and balsamic shine. Or as she calls it “non-soggy nirvana in a bowl.”

photo > Happy Yolks

Contrasting the sturdier ingredients most often found in panzanella, Happy Yolks Spring Panzanella brings a more delicate flavor to the dish with the likes of leeks, peas and fennel thanks to Kelsey & Shaun’s healthy and fresh CSA box.

Thanks for reading. If you liked this post, please subscribe to foodiecrush and follow me on twitterand Facebook and Pinterest

The Best Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

The BEST Cinnamon Rolls Ever

How to Make Homemade Croutons

Cheddar and Jalapeño Skillet Cornbread

Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread Recipe

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Blueberry Oatmeal Quick Bread

Easy Instant Pot Monkey Bread

Cranberry and Walnut Stuffing

The Best Turkey Stuffing Recipe

Avocado Toast with Tomato and Hard Boiled Egg

German Chocolate Banana Bread

Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Bread

Greek-Style Panzanella Bread Salad Recipe

Caprese Avocado Toast Plus 10 Avocado Toasts You’ll Love Forever

Lemon Poppyseed Bread with Cranberries

Farro, Butternut Squash, Sausage and Dried Cherry Stuffing

French Onion Cheese Bread

Smoked Mozzarella Pizza Bread and Friday Faves

Grilled Caprese Skewers

12 Traditional Christmas Recipes

6 Back to School Easy Breakfasts Plus a Frog In the Hole

Frog In the Hole

Ingredients

Instructions

BLT Panzanella Plus 5 New Spins on Panzanella

BLT Panzanella

Ingredients

Instructions

How to Make the Best Potato Salad

How to Make Classic Macaroni Salad

How to Make the Best Grilled Salmon

My Mom’s Homemade Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

bread

The BEST Cinnamon Rolls Ever

Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread Recipe

The Best Turkey Stuffing Recipe

Frog In the Hole

Ingredients

Instructions

BLT Panzanella

Ingredients

Instructions

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5 Quick and Healthy No-Sweat Simple Meals