"Why don't you make a bread everyone can enjoy?"

August 31, 2011 6:05 AM

Salty, nutty, sweet bread recipes?

I have made this bread a few times and I LOVE it. My partner, however, hates pretty much everything about blue cheese. He's tried it in a few different ways, and he just flat out does not like it.

I'm no cheese expert, so my question is twofold: Is there an adequate substitute for blue cheese in this recipe? And can you suggest any other delicious combinations that satisfy the glorious salty/pungent, nutty, sweet flavour triad in 'stuffed' bread form?

posted by torisaur to Food & Drink (6 answers total)

You could easily substitute goat cheese, sure. Anything with a little barnyard-y tang would be fine. You could also just leave it out and make your own blue cheese spread for your slices. Or make two smaller boules, one with and one without.
posted by bcwinters at 6:49 AM on August 31, 2011

Maybe cheddar + apricots + pecans?

Also:
- figs/cranberries + walnuts/pecans + goat cheese/brie
- cheddar + walnuts + apples

Sounds delicious!
posted by rebekah at 7:19 AM on August 31, 2011

When replacing ingredients in recipes, it's often helpful to break down what the ingredients add to the recipe - rather than asking "what's a good replacement for blue cheese?", it's a little more helpful to ask "what does blue cheese bring to this particular bread?" My guess is that it contributes, 1. Saltiness, 2. Pungency, and 3. Fattiness. So you want something which will lend a roughly-equal quantity of salt, savory flavor-tasticness and nice, fatty mouth-feel.

If you want to stick with dairy, any relatively-pungent cheese which is high in fat would probably do nicely - a good chevre, maybe? HOWEVER, if you want to get all flagrantly creative, I think some crispy crumbled pancetta would also deliver what you need.
posted by julthumbscrew at 8:02 AM on August 31, 2011

Oh, or you could REALLY shake stuff up and do a bacon, prune, walnut and sage bread!
posted by julthumbscrew at 8:04 AM on August 31, 2011

Feta? If you have a mideastern food store nearby they'll probably have a variety to taste, so you can find one that isn't too pungent for your husband. (I'm only suggesting that because the category of "feta" is so variable and there are some quite sheepy ones, as well as ones that have little to recommend them, e.g. Trader Joe's.) But a good one should be wonderful in that recipe. I like the cheddar suggestion too.
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:19 AM on August 31, 2011

i cannot stop singing the praises of artichoke olive biscuit bread. i riffed on this last week and used the basic recipe, but instead of the asiago, artichokes, and olives, i used sausage (fried & drained), fresh chopped jalapenos, and cheddar cheese, both grated and cubed. also threw in some small cubes of pepperjack for good measure.

this refried bean/monteray jack stuffed bread is also wonderful, and lends itself well to experimentation on the stuffing ingredients.
posted by msconduct at 10:57 AM on September 29, 2011