Kentucky Hot Brown Garlic Bread

This Kentucky Hot Brown Garlic Bread is perfect for your Kentucky Derby party this year! It showcases all the tasty ingredients of the Kentucky Hot Brown, but garlic bread style! Turkey, crisp bacon, tomatoes, a creamy Mornay sauce and cheddar cheese all atop some tasty garlic bread! It’s to die for!

Step-By-Step Instructions

The first step is to prep your garlic bread. You combine your softened butter, minced garlic and finely chopped parsley in a bowl and mix with a rubber spatula until thoroughly blended. Then you’ll slice your ciabatta or Italian bread in half horizontally, place it on a large parchment-lined baking sheet and spread with the garlic butter mixture.

The second step is to make your Mornay sauce. In a small saucepan you’ll melt your butter over medium heat, then whisk in the flour. You’ll cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes, being careful not to brown. Gradually whisk in milk, then bring to a low boil, whisking constantly until thickened, about 3-4 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add grated Pecorino Romano. Remove from heat and season with salt, pepper.

The third step is to cook your bacon in a medium skillet over medium high heat until crisp. You will remove to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon and set aside.

The fourth step is to assemble your bread. You’ll top each of the the garlic breads with a few spoonfuls of your Mornay sauce. You’ll use the remainder later. Then you’ll top the sauce with the sliced turkey (evenly distribute), about 1/2 cup of the shredded cheddar on each, some of the cooked bacon and chopped tomatoes.

The last step is to evenly sprinkle on the remaining shredded cheese and drizzle with a smidge more of the Mornay sauce. You will bake the garlic bread for 25 minutes at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

When you remove the bread from the oven, let it stand for about 5 minutes and then cut into slices. You can serve with the extra warmed Mornay sauce.

I don’t know which horse will win the Kentucky Derby this year, but this Kentucky Hot Brown Garlic Bread is sure to be a winner! Hope you give it a go!

Please let me know if you give the recipe a try. And if you have any questions about the recipe, just drop a comment below. Enjoy!

Kentucky Hot Brown Garlic Bread

Author: MaryAnn Dwyer

Servings: 8 servings

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This Kentucky Hot Brown Garlic Bread is perfect for your Kentucky Derby party this year! It showcases all the tasty ingredients of the Kentucky Hot Brown, but garlic bread style! Turkey, crisp bacon, tomatoes, a creamy Mornay sauce and cheddar cheese all atop some tasty garlic bread! It's to die for!

Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Ingredients  

Garlic Bread

• 1 loaf Italian or ciabatta bread
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp. fresh garlic, finely minced
• 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped

Mornay Sauce

• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• salt and pepper, to taste

Hot Brown

• 8 slices bacon
• 1/2 lb. sliced deli turkey
• 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups freshly shredded sharp white cheddar cheese

Instructions 

Garlic Bread

• In a small bowl, combine butter, garlic, and parsley until well mixed. Use a serrated knife to cut the bread in half lengthwise. Spread the cut sides of the bread with the garlic butter mixture. Place bread on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Set aside.

Mornay Sauce

• In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes, being careful not to brown. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a low boil, whisking constantly until thickened, about 3-4 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add grated Pecorino Romano. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm and set aside.

Hot Brown

• Place rack in middle of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Add bacon to a medium skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Top each of the the garlic breads with a few spoonfuls of your Mornay sauce. You'll use the remainder later. Then you'll top the sauce with the sliced turkey (evenly distribute), about 1/2 cup of the shredded cheddar on each, some of the cooked bacon and chopped tomatoes.
• Evenly sprinkle on the remaining shredded cheese and drizzle with a smidge more of the Mornay sauce. Bake the garlic bread for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

  Remove the bread from the oven and let stand five minutes before cutting into slices. Serve with extra warm Mornay sauce for dipping, if desired.

Notes

I used a loaf of ciabatta bread for this recipe, but you can also use a loaf of Italian bread.

To save time on the day you're serving the bread, you can cook your bacon ahead, as well as your Mornay sauce. If you do make the sauce ahead, store it in an airtight container with a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. It can be made 1-3 days ahead of time and then just warm a bit before using. 

Keyword: Bacon, Kentucky Hot Brown, mornay sauce, turkey

Cuisine: American

Course: Appetizer, sandwich