Bread Hack

Guys, I have been KILLING it (at home) with this grilled bread and infused oil situation. I cannot believe this never occurred to me before. It’s the easiest way to serve delicious bread as an appetizer or snack. My sons have been gobbling up grilled slices of fresh bread, and dipping them in flavored olive oil. If I was hosting a meal of any sort, a pile of beautifully lined, artisanal bread on a rustic or chic platter, served with good oil and balsamic, would be my go to. All the serving pieces seen here were from Bed Bath (trivets and oil dispenser), Crate and Barrel, and CB2. Tons of super inexpensive options everywhere.
Since there are so few ingredients here, namely the bread and oil, I suggest splurging on quality. I love a crusty sourdough loaf from Balthazar. I buy it sliced. Your favorite good olive oil, some fresh rosemary, and fresh garlic are all that’s needed. The most important piece here is the cooking tool. My Calphalon ridged griddle with the weighted top, yields perfectly lined slices. Both the ridges and weight are needed to achieve those fab grill marks. You can put this together in minutes. If you’re opting for flavored oil, that gets assembled (again, minutes) about a week prior. It’ll last for weeks. Note the Snapple bottle I used to make mine. Any glass, pourable container should work. I’ll pour it into the white oil dispenser to serve, using a funnel if needed.

Ingredients:
A good, sliced artisanal bread (I like a round shape)
Good olive oil
Balsamic vinegar, if desired
Three large sprigs of fresh Rosemary, preferably dried
Three cloves peeled garlic

If flavoring the oil, a week in advance, pour a cup and a half of oil into a glass bottle. Add the rosemary and garlic. Close tightly and let sit to absorb flavors. If not using flavored oil, no advance prep needed. Heat the dry griddle over medium high heat. When hot, place two or three slices of bread and cover with the weighted lid. Let crisp up for just a minute or two. Flip and repeat. Serve as many slices as needed alongside dipping bowls of oil and balsamic. Garnish with some fresh rosemary leaves.