Once upon a time, my hubby and I went on lots of dates. We weren’t married yet, so we didn’t care about money spent- and one of our favorite places to go was Macaroni Grill. To be honest, the pasta there is ok, but what we really cared about- was the bread. My husband is ½ German, and in Germany- they are all about the bread! And I’m your average bread-loving gal, so good bread is just a must ;).

I have always loved the flavor of Macaroni Grill’s appetizer bread. Dip it into a little olive oil with balsamic vinegar, and it’s a match made in heaven! Plus, the bread is just perfectly chewy, and every once in awhile you bite into a nice chunk of coarse salt, and it’s seriously so good!

Fast forward a couple years- we haven’t been to Macaroni Grill in forever. I think we’ve gone once in the past 2 years. Budget and kids just don’t allow us the same dining experiences, and so we have missed out on that bread for awhile. But that is all about to change!

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My aunt likes to share awesome recipes she finds with the rest of the family, and last week she sent an email with a copycat Macaroni Grill bread recipe- and I knew I must try it immediately . I even went to the store to buy balsamic vinegar specifically so I could try it with this bread- because if we were going to try it, we were going to all the way ;).

Well, we had pasta last night, and despite my aching pregnant hips, I put the effort in to make this homemade bread- and I was not disappointed! The first couple bites and I felt like I was eating the real thing- except homemade is always better, is it not? And I’m not gonna lie- I felt like mom of the year watching everyone dip their bread in oil and balsamic vinegar and heartily enjoying the fruits of my labor ;). This bread was such a hit!

The other great thing- IT’S SO EASY. Like, so, so easy. You basically just combine the ingredients and mix it with a spoon, split the dough in ½ and let it rise, and bake for 25 minutes- and that’s it! Fast, simple, and SO tasty. It also goes a long way- this recipe will make 2 loaves, so there will be plenty to go around- theoretically ;). One thing I will say- the recipe I received didn’t call for any kneading, but I would probably knead it a couple times to really smooth the dough out. My bread didn’t look horrible, but it definitely didn’t present itself with the typical restaurant quality, and I think a couple good kneads would have taken care of that.

So let’s hear it! What’s your opinion on Macaroni Grill’s bread- is this a recipe you’ll be trying? If you’re not a fan of their bread, where is your favorite place to go for tasty bread? :) I’d love to hear all about it!