Roasted Garlic & Sundried Tomato Bread

This is such a simple recipe for a roasted garlic and sundried tomato loaf. So much flavour comes from roasting the garlic and the lovely tomatoes. You can also make it just with the garlic or tomato if preferred. The garlic flavouring runs all the way through. Try it warm with butter or with any soups or curry.

Ingredients
500g bread flour/strong white flour
10g fast action yeast
10g fine sea salt
40g softened, salted butter
1 jar sun-dried tomatoes
2 garlic bulbs, cut in half

Method
– Mix the flour, salt, yeast and butter by hand and gradually add 300-330ml tap water, mixing as you go to ensure the dough isn’t too wet but has incorporated all of the ingredients.

– Knead in a stand mixer for 8-10 minutes.

– Empty the sun-dried tomatoes into a sieve over a bowl to separate the oil.

– Use some of the oil in a bowl to sit the dough in to prove (covered) until it is doubled in size.

– Drizzle some olive oil over the garlic bulbs and sprinkle some salt and pepper over them.

– Wrap in foil and cook in a pre-heated oven at 200°c for 25-30 minutes.

– Remove from the oven and leave to cool for half an hour before opening up the foil parcel.

– After the dough has risen (about 2 hours), punch out the air.

– Chop the sun-dried tomatoes into small pieces and add to the dough.

– Squeeze the garlic cloves from the bulb and knead into the bread dough with the tomatoes.

– Cut the dough in half to make two loaves.

– Try to keep all of the filling inside as you form the dough into your preferred loaf shape.

– Lightly flour a baking tray and place the shaped dough onto it, allowing space between each one to expand.

– Place in a large polythene bag if you have one (even a cereal bag will work!), to prove for another hour, until
doubled in size. Otherwise, use some cling film.

– Once proven, gently brush some of the leftover tomato oil over the top of each loaf.

– Add some of the leftover roasted garlic cloves to the top of the bread with a sprinkling of oregano.

– Pre-heat the oven to 220°c (or 200°c fan) and bake the bread for 25-30 minutes, checking after 25 minutes.

– Brush with some more of the tomato oil while still hot.

– Leave to cool slightly and then move to a cooling rack so the bottoms don’t get soggy.

– Leave for 10 minutes before slicing.

Serve with my tomato, pepper & lentil soup recipe, warm with butter or with curry or even as sandwiches.