Comfort and detox
The post title doesn’t give much I know, but that’s because today I’m sharing two things on the opposite side of the food scales. One as you can see above is the definition of comfort food: fried sourdough bread with plenty of cheese on top, this is something for you.
On the other side of the side of the scale is this.
I would love to tell you that this is some undiscovered wonder. I would love to tell you that this tastes incredibly good, but unfortunately, it’s only citrus juice and water and I’m stuck with 4 litres of this stuff for each day of the weekend. No food, just this. Not for fun really, doctors orders I’m afraid for steering the health back in the good direction (cuz I’d never give up food for drinking watery juice for two days…) and like any person deprived of food I’m dreaming of something very comforting today, like this little stack of bread.
A small cultural note here, fried bread like this is probably the most favorite snack in Lithuania, usually taken with beer, and beer my dears is the drink. We have countless number of breweries and quite a few restaurants that make beer on site, and some locations more in the countryside where they make beer such that one glass is usually too little and two are well, too much; and indeed nothing goes better with beer than such bread.
Now you can have this bread two ways, one is simply fried bread rubbed with some salt and garlic (which is a snack I used to have very often at home) or with some mayo and melted cheese on top (that’s how you get bread when you order it in most restaurants). The first version is obviously a little healthier, but both are equally good. Even if you don’t fancy beer much, this is such an indulgent treat that simply cannot be skipped (and if I was in a position to eat something this weekend, I surely would).
- 250 g of bread (half rye, half wheat and preferably sourdough)
- 50 ml sunflower oil
- few garlic cloves
- salt
- 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon of water
- 200 grams of grated cheese
- pinch of white pepper
- Heat the oil in pan.
- Slice the in slices as in the photo above and fry on both sides until nicely brown. This will go very fast so take care not to burn. You will have to do this in batches.
- Once the bread is baked, transfer it on a paper towel to absorb extra oil, directly sprinkle with salt and rub with garlic.
- The cheese sauce can be made few way, you can make it as a sauce on side, by simply mixing mayo, cheese, water and pepper and heating it in the oven till it melts.
- Alternatively you can you pour sauce over the bread and heat it in the over or microwave altogether till the cheese melts. Enjoy!
Oh, that looks ever so comforting and devilishly scrumptious! I could never go on such a restrictive diet… Good luck!
Cheers,
Rosa
Thanks, Rosa, I would normally wouldn’t go on this either
Ugh, I’m sorry you have to go through the detox, but hope it brings the results you and your doctor want. I’d much rather inhale this cheesy bread…so fabulous!!!
Hi Liz, in the beginning of the weekend I would have rather had cheesy bread too, but have to say that a couple of days on juice does miracles
Best of luck with the detox results my friend – this cheesy deliciousness could not make you more comfortable
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Thanks Uru, perhaps it was not the best photo to post while sticking to juice, but not as bad as it may seem. Thanks for stopping by
Fried bread sounds fantastic – I’d definitely go for the salt/garlic version, though I can see why adding some cheese would be quite tempting. Comfort, indeed!
I actually prefer the salt and garlic version too for most of times, especially if you’re catching a cold (all the garlic works well you know)
If a doctor ever told me to give up food in exchange for citrusy water…. well, I’d hope he was joking. I’d find it very hard I think… I do enjoy my food a great deal
Good luck with the weekend – hope you can enjoy some of the delicious fried bread soon
Yeah, I though mine was joking too actually, but it appearantly not
Good luck with the detox, that would be tough – but hopefully worth it at the end. Love the bread.
Thanks Yudith, now that it’s over I can say it was really worth it and not that bad at all
Sorry that you have to go through a detox but you’ll probably feel great after the weekend. Honestly once you start eating fish, veggies and fruit and lots of it, foods like this won’t be so appetizing. In fact, you’ll find that they make you feel sick after being in your stomach for a while. As hard as it is you’ll be better and healthier for it. I hope the detox does what it’s suppose to and you start working towards a healthier diet which is what it sounds like the docs want you to do.
Good luck, I’m rooting for you!
Thanks Vicky, I completely agree that eating plenty of veggies and fish is much healthier but as I’m already eating this way, my detox wasn’t really food related
The good news is ofcourse now that the weekend is over you’re hopefully good to go with the yummy food again. I would definitely prefer that fried bread too although arguably after this weekend a detox would be a better
Option. Hope all works out for you and your health improves!
Thanks Simone, it’s good to be back on food again, but surprisingly after a few days on juice only, I’ve never had more energy
Niam.. pats geriausias skanėstas prie alaus
Tikrai taip! Mano irgi
I think this fried bread sounds like everyone’s comfort dish! I am sure I would love both versions.
I hope your health improves soon! I don’t know if it sounds comforting but a friend of mine was once told to drink flax seed soaked in water overnight, twice a day (it was slimy, gooey and disgusting) to resolve her stomach problems. Citrus water sounds much better
Your right, comparing to soaked flax seeds, watery citrus juice doesn’t sound bad at all!
I hope your detox works and you don’t have to go through this again. I love this fried bread and I know how good it tastes! With the beer… My husband would be happy if I make him this meal. First, I have to bake bread though…
Thanks Marina, this bread with beer is the ultimate snack, but I think you coul easily find some bread in a bakery for this. I always bake my own bread for eating, but for frying a store bought fits too
Oh my goodness, fried bread AND there’s cheese on it? I am officially drooling.
Yes, those two together go very well
Looked so interesting I had to read. Great recipe. Buzzed!
Thanks do much!
This looks amazing. Just amazing.
Thanks Claire
I’m so sorry to hear about your food deprived weekend! And yet you still choose to share fried, cheesy goodness with the rest of us. You my dear, are a saint!
Well, I though if I can’t have it, maybe someone else will
You know … it wouldn’t do me any harm to have a day of watered-down citrus juice – but of course t’s the fried bread that calls to me. With cheese. Oh yes! (When I’m on a restricted diet I read dessert cookbooks…)
You know I’ve spent half of the first detox day watching the cooking channel, some amazing dishes being prepared… don’t know why I was doing this… but I think if you can’t eat, looking is at least some consolation
I’ve never seen anything like this, but hey, after all it’s bread with melted cheese, so it must be really yummy!
And the presentation is so original, I will give it a try for a party or something. I bet people here in Canada will confuse it with Poutine (potato fries with cheese and gravy)
Thanks so much, the bread turns out very crunchy, it breaks like a biscuit, so no mistake with potatoes there. By the way, how do you make the cheese gravy?
I have no idea how to make the gravy
, I only ate it, never made it myself 
.
Woah! That looks insanely delicious. Fantastic idea and just the recipe I need right now.
Thank you very much
fried! bread! is a thing! until this moment i never knew. it looks amazing. good luck with your cleanse! ugh when you start out two days doesn’t seem all that long but by the end, man. it’s rough. you can do it though!
Thanks Anna, I thought it will be more difficult, but in the end it was quite ok. Definitely happy to have went through it though
Oh you poor thing! I don’t know if I could do that, I’m just too weak to resist things!
Me too, that’s why I cleaned the fridge before starting
Oh dear! I’m sorry you have to go through detox, but as I write this, it’s probably over. So I hope the results were worth it!
I’m loving the fried bread recipe and melted cheese on anything is my favorite comfort food!
Thanks Barbara, it was worth the two day effort, I’m even thinking of repeating in a couple of months!
good luck with the detox! but oh my god that is some amazing cheesy goodness there!
Thanks so much, nothing can compare to cheese right?
thank you so much for visiting my blog, I have subscribed to yours as well. I have actually had Lithuanian beer before, it is quite tasty! That detox does not look like fun!
Hi Rhonda, I was happy to have discovered your lovely blog. Where have you tried Lithuanian beer? (I’m very curious)
I live in Arizona and we have a lot of international beers available here. We have tried two varieties of Svyturys and I believe we had one other Lithuanian one as well that I cannot recall the name of. We have a Russian market near our house where they have a lot of beers from that region available.
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipe. I too am sorry to hear of your detox but hope it wasn;t too painful and that you can enjoy more lovely food. I love your blog and so pleased that I’ve found it now. I’m sure to take some inspiration form your baking to help with my around the world in 80 bakes challenge. Any recipes that you can recommend from other countries would be very very welcome.
Thanks again and I look forward to reading more from you soon.
Thanks Lauren, you have such an interesting blog!
p.s. I think I’ll be posting a couple of traditional bakes from Lithuania soon
please don’t be mad at me. But I’ve never had fried bread before. Clearly i’m missing out on the good stuff in life
I don’t know how to tell you this, but you’ve really been missing out something
You know….I’ve never had fried bread before. But what better way to serve it than covered in cheese! This definitely looks comforting. I hope you are okay. Not a bad idea to detox once in a while. And while I give you credit because I don’t know if I can do any liquid regimen for more than a day…..that citrusy water actually looks pretty good to me! : )
Anne, you know this citrusy water looks a little bit better than it actually tastes (which is a bit like a very cheap juice…)
That fried bread looks stunning! Hope you are much better now after the detox session!
Thanks so much, detox is a weird thing, but it helps
Ooey and gooey! My kinda snack!
Mine too
Good luck with the detox, I have been hearing about this juice detox for a while now but I don’t think I have the well power to try it
Detox sounds very daunting, but with the right preparation it’s really not that bad, and it does help a lot
Oh, detox is no fun! Sorry to hear you have to go through that – good luck. And I can see why you’re craving all sorts of real foods! Love the recipe – but fried anything is pretty hard to resist. Thanks for this.
No, it’s not fun, but has some benefits involved
Oh no, doctors order?
You’ve been exercising and I thought you’re doing great. Good luck with detox. I’ve been doing situps thanks to your encouragement. 
Now I think I’m ready for fried bread sticks with cheese! Or should I just hang in there… see it’s tough decision because we love good food too much!
Yeah, well it seems good eating well and exercising is not all that matter… anyway, this is something very very Lithuanian, with all the situps you’ve been doing I think you’re ready for it.
So sorry to hear you’re in detox mode–I hope whatever is bringing about that recommendation isn’t too serious. How can you blog about that delicious fried bread when faced with nothing but citrus and water for a weekend? Your willpower must be killer!
Ha ha, I don’t think my willpower is that strong, my I keep telling myself to feast with eyes at least
Thanks so much for visiting 
Oh my, this is a very naughty treat!
Absolutely incredible, I would love to have some of these!