breads and the like

There are several lower G. I. bread loaves on the market, but very few lower G. I. pizza crusts or flat breads. So if you want to make your own, here are some ideas.

Bisquick Garlic Bread ♯

Tucked away in a blind spot under my desk, revealed only by a necessitated move of the desk for recarpeting purposes, I found this tiny scrap of paper entitled “Bisquick Garlic Bread”. It appeared to be in my handwriting and I guessed it was written some time in the 1970s. Its directions were terse and incomplete, but promised an easy method for making a very tasty favorite meal accompaniment. In the recipe below, I have elaborated the instructions to more clearly define the contents and method of preparation. I have also taken license to emend the ingredients so as to better fit my current dietary guidelines; you may reinstate the easily discernible original ones to yield the prototype formula.

  • 2 cups Lower G. I. baking mix†
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ cup cold <butter>
  • ½ tsp leaf oregano
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon <salt>
  • ½ cup milk
  • ¼ cup X*
  • 2 tbsp <butter>
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp parsley flakes

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Combine baking mix with baking powder and cold <butter> in a medium bowl. In this case it is better to use <butter> that is firm when refrigerated. Using a pastry cutter or a large fork, cut the <butter> into the baking mix, but do not over mix, as there should be small chunks of <butter> throughout that are about the size of peas. Add the oregano, cheeses, garlic powder, and mix in well. Add the milk and X and mix by hand until just combined, but don’t over mix.

Grease a 9”×5” loaf pan with butter spray and turn the batter into the pan. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until lightly browned. Meanwhile, zap the remaining <butter> in a small microwavable container until melted, then stir in the remaining garlic powder and parsley. When the bread is done, remove the pan from oven and generously brush on the garlic <butter>. Cool 15 minutes before slicing.