Spinach Artichoke Bread
This Spinach Artichoke Bread is an easy, no-knead bread…and it’s delicious! Oh, and did I mention it only requires one bowl!?
I absolutely love baking bread. In fact, I credit bread-baking (and baking in general) with why I started this blog. I’ve always had a natural curiosity for cooking/baking things myself, so it’s no surprise that I gravitated to bread fairly early on. Bread is magical. 4 ingredients. A little time. *boom* Bread. (For the record, the 4 ingredients are flour, water, yeast and salt.) And to think bread was discovered by chance…
Way back in the days of the cavemen, flatbreads were fairly common. Unleavened breads (think matzo, tortillas, roti, lavash, etc.) were simply a mixture of flour and water. Shape that dough into a flat disc and leave it on a hot rock? You get bread.
Then one day one of our ancestors must’ve forgotten about the dough. Perhaps he or she had other things on their mind – like trying not to be eaten by a T-Rex. Whatever the reason, when that caveman finally returned to the dough, it had grown larger. Yup, wild yeast from the air had landed on the dough, and thus leavened bread came into being. I’m quite glad that caveman got away from the dinosaur. After all, it led to bread. And bread is awesome.
There are hundreds of different styles of bread out there. We’ve already mentioned some of the unleavened styles. Then there’s classic Italian bread. There’s rustic peasant bread. There’s bread leavened with baking powder and beer. Then there are breads with non-wheat flours: almond flour bread and Brazilian cheese bread (tapioca flour) come to mind. At the risk of sounding like Bubba from Forrest Gump talking about shrimp, I literally could continue this conversation all day.
Spinach Artichoke Bread
Spinach Artichoke BreadHowever, let’s draw a line in the sand and talk about this Spinach Artichoke Bread. This bread is literally one of the easiest breads I’ve ever made! It takes one bowl. It’s no-knead. And you can adapt it with whatever add-ins you’d like. For this version, I used fontina cheese and mixed in some chopped spinach and artichokes. Spinach and artichokes go well in dip form, right? So it stands to reason that the flavors would work in this bread, too. (Spoiler alert: The flavors are awesome in this bread!)
If you’ve been holding back from making homemade bread, then I challenge you to make this recipe. Seriously! Yes, it uses yeast. No, you don’t need to be afraid of it. Just mix it all up in a large bowl and press it into a baking pan. Cover it, set it aside for an hour and a half, and then bake it. The challenge will be trying not to eat it all while it’s still warm from the oven!
This Spinach Artichoke Bread is an excellent side dish. Cut this one into squares and serve it alongside chili, soup or salad. Or you can get creative and use it as a sandwich bread. The bread rises enough that you can slice it horizontally to turn it into a sandwich bread. I’ve long said that a sandwich is only as good as the bread it’s made on. You’ll be setting yourself up for success if you use this Spinach Artichoke Bread to make sandwiches!
A couple of notes about ingredients before we wrap things up. I used grated fontina cheese here, but you can use Parmesan or even mozzarella instead. Heck, even a mild cheddar would work. The cheese melts into the bread as it bakes. I challenge you to eat just one slice. I also used chopped spinach, artichokes and some roasted red peppers on top for color. However, you could literally substitute out any of those ingredients. Get creative. Use these amounts as guidelines, but have fun. Next thing you know, you’ll be making a different bread each week. Enjoy!
Did you make this Spinach Artichoke Bread (or another variation) at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). I’d love to see your version!
Spinach Artichoke Bread
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 3 Tbsp olive oil divided
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cups water room temperature
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1¼ tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp instant dry yeast
- 2 tsp Italian seasonings or any combination of dried basil, rosemary and oregano
- 1½ cups fontina cheese shredded
- ¾ cup fresh spinach leaves chopped
- ¾ cup canned artichokes patted dry and chopped
For the Toppings
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ cup Tbsp fresh spinach leaves chopped
- ¼ cup roasted red peppers chopped
- ¼ cup fontina cheese shredded
Instructions
For the Dough
- Lightly grease a 9”x13” baking pan; brush 1 Tbsp of olive oil into bottom of pan.
- Combine the remaining 2 Tbsp of olive oil with all of the other dough ingredients in a large bowl; beat vigorously (by hand) or on high speed (electric mixer) for 1-2 minutes or until all ingredients are well-combined.
- Press dough into greased baking pan, cover and let rise at room temperature for 90 minutes. (Tip: If the dough is sticking to your fingers, just dip them in water.)
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Using your fingers, dimple the dough by gently pressing down about ½ way through the dough. Repeat so that there are dimples every 1½”-2”. (Tip: Dip fingers in water to keep dough from sticking.)
For the Toppings
- Sprinkle top of dough with garlic, salt, spinach, roasted red peppers and fontina cheese.
- Bake at 375°F for 38-42 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
- Cut into squares and serve, or split and use for sandwiches.
Looking for more tasty homemade bread recipes? Check out some of these other favorites, too!
I like your just-so story about the “cavemen” — I wonder where they bought their flour. It looks like a convenient recipe. I was just saying this morning that cheese makes everything taste better.
be well… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Hey Mae! I would assume the cavemen just went to their local store to buy the flour, right? 🙂 Actually I would guess they ground up wheat. I’ve seen machines you can buy for grinding wheat berries at home…they’re kinda cool! Either way, I’m 100% with you that cheese makes everything taste better. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
I’ve always enjoyed baking bread too. I just love the whole process and science behind it…not to mention the smell that permeates throughout the house and eating it!! Talk about a fabulous combo, David! A few pieces of this with a cheese board would be so good for a simple meal. Looking forward to giving this one a go 🙂
The smell is one of the best parts about baking bread! By the time the bread is finally ready to eat, my stomach is usually growling just from smelling the bread all day. 🙂 And, yes, more cheese is always more better! Thanks, Dawn!
There really is something so therapeutic and satisfying about baking bread. But that doesn’t mean it has to be a long drawn out process – as you’ve proven here! Love that this beautiful bread is made in just on bowl!
You’re totally right, Marissa! I actually don’t mind the long process for some bread recipes, but at the same time I do appreciate an easy bread recipe. This one is an easy one for sure! And the added cheese? Yum!!
i love the idea of all that garlic and cheese etc on and in the bread. how delicious!
You can’t ever go wrong with garlic + cheese + bread! 🙂 Thanks, Sherry!
You know me David, I love making new breads almost as much as eating them. This one will be made soon. I have creamed Kronärtskockshjärtan (artichoke) in the pantry, I wonder how that would work. You’d loose the texture but have the flavor. What you think?
Yes! Definitely put this on the list of things to bake, Ron. Creamed artichoke is an interesting idea. I’m pretty sure it would work well – I can’t say for sure as I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see any issues there. Perhaps you’d need a slight bit more flour to offset the additional liquid? But maybe not even that – this dough is sticky as is, so I just dip my fingers in water when working with the dough. It’s a fun one…and so easy to make, too!
Oooh I love one-bowl recipes — and no-knead!? Sign me up! This bread looks heavenly David! It would be great for a weekend brunch! Speaking of which, have a fantastic weekend!
Seriously! How can you go wrong with no-knead AND one-bowl!? This bread is so easy to make…and easy to eat, too. It’s delicious! And since it’s so easy to make, you can whip it up as a side dish to something like soup or chili. Or use it as sandwich bread…mmm, sandwiches. 🙂 Thanks, Michelle!
I’ve made my best breads while running from a T-Rex. This sounds delicious, David!
I think I see a possibility for a video recipe here, Jeff. You running from a T-Rex while making bread. I’d watch that.
I love EVERYTHING about this Spinach Artichoke Bread! Gorgeous photos-and thank goodness we EVOLVE!
Thank you so much, Tonya! Haha…I’m glad we evolve, too. I kinda like being able to put my dough in the oven to bake instead of on a hot rock. And I kinda like not being eaten by a dinosaur. 🙂
Making bread is one of my favorite things to make too! And as much as I love the whole process of kneading and rising, sometimes I want simple! Love how easy this one comes together and all those great flavors!
I’m with ya, Kathy. I love the process of baking bread. I don’t mind spending hours creating a dough, shaping it and baking it off. But then again, sometimes it’s nice to have a quick and easy bread recipe! This is that bread! 🙂
I love baking bread. I don’t do it often enough as it can be a bit of a labour of love if there’s kneading and rising (or a second rising) involved but then, as I eat the still warm bread from the oven, I always think it was totally worth it. This looks like a cracker recipe, David. I have honestly never made anything with artichokes as they kind of scare me but I see yours are canned so I might give this a go. I am so intrigued by the flavours you have going on here! Thanks for sharing this!
You are totally right, Katerina. Baking bread truly is a labor of love. I personally love it, so I don’t mind doing it…but I do kinda have to plan my day around it when I have a “bread baking day.” This bread is super easy to make! So don’t be afraid of canned artichokes. I’m not sure how to use fresh artichokes in this recipe, but the canned ones are super easy as you just drain ’em, chop ’em up and toss ’em into the dough. I hope you get a chance to make this bread…it’s delicious! 🙂
I feel the same way you do about bread. No matter how many loaves I bake, it will never cease to be magical that just a few simple ingredients will transform into a gorgeous loaf. And this bread sounds like the BEST! Artichoke hearts are my very favorite food ever (yes, even more than chocolate) so this sounds amazing!
Yes! You said it perfectly here, Kelsie. I can never get enough bread…both making and eating. I love the process, and I love the taste. But sometimes you just need a nice easy bread recipe, and that’s where this recipe comes in. It’s SO good. The only hard part is not eating the whole loaf in one sitting. 🙂
Like you David, I’m obsessed with making home made bread too! I must admit though I do tend to stick to the same tried and tested recipes of mine so this spinach artichoke bread looks like a nice change to make. Hope you a guys are all well and thanks again for an excellent new bread recipe!
I do a little bit of both when it comes to homemade bread recipes, Neil. I enjoy my tried and true recipes, but I also like to mix it up. In fact, that’s where this Spinach Artichoke Bread recipe came from. I started with one of my tried and true recipes and updated it with different flavors – namely spinach and artichokes. 🙂 I highly recommend it! Stay safe, my friend.
Love all of the bread trivia here. Very cool. And what a delicious blend of ingredients in this recipe. Yum! 🙂 ~Valentina
Thanks so much, Valentina! I love baking bread, and you can’t go wrong with a no-knead, one-bowl version. 🙂 Hope you’re doing well, my friend!
I think I now have the appetite of a t-Rex as I decided to torture myself some more after those grilled flatbreads by visiting this post of yours as well! Such a fantastic idea to use canned artichokes to make a delicious looking bread! I don’t think I’d wanna eat this in a sandwich – I’ll just act like a caveWOOman and gnaw at this while going about my day!
I totally acted like a caveman when this spinach artichoke bread came out of the oven. I was all nice and civilized when I took the pictures, but after that the gloves came off. I tore into that bread like a T-Rex was chasing me! 🙂
I am with you I love making bread. We always had homemade bread when I was a kid and my mom got me started making bread. This bread looks so tasty!!
I love how food traditions carry down from one generation to the next! I’m already seeing Robbie develop a love for baking bread, and that makes me happy. Thanks, Dawn!
Hey David. That looks absolutely incredible. Totally love this recipe 🙂 how are you guys btw? I remember I am here after such long time. How is your son. Hope you are doing good. Have a great day!
Hey Rahul! Long time, no talk, my friend. All is good here…although we aren’t doing much due to the epidemic. How are you? Thanks so much for the kind words on this bread – it’s really easy to make, and it’s quite tasty, too!