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About the Recipe
When it comes to seafood boils, a must-follow rule is to have a crusty loaf of hot bread on the table, but I like to step it up and serve a quick-made fennel bread. A golden toasted crust surrounds warm soft bread with fennel-laced salted butter for an easy but elevated dinner bread that takes mere minutes to make. This bread leaves the table fast so I make sure to make two loaves when I have a large crowd.
Ingredients
2 batards or other crusty French bread
½ cup (1 stick [114 g]) unsalted butter, softened
3 tbsp (4 g) fennel bulb, grated
1 tbsp (2.5 g) fennel fronds
1 tsp (10 g) fennel seed
1 tsp (5 g) sea salt
Preparation
Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C).
Without cutting all the way through the loaf (leaving the base intact), slice the bread into 1-inch (2.5-cm) thick slices.
In a bowl, combine butter, fennel, fennel seed, and salt. Spread butter mixture in between slices. Place each loaf of bread on a sheet of foil and wrap foil around the sides, leaving the top of the loaf exposed.
Place bread in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until butter is melted throughout and the top of the bread is toasty. Serve immediately.