In December 2010, my mom and I took a mother-daughter vacation in Europe. We took advantage of Christmas break to tour four European countries in the span of two weeks.
We started our adventure in Italy, starting in historic Rome and made our way to Venice and Florence, where we splurged on Italian leather, gelato and espresso. Then we spent some time in Switzerland, mainly Lugano, and Lucerne where we spent Christmas Eve and reveled in Swiss breads, cheese and chocolates. We made our way through the snowy Swiss Alps to Paris, where we spent magical nights at the Eiffel Tower and the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. From Paris, we took the Eurostar to London. We extended our stay to spend New Year’s Eve in Westminster to watch the fireworks on the Thames with the backdrop of the London Eye. It was one of the best vacations I’ve taken. Aside from the historic wonders of each location, we were given the opportunity to try specialty foods in each of the four countries.
Since our trip, we’ve been longing for some of the most delicious delicacies—gelato, croissants, sausage and fondue, Afternoon Tea and Swiss bread, just to name a few. Honestly, we’ve been obsessed with finding Swiss Zopf bread – a soft, savory, buttery, knotted loaf best eaten with cheese. It is by far the best bread I’ve tasted – and I love my bread.
Lucky for us, we discovered The Swiss Bakery where we were able to find it! The Bakery was holding an Oktoberfest on Saturday; the perfect time to do a little discovering. There was live music, tastings and lots of cheese! Let’s just say, we bought more than just Zopf.
Because I got really excited about the bread, I decided to use it in my party loaf. You can use any kind of bread for this recipe. The Party Loaf is perfect as a game day appetizer, an addition to your brunch table or a snack, since it’s an easy pull-apart bread.
Ingredients
- 1 Bread loaf, about 12 inches long (I used Zopf, but you can use Italian or sourdough)
- 1 stick Salted Butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 3 Green Onions, chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1oz Cheddar Cheese, slices or sticks, but into 1 inch pieces
- 1oz Mozzarella Cheese, slices or sticks, but into 1 inch pieces
- 7 slices Turkey Bacon, cooked and chopped into 1 inch pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- In a small bowl, mix the melted butter, olive oil and garlic.
- Cut the bread into cubes with X slices without cutting all the way through the bottom crust.
- Pour the butter-onion garlic mixture into the soft part of the bread using a spoon.
- Fill the cracks with Turkey bacon and cheese.
- Wrap the loaf with aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes
- Remove from oven and remove the foil then bake for another 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
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