Easy Bread Dipping Oil
Bring the restaurant experience home with hot baked bread served with dipping oil for a quick and easy appetizer at a dinner party or happy hour gathering. Use this dry seasoning mix to combine with olive oil, and serve it to guests and family.
I grew up with bread and butter as a meal accompaniment, so when we were served warm crusty bread and olive oil at a winery dinner nearly 30 years ago, it seemed so elegant and European! Sure it’s a restaurant staple now, but back then it was a whole new experience.
Now it’s a quick and easy appetizer at home. I use dry herbs to make my dip mix so there’s no chopping involved, and you always have the ingredients on hand. It’s also customizable; increase or eliminate seasonings to suit your taste.
There’s no cooking involved, just mix and dip. However, ideally you want to heat up the bread so it’s got that fresh-baked taste and texture.
Helpful Tips
- Make sure your dried herbs are “fresh.” That sounds like an oxymoron but dried seasonings can lose their taste, aroma, and potency over time. For best flavor and quality make sure they’re less than a year old. Test it by smelling it or rubbing a pinch between your fingers to release their fragrance. If it’s weak, toss it and buy new.
- Keep the mix in an airtight jar or container and store in a cool dark place like the pantry or cupboard. If the herbs you use are fairly new themselves, it can keep for about a year.
- Serve about 1 teaspoon of spice mixture to ¼ cup of olive oil. If you want more or less of either, you can adjust to your liking.
- For olive oil and balsamic vinegar dippers, a little balsamic flavor goes a long way. Start with this ratio and adjust as desired: 1 teaspoon balsamic to 2 tablespoons of oil.
- Add the parmesan at the time of serving. You don’t want to add it to the mix and then store it in a cupboard since cheese is perishable.
- Try using a flavor infused olive oil such as basil or rosemary. These are easy to find at the grocery store or gourmet aisle of HomeGoods or World Market.
Dippers
- French baguette
- Crusty Italian bread
- Ciabatta
- Focaccia
- Sourdough
- Pita
- Naan
Quick Tip
Make a jar of the seasoning mix and give it as a hostess gift or holiday gift to friends, neighbors, or teachers. Pair it with a bottle of good extra virgin olive oil to complete the gift.
Serving Suggestions
We frequently enjoy this with a charcuterie board or a cheese board dinner for casual entertaining.
It’s a no-brainer for an Italian theme dinner party; or include it with a mezze platter. Put some on the table with your low-key al fresco dinner party menu.
Serve it with spaghetti and meat sauce, or with fettuccine alfredo. It’s also fantastic with a soup dinner party.
Set Up A Party Dipping Station
Create a pre-dinner party appetizer bar with a dipping station. Provide different varieties of balsamic vinegar for a tasting extravaganza.
- Cut bread into cubes or slices so it’s easy to eat without double dipping.
- Pour the olive oil and balsamic vinegar into pretty cruets or decorative bottles. Display the dried herb blend in a shaker or a bowl with small spoon.
- Set out an assortment of shallow dishes and pour in olive oil. Add balsamic vinegar to one, and different seasoning blends to the others. Allow guests to dip bread and enjoy.
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Easy Olive Oil Dipping Mix
Add a classic restaurant appetizer to your party table with tasty bread and olive oil dipping mix. This easy blend uses dried herbs for a shelf stable option year round.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon dried Basil
- 2 teaspoon dried Oregano
- 2 teaspoon dried Thyme
- ½ teaspoon coarse Kosher Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon crushed Red Pepper flakes
- 1 cup good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for dipping, not for cooking)
- 4 teaspoons grated Parmesan (or more to taste)
- ½ cup Balsamic Vinegar
Instructions
- Combine the basil, oregano, thyme, salt, garlic and red pepper together and store in an airtight jar or container.
- When ready to use, spoon about 1 teaspoon of spice mixture to ¼ cup of olive oil. Top with ½ teaspoon of grated parmesan and dip bread into the oil mixture.
- For the second variation, add 1 teaspoon balsamic to 2 tablespoons of oil. Dip as is or sprinkle in some of the herb mix.
Notes
Use 2 teaspoons dried Italian Seasoning Blend instead of basil and oregano.
Years ago when my husband and I were celebrating our first wedding anniversary, we took a long weekend trip to Asheville, NC. We stayed at a bed and breakfast, hiked in the mountains, took a dinner train ride, and spent a day at the Biltmore Estate.
At the estate we took a gorgeous house tour and ate lunch at the winery restaurant on the grounds, and that was the first time we were introduced to the joys of crusty French bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
We couldn’t believe how delicious this simple appetizer was and have re-created it at home many, many times over the years – even our kids are obsessed with it!
