This bread is absolutely sent from heaven for those who love garlic like I do! The bread is crusty on the outside and fluffy on the inside. True perfection in every way.
Tools You'll Need
Cookie sheet
Large mixing bowl (I prefer either ceramic/glass or metal for this)
Sifter/strainer
Measuring glasses
Measuring Spoons
Measuring Cups
Saran Wrap
Clean water spray bottle or a basting brush
Aluminum foil
Veggie cutting knife
Cutting board
Whisk
Ingredients
2.5-3 Cups flour
1 1/2 tsp active yeast
1 Cup warm water
~1 Tbs sugar (I usually use just a hair less)
2 tsp fine grain salt (table salt is fine)
1 1/2 Tbs dried rosemary
1/4 tsp of cracked black pepper or to taste
1/2-3/4 tsp of either oregano or thyme
3 + 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil (the +1 is for brushing the top)
1 Large head of roasted garlic (recipe for it below)
OPTIONAL: Coarse sea salt to sprinkle on top before baking
Spray bottle with clean water if you have it
Extra olive oil
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350
When I make this recipe, I usually double everything to get two loaves... just fyi
Peel the loose skin off the head of garlic. Using your knife, chop root end off of the garlic (about 1/4" or less below the root) to expose the cloves of garlic. Place the head of garlic in aluminum foil and fold the foil around it like a cup, then drizzle a small amount of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Close the foil, place on a cookie sheet and bake for approximately 25 minutes or until the garlic is super soft to the tines of a fork. Remove from the oven and set the garlic and cookie sheet aside to cool.
While the garlic is cooling, In your mixing bowl, get your 1 C warm water... you want it warm, but not hot, or it will kill the yeast. But too cold and the yeast won't activate. Place the Yeast, sugar, and salt, in the bowl with the water and whisk it to mix. Let the bowl sit until the yeast activates. It will become very foamy looking. It will take anywhere from 5-10 minutes. If it doesn't become super foamy, either the water was the wrong temp, or your yeast is dead... try again.
Add the olive oil and sift the flour into the yeast mixture. Knead the dough with your hands, or a stand mixer if you have one for about 10 minutes. The dough should become smooth and slightly bubbly. The kneading and warmth from your hands should activate the gluten in the flour. If you over knead the dough, your bread will come out dense and chewy.
Add the rosemary, pepper, and oregano/thyme. Need those in for about another 5 minutes. Then, squeeze out each clove of garlic into the dough one at a time and knead the garlic through the dough for another minute or so. The dough may be a bit tacky, but it should not be super sticky or crumbling. If it's too dry, add a small amount of water. If it's too sticky, add a small amount of flour.
With the dough in a ball, place it back in your mixing bowl that has been oiled lightly with olive oil (so it doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl). Cover with saran wrap and place on top of your oven that is still at 350 degrees where it is not being blasted too closely by the heat vent, but it will be kept warm. Let the dough rise to double its size... usually 1-2 hours.
Once it has doubled, gently punch it down and remove it from the bowl onto the lightly floured counter. Take a "corner" of the dough and fold it under. Rotate the bread slightly and do it again. You want to create a resistance to the dome shape of the bread. Use this video to help you get the correct tension on the surface to create the dome-shape of the bread.
Place the folded side down on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and use your knife to slice a shallow "X" on the top. Place your large mixing bowl upside-down on top of it. Place back on the stove to rise again until doubled in size... roughly an hour or a bit more.
DO NOT PUNCH IT DOWN AGAIN
Now set the oven to 375. While it heats up, brush the top with some olive oil and sprinkle with coarse sea salt should you choose to use it. Bake for 25-30 ish minutes, spraying with a light mist of water about halfway through. No spray bottle? Use a basting brush and flick water onto the surface.
Bump the oven up to 400 degrees and spray the surface with water again. Bake until the top is a nice even golden brown. Remove from the oven. It should have a light hollow sound when knocked on with your knuckle. Place on a cooling rack and let it sit for a few minutes. Can serve warm or cool completely before serving. Serve either with butter, or with garlic aioli.
Mangia!
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