Look at this cheese oozing out of this crusty bread; it makes me want it again. It is lip-smacking, finger-licking good. Because the Brie cheese is baked inside the bread in an oven, the bread is also super crunchy as if it was just baked. The reason I prefer this baking technique over baking the cheese in a ‘brie baker’ is the presentation; it’s that simple.
There’s nothing wrong with a ‘brie baker’; a stoneware dish that holds the cheese, but often I prefer a less formal, a more rustic look of the cheese baked inside a round sourdough bread.
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
You’ll find the complete list of ingredients and exact quantities in the recipe below.
- Round sourdough bread
- Brie cheese – I know I say this often, but when you have a few ingredients in a recipe, make sure you buy quality. In this case a good quality Brie. Unfortunately, many cheap Brie cheeses have very little flavor and will not result in a delicious outcome. I used Green Hill cheese, a delicious small Brie-Camembert type cheese made in Georgia. Got to support the local artisan cheese makers.
- Olive oil
- Fresh sage – other fresh herbs, like rosemary, thyme, basil, tarragon or a combination.
How to Make an Easy Baked Brie in Bread with Sage
This recipe, as most of my recipes, is for 2, so I bought a small round sourdough bread (8 oz.), cut off the top, and hollow the inside out. Not everything, but just enough that you can fit the cheese into it while leaving enough bread that the cheese fits snug. Whatever comes out of the bread can be used for dipping, toasted or not.
You can cut the rind off the cheese, or leave it on. If you decide to cut it off, but it as thin as you can as you don’t want to throw away any cheese. Cut the top and the sides; no need to cut the bottom rind off. Cutting off the rind means that you have maximum penetration of cheese into the bread. Alternatively, you can leave the rind on, but cut through the rind (top and sides) in various places.
Place the cheese inside the hole you created and that you have sprinkled with a little bit of olive oil first. Chop a few leaves of sage, sprinkle over the top of the cheese as well as a little bit of black pepper. Replace top of bread.
With a knife, cut the crust of the bread, about 1.5 inches apart, all around the bread. This will make it easier to tear the pieces off the bread when the baking is done. Just cut through the crust on the side, don’t cut the bottom.
Wrap the entire bread in aluminum foil and place it in a warm oven of 350 degrees F for 15-30 minutes. Unwrap the bread and heat the oven to 450 degrees F and bake the bread for another 5-10 minutes.
Place the bread on a board, pull one of the pre-cut pieces of the bread and enjoy. Writing the recipe for this Easy Baked Brie in Bread with Sage makes my mouth water. I know I will make this soon again.
Alternative Flavor Combinations
- Cranberry and pecan: Sprinkle dried cranberries and chopped pecans over the melted brie cheese when it comes out of the oven.
- Fig and balsamic vinegar: add sliced figs or fig jam and drizzle with balsamic vinegar, when the bread comes out of the oven.
- Caramelized onion, bacon and rosemary: saute chopped onions and bacon until caramelized. Add rosemary before baking and onion and bacon after baking preserving the caramelized flavor.
- Any type of fruity jam: strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, or peach jam. Bake with the bread.
- Garlic: roasted or minced. Bake with the bread.
Easy Baked Brie in Bread with Sage
Pin Recipe FacebookIngredients
- 8 ounces round sourdough bread, small round boule
- 8 ounces Brie cheese
- 1.5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sage
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cut the top off the bread and place the cheese on the bread, so you know how much to cut out of the center of the bread out. Peel out just enough that you can fit the cheese into it snug. Whatever comes out of the bread can be used for dipping, toasted or not.
- Sprinkle the inside of the bread with a little bit of olive oil.
- Cut the rind off the cheese, as thin as you can as you don’t want to throw away any cheese. Cut the top and the sides; no need to cut the bottom rind off. Place the cheese in the hole of the bread
- Chop a few leaves of sage, sprinkle over the top of the cheese as well as a little bit of black pepper. Replace top of bread
- Wrap the entire bread in aluminum foil and place it in the oven for 15-30 minutes.
- Unwrap the bread and heat the oven to 450 degrees F and bake the bread, uncovered, for another 5-10 minutes.
Notes
- Cranberry and pecan: Sprinkle dried cranberries and chopped pecans over the melted brie cheese when it comes out of the oven.
- Fig and balsamic vinegar: add sliced figs or fig jam and drizzle with balsamic vinegar, when the bread comes out of the oven.
- Caramelized onion and bacon: saute chopped onions and bacon until caramelized. Add after baking preserves the caramelized flavor.
- Any type of fruity jam: strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, or peach jam. Bake with the bread.
- Garlic: roasted or minced. Bake with the bread.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.