BEACH BREAD is a famous garlic cheesy bread at waterfront restaurants on the Southwest Gulf Coast in Florida. This cheesy garlic bread is AMPED UP with a secret ingredient!! Serve it as an appetizer, hot and cheesy, or at room temp for lunch, or as a beach snack.
Looking for a classic cheesy garlic bread? Try my Epic Stuffed Garlic Bread recipe!
Beach Bread is the Ultimate Cheesy Bread!
We’ve all had a version cheesy garlic bread at one point or another. I mean topping garlic bread with cheese is an obvious and delicious move.
When I saw some one talking about Beach Bread on facebook a few weeks ago with a picture of a delicious looking baguette topped with gooey cheese, small diced tomatoes and loads of garlic, I was intrigued! Why was it called Beach Bread and what made it different?
Of course I inquired, tested the recipe a few times, made it my own and am now sharing with you guys…because I am going to guess that most of you, like me, have never heard of Beach Bread either!
What Exactly IS Beach Bread?
So apparently “Beach Bread” is an appetizer made popular at the oceanfront restaurants on the Southwest Gulf Coast in Florida.
It’s essentially cheesy garlic bread with a secret ingredient, which is…BLUE CHEESE DRESSING. And wait before I lose a few of you who don’t love blue cheese. I GET it! But honestly do NOT worry…you can’t really taste it! It just adds a creamy, amazing depth of flavor to the bread, that if no one tells you there is blue cheese involved you would never guess. Trust me on this!
What you do is spread a thin layer of blue cheese dressing on the bread on top of a layer of butter before topping it off with all the cheese. This adds a creamy, rich, flavor packed layer that can set it apart from the average garlic bread. When I heard this I KNEW I had to try it.
I’ve made this a few times to get the right amounts of each ingredient, so the blue cheese flavor isn’t really detectable, but just adds a little something extra. Plus the perfect proportions of garlic, butter, diced tomatoes, and cheese make this super indulgent and unique.
Ingredients You Will Need:
- Bread. Obviously. I prefer using a chewy, crusty French Baguette, but you could also use a more doughy bread like Italian too!
- Butter. Make sure it’s room temperature so it makes it easy to spread.
- Garlic Powder. You could also use fresh, minced garlic if you prefer.
- Blue Cheese Dressing. You can use a more chunk dressing or a smooth. Or you could even use extra blue cheese crumbles.
- Tomatoes. Dice them up small, or you could even switch it up and use slices!
- Mozzarella cheese. You could use a cheese blend here too. I’ve made it with a combo of cheddar and mozzarella and it was great!
- Chopped parsley. This is more of a garnish to make it visually appealing, but it also adds a freshness! You can use dried parsley or leave it off entirely. You could even use chives or green onions too!
- Salt and pepper to taste.
How To Make Beach Bread…
This is such an easy recipe. It only takes about 10 minutes to assemble and another 1 minutes to bake. And absolutely you can make this ahead and bake it right before you’re ready to serve it!
- Split the French baguette in half, so you have two equal halves.
- Spread each half the butter and sprinkle evenly with garlic powder. If you’re using fresh garlic, I like to mix the butter and garlic together and then spread that on. This distributes the garlic the best.
- Then spread the blue cheese dressing evenly on each half on top fo the butter and then sprinkle the tomatoes on top.
- Cover the bread with the mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with parsley.
- Season with salt and pepper as you would like and then bake at 425°F for 10-15 minutes.
- I like to serve it immediately.
What If You Don’t Like Blue Cheese?
Totally get this question because blue cheese is one of those things that people feel very strongly about.
I will say, with the recipe, the way I have written it, is the perfect amount of blue cheese. It’s enough that it adds a depth of flavor, but not enough that if you didn’t know it was blue cheese, you probably couldn’t guess what that extra flavor was.
BUT if I still haven’t convinced you…USE RANCH! It won’t be quite the same, but it will still be good!
Looking For More Appetizer Recipes? Try These:
Description:
The ultimate cheesy bread with a secret ingredient that makes it extra flavor packed!
Ingredients:
- 1 (12-14- ounce) French baguette
- 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/3 cup blue cheese dressing
- 1/2 cup diced tomato
- 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Split the French baguette in half.
- Spread each half with 3- tablespoons of butter and sprinkle evenly with garlic powder.
- Spread the blue cheese dressing evenly on each half and add the diced tomato on top.
- Cover the bread with the mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with parsley.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and edges are golden and crisp.
- Slice and serve.
Notes:
If you baguette is very soft, or if using another type of bread, like Italian, I recommend following steps 1-3 and toasting the bread lightly on top before adding the blue cheese dressing. This will keep the bread from getting soggy.
Keywords:: cookies and cups, garlic bread, beach bread, baguette, bread recipe, side dish
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