So I’m sure you noticed that this is not actually a blooming onion- the fried delicious appetizer you drool over at many restaurants and I try to avoid at all costs. I can really eat an entire blooming onion all by myself, especially when it’s served with honey mustard sauce. Darn those fried foods. While there isn’t even any onion in this dish, it’s name comes from the fact that this blooming bread is sliced lengthwise and widthwise before cooking, just like it’s fried namesake. And boy does it bloom. The original recipe calls for only cheese, chives, butter and poppy seeds, but that was just too boring for me. Who wants an appetizer when you can have the whole meal?!? So I took it to the next level and added a world of veggies to the mix. Yum! You won’t even need a side dishes.
Blooming Onion Bread Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups wild mushrooms (I used shiitake, portabella, and cremini)
3 Tbsp dry sherry wine
4 cups fresh spinach
1 round loaf of bread, any type you like
1 cup+ Pepper Jack Cheese, thinly sliced or shredded
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup diced scallions
2 tsp poppy seeds
1 cup feta cheese
I started out by cooking the mushrooms and spinach. I added the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat and sautéed the garlic for 1 minute. I then threw in the mushrooms and cooked until tender, for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
I added the sherry and brought the mixture to a simmer. I then added the spinach, 2 cups at a time. If your skillet has enough room, you can add all 4 cups together.
I let it simmer for a few minutes until the spinach wilted, for around 2-4 minutes, and I turned frequently. I let the mixture sit on the stove for a few more minutes so the sherry wine could cook out. You don’t even need to add salt or pepper! The feta will take care of that later.
I placed the mushroom spinach mixture aside to cool and began working on the bread. Â I cut it lengthwise and widthwise, trying not to cut through the bottom crust. Not a big deal if you do, but the bread will stay together better while stuffing when it’s all attached. I then placed the bread on a foil-line baking sheet.
 I inserted the Pepper Jack cheese in between as many bread slices as I could. I cut a lot of slice! You can always add more cheese if you want. No one ever said this was a healthy dish.
Then I stuffed the bread slices with the mushroom spinach mixture. I started out with a spoon but resorted to my hands so I could really get the veggies in every crevice.
And then came the best part! The butter. I melted the butter and added the poppy seeds and chives. I then poured the mixture over the top of the stuffed bread. I know I keep saying it, but yum!
I wrapped the entire loaf in foil and placed in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. The I unwrapped the bread and baked for another 10 minutes, until the cheese was all melted and the top was crunchy. I garnished the bread with feta and it was ready to go.
You can serve this dish to a party of ten or two very hungry people. Justin and I could have potentially finished the entire blooming onion bread but we restrained ourselves and only ate three quarters of it. Ha! It was so delicious and addictive, just like a fried blooming onion. And the feta added just the right amount of salt to balance out the mild spinach. Dig in!
