Tomato and Basil Loaf
After what has been a hectic morning, here is the Tomato and Basil Loaf recipe. I wish you better luck than I have had, and any hints and tips would be very gratefully appreciated. My problem seems to be in getting the bread to rise.
Ingredients (Makes 2 good sized loaves)
300ml/10fl oz/1 ¼ cups warm water
1 sachet Asda or equivalent dried yeast (this is probably equivalent to about 2tsp)
Pinch sugar
15ml/1tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
450g/1lb/4 cups strong white Bread Making Flour
5ml/1tsp salt
1.5ml/1/4 tsp black pepper
50g/2oz/1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
15ml/1tbsp sun dried tomato paste
15ml/1tbsp chopped fresh basil (1 – 2 tsp dried will do)
15ml/1tbsp chopped fresh parsley (1 – 2 tsp dried will do)
1. Put half the warm water in a jug. Sprinkle the yeast on top. Add the sugar, mix well and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
2. Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan and fry the onion gently until golden brown.
3. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl with the salt and pepper. Make a well in the centre. Add the yeast mixture, the fried onion (with the oil) the sun dried tomatoes, sun dried tomato paste, herbs and remaining water. Gradually incorporate the flour and mix to a soft dough, adding a little extra water if necessary.
4. Turn the dough on to a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. (The recipe says 5 minutes but I think 10 to 15 might be better)
Place in a mixing bowl, cover with a damp dish towel and leave in a warm place to rise for about 2 hours until the dough has doubled in bulk. . Lightly grease a baking tray. (I find that greasing it with olive oil is good. Never never never use 1 cal spray or the bottom of your bread will be a burned black mess!!!)
5. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead again for a few minutes. Split the dough into two and roll out to form 2 loaves. Place on the prepared baking tray. Cover and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes until well risen. Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/Gas 7.
6. Dust the loaf with a little flour. Bake for 10 minutes then lower the oven temperature to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas 6. Bake for 20 minutes more, or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool slightly before serving.
Ingredients (Makes 2 good sized loaves)
300ml/10fl oz/1 ¼ cups warm water
1 sachet Asda or equivalent dried yeast (this is probably equivalent to about 2tsp)
Pinch sugar
15ml/1tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
450g/1lb/4 cups strong white Bread Making Flour
5ml/1tsp salt
1.5ml/1/4 tsp black pepper
50g/2oz/1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
15ml/1tbsp sun dried tomato paste
15ml/1tbsp chopped fresh basil (1 – 2 tsp dried will do)
15ml/1tbsp chopped fresh parsley (1 – 2 tsp dried will do)
1. Put half the warm water in a jug. Sprinkle the yeast on top. Add the sugar, mix well and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
2. Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan and fry the onion gently until golden brown.
3. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl with the salt and pepper. Make a well in the centre. Add the yeast mixture, the fried onion (with the oil) the sun dried tomatoes, sun dried tomato paste, herbs and remaining water. Gradually incorporate the flour and mix to a soft dough, adding a little extra water if necessary.
4. Turn the dough on to a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. (The recipe says 5 minutes but I think 10 to 15 might be better)
Place in a mixing bowl, cover with a damp dish towel and leave in a warm place to rise for about 2 hours until the dough has doubled in bulk. . Lightly grease a baking tray. (I find that greasing it with olive oil is good. Never never never use 1 cal spray or the bottom of your bread will be a burned black mess!!!)
5. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead again for a few minutes. Split the dough into two and roll out to form 2 loaves. Place on the prepared baking tray. Cover and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes until well risen. Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/Gas 7.
6. Dust the loaf with a little flour. Bake for 10 minutes then lower the oven temperature to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas 6. Bake for 20 minutes more, or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool slightly before serving.
6 comments:
Sounds like a nice recipe - will definetely give it a go at some point...
If the bread is not rising, maybe you've got a problem with your yeast? Maybe it's too old or "tired" - you could test it with a bit of water and sugar ... Or maybe the water was just too hot and killed it? Also, I normally mix the yeast directly with the flour and everything but I can't see how that would make a big difference. Hey, what do I know anyway! Good luck if you try again!
Actually Pepette, you might have hit the nail on the head. The water was boiling - straight out of a boiled kettle. I will use cooler water next time. You may have saved my bread making. Merci Beaucoup.
Avec plaisir :)
The water needs to be about blood temperature or just higher, if it's so hot that you can't dip your fingers in, it's too hot!
Looking forward to more recipes now !!!
Thanks Pepette
I'm now looking forward to making the bread again and actually having it rise this time!
Please note that I made a mistake in the first posting of this recipe. Please substitute basil for oregano which I had put in originally and have now changed back to basil. I had taken this recipe from one for olive and oregano bread.
Pepette is right and you should proof your yeast (http://allrecipes.com/howto/proofing-yeast/detail.aspx) before you start with the rest of the baking otherwise things get really disappointing when you spend all this time making bread only for it to not rise.
I'm not much of a baker but that recipe seems really tasty and I should try it one day.
Thanks Graeme. I've had a look at the link and its extremely helpful. I tried the bread again last weekend and it was a lot better, although I will give this a try and it should be even better than that. Thanks a lot. This has been very helpful.
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