Easy Recipe: French Bread Spreads

One of the easiest and simplest ways to fancy-up a dinner is to make a French Bread Spread. Start with a loaf of French bread and add toppings to fit your taste, your meal, and your budget. All of the spreads are simple to make and you probably have these ingredients already in your pantry!

Are you expecting company? French Bread Spreads make up fast and easy. Do you have leftover French bread from dinner last night? Consider making one of the sweeter toppings and spreading it to create a breakfast treat.

Make your own fresh French bread or buy it at the grocery bakery. Using multi-grain bread will give a wholesome and nutty twist to these recipes. I prefer the taste of butter to margarine but you can use margarine if you choose.

Here's how to do it: The directions are very simple and easy. Preheat the oven to 350^o. Slice a loaf of French bread without slicing all the way to the bottom. Stir the seasonings listed into softened (not melted) butter. Gently spread the slices one by one like a fan, and spread the butter mixture on both sides of each slice. Wrap the French bread loaf in foil and place in a 350^o oven for 15 minutes until the butter melts and the bread is warm.

Some of the recipes work well under the broiler like the Garlic Butter recipe. Slice a loaf of French bread all the way down its length. Stir the seasonings listed into softened butter. Spread the butter mixture on each bread half. Place under a broiler for about 3 minutes until toasty.

Honey Butter:
½ cup softened butter
¼ cup honey

Garlic Butter:
½ cup softened butter
½ teaspoon garlic powder

Herb Butter:
½ cup softened butter
½ teaspoon dried and crushed thyme
½ teaspoon ground sage

Hidden Valley Butter:
½ cup softened butter
½ teaspoon Hidden Valley Ranch powdered dressing mix

Orange Butter:
½ cup softened butter
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
½ teaspoon grated orange peel

Lemon Butter:
½ cup softened butter
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
½ teaspoon grated lemon peel
½ teaspoon lemon juice

Cinnamon Butter:
½ cup softened butter
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
½ teaspoon powdered cinnamon

Parsley Butter:
½ cup softened butter
1 tablespoon finely snipped fresh parsley
dash pepper
dash salt

Hot Pepper Butter:
½ cup softened butter
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
dash pepper
dash salt

Honey Mustard Butter:
½ cup softened butter
1 teaspoon prepared honey mustard

Hot Wings Butter:
½ cup softened butter
1 teaspoon hot wings sauce

Italian Butter:
½ cup softened butter
1 teaspoon Italian dressing
½ teaspoon garlic powder

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