Tomato, Basil, and Garlic Filled Bread
It snowed almost a foot earlier in the week and the winter weather, something we’ve been lacking this winter, had me in the mood to bake some big hearth-style sourdough loaves this weekend. But then just as soon as it had inspired me the weather declared it had other plans. It was 50 degrees on Saturday and 60 on Sunday, not the best time to have the oven at 500 for several hours. So I went back to the drawing board in search of a quicker loaf that I could make at the same time as my weekly Lazy Sunday loaf.
After last week’s Photoshop Phriday post that featured a gruyère stuffed loaf I was craving something with cheese and I wanted to find a way to improve upon my not-so-well-swirled sun-dried tomato and pesto loaf. This loaf is exactly what I was looking for. It’s a soft and chewy bread with loads of garlic, parmesan, tomatoes, and basil spread throughout. By slicing the loaf open before baking you can create a really nice visual effect for the final product.
I should warn you that the recipe below makes two loaves. Why is a warning necessary? Because the minute you slice into one of the loaves you probably won’t stop eating it until it’s gone. These finished baking right around lunchtime and my wife and I had a few pieces while still warm.
It reminded me a bit of the asiago herb and garlic bread that I made many years ago, we just kept having slice after slice. I found the recipe on Karen’s Kitchen Stories, which has a fantastic library of recipes (especially bread) if you’re ever looking for inspiration. Enjoy!
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup water
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup sugar
- 4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 large room temperature eggs
- 2 tsp salt
- 5⅔ cups bread flour (723 grams)
- 8 ounces (a small jar) of sun dried tomatoes, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 ounces grated parmesan cheese
- ⅔ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
- In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the water, sugar, yeast, milk, oil, eggs, salt, and flour.
- Knead dough on medium speed with the dough hood for about 7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and clears the sides of the bowl.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 45 minutes or until doubled.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat and dust with flour.
- Once risen turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in two.
- Roll each piece of dough into a large rectangle, about 22x8 inches. Spread half of the basic, tomatoes, garlic, and cheese over each piece of dough.
- Roll up the dough lengthwise and press firmly to create a seal. Place on the baking sheet and tuck the ends in towards the middle, creating an 'S' shape.
- Using a sharp knife slice along the middle of the 'S' about one inch deep, exposing the filling. Sprinkle with extra cheese if desired.
- Dust with flour and then cover the loaves with plastic wrap. Let the loaves rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- When ready place plan in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate, then bake another 20 minutes until the loaves are fully browned.
- Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool for 2 hours before slicing.
