Carrabba’s Spices for Bread Dipping
Carrabba’s restaurant makes the best blend of spices for bread dipping and it’s pretty easy to replicate at home. Take this copycat recipe and dive in with your favorite crusty bread.
What kind of olive oil is best?
When you’re enjoying a recipe with only a few ingredients, get the best oil you can. Extra virgin olive oil is best but it can be tricky to identify the right ones. In fact, there have been multiple news briefs on the many fake olive oils sold in the U.S.
How to choose a real olive oil
Estimates say that up to 80% of the olive oil sold in the United States is a fake. Usually rancid blends sent in from other countries or a blend of inflammatory refined seed oils mixed with low quality olive oil.
When looking for a real oil, keep these tips in mind:
- Check the back of the bottle for a country of origin and bottling date.
- A single source country of origin may signal a more pure olive oil.
- Look for oils in a dark bottle. The oil itself should be dark yellow to light green. Clear or golden oils in clear bottles may be knock-offs.
- Real, fresh olive oils taste a bit spicy, grassy, or peppery. Your oil should have an obvious flavor.
My favorite brand of olive oil you can buy across the U.S. is California Olive Ranch .
Can I use vegetable oil instead of olive oil for dipping bread?
No. Vegetable, canola, sunflower, safflower, grapeseed etc. are all flavorless highly processed oils that will leave your Carrabba’s spices for bread dipping flat on flavor and health benefits.
Vegetable oils are highly inflammatory to the body and really take away from the point of dipping bread, which is to enjoy a good olive oil, herbs and crusty bread at their finest.
How much spice blend to oil for bread dipping?
You can tailor this to your preference. If you like bold flavor, go for a teaspoon of spice blend to 3 or 4 tablespoons of olive oil. If you want it milder, go with a 1/2 teaspoon spices.
How to store your spice blend
This recipe makes a LOT of spice blend! If you’d like to keep the mixture in your cabinet, leave out the fresh garlic until you’re ready to eat and add it at the last minute.
The dry spices will last in a cool dry place for up to 3 months.
Spices lose their flavors over time, so don’t let it sit too long.
If you have added fresh garlic, place the mixture in an air tight glass container and refrigerate for up to two weeks and use as needed.
The best breads for oil dipping
Make your own crusty loaves or buy a loaf of bread to dip. Try these recipes:
Looking for a softer loaf? Try this single stand mixer bread recipe.
Or get your Italian food craving with our best ever Copycat Little Caesar’s Cheese Bread recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes See note 1
- 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1/2 tablespoon dried basil
- 1/2 tablespoon dried parsley
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt See note 2
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- olive oil for dipping, See note 3
Instructions
- Blend all the spices together in a bowl.
- Add 1 teaspoon of the spice blend to a plate and add up to 4 tablespoons of good quality olive oil to the plate and stir to distribute the herbs.
- You can easily adjust the amount of herbs to oil as needed.
- Store any leftover herb blend covered in the fridge for up to one week and use as needed.
