31 Days:: Personal Garlic Bread

I have this bad habit of buying too many hotdog buns.  They're not usually on my list, but often I'll get to the store and think "Oh, I should probably pick up a package of buns."  If I see that the buns are on sale, I'll for sure grab that package.  And then I'll get home and realize that I have 2 more packages already in my freezer.  Or 3 buns left in one package and 4 in another.  I add the new ones to my collection and by the time I actually need them, they're duck food.  Unless, of course, I can hide the fact that they're horribly freezer-burned.


This recipe is included in 31 Days of Saving Money in the Kitchen, because if you can make delicious garlic bread out of freezer-burned hotdog buns, you're saving money by using those buns instead of pitching them (whether into the trash or to the ducks!).

So how do I turn this...

 

 

into this?

Well, here's how:

 

Ingredients:

12 hotdog buns (preferably freezer-burned, stale, or smashed)
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1/3 cup plus 2 1/2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
3/8 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp parsley

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Open up each bun and lay flat so that the cut side is up.  Mix remaining ingredients together (a fork works well to smash the Parmesan cheese into the margarine). Spread all open sides of hotdog buns with this mixture.  Put all the buns back together, then slather the remaining mixture on top of the buns.  Cut each bun in half widthwise.  Use foil to wrap buns in sets of three, but don't wrap them completely.  Set three buns on a large chunk of foil, and make a foil "boat" for the buns. The bottom and sides should be wrapped in foil, but the top should remain uncovered so that the Parmesan cheese can bake into an Asiago-like topping.  Bake 12-16 minutes at 375 degrees, or until the tops are nicely browned. 

Options and Tips

• If you don't have 12 buns, adjust the topping/spread recipe accordingly.
• These little garlic breads are great, but don't expect them to be crunchy and chewy.  They're probably closer to a breadstick in texture. 
• If you serve these with a casserole that has to be baked at 350, the bread can be baked at that temp as well. Just increase baking time to 20-23 minutes.

The original recipe for Easy Garlic Bread came from Tara Koole. I made a few adjustments to the measurements and instructions.  The hotdog bun version is my own take on it.

Looking for more ways to Save Money in the Kitchen?  Head over here to catch up on any articles you might have missed.

This post is shared at Kitchen Tip Tuesdays, which is regularly hosted by Tammy's Recipes.  This week, it's hosted by Bonnie at Recipes Happen.