Sometimes I am inspired to make certain foods in the kitchen and on other occasions they haunt me at every turn. I was recently following a diet as I had a special event coming up. During that time it felt like every TV show or movie that I watched, someone was eating garlic bread. Every time garlic bread came on my television it was in a different form. Some were thick slices of bread with light shavings of garlic on top, others were thin slices but drenched in oil and garlic. Whatever it was, it was testing me. I could see by the looks of the people on TV that it was delicious. I am not sure if they were incredible actors or just a lucky cast but that food looked like it was enjoyed immensely.
Now that my event is finished I am embracing garlic bread in my life again in every way that I can. I had bolognese last week with baguettes of buttery garlic bread that I couldn’t stop tearing pieces from. This week though I wanted to try something different. We had purchased some nice steaks from the butcher and I was intending on making some fries to go with them, but the garlic bread addiction was still calling me. I considered a garlic sauce for the steak but it would not be enough. I needed garlic bread.
I decided to create garlic bread fries and it worked out a treat. This is something I know I will return to again and again and I would love to share the recipe with you on the chance that it may bring you as much joy as it brought me.
To make these beautiful fries you will need 6 tablespoons of olive oil, 2.75 cups of flour, 0.75 instant flour, 3 teaspoons of salt, 1.5 teaspoons of oregano, 0.25 cups of parmesan (shredded), and around 4 cloves of garlic (but feel free to increase if you are as obsessed as I am).
Put 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Stir the remaining oil, flour, yeast, and salt as well as 1.5 cups of warm water in a bowl. Mix for 90 seconds in a mixer (medium speed) to make a soft dough, then put it in the pan. Put a drop of olive oil on your hands and start to spread the dough. Cover it with plastic and put it somewhere warm for an hour.
Next, get your oven heating to around 200 degrees celsius. Mix your cheese, herbs, and salt together, and sprinkle it over your flattened dough. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. To make it into fries you will need a little more olive oil, salt, garlic powder, cheese, and parsley.
Cut your bread into the size of fries. Mix your oil, salt, and garlic together and brush it gently over your now baked focaccia bread. Sprinkle the cheese on top and press it into the bread to make it stay. Use an air fryer to cook the fries for 6 minutes, shaking twice during. Once they are finished throw them in a bowl and add a sprinkle of parsley. Serve with whatever condiment you like or a glass of wine.
These fries are so good you may want to double the portion listed above to make enough for tomorrow as well. If these don’t satisfy your craving for garlic treats then I am afraid nothing will. There is room to play with these fries as well. You could add some chili or cajun spice to give them a different flavor entirely. Have some fun with them.
