Description
Soft, pillowy bread braided with intensely flavorful roasted garlic paste. Perfect alongside soup or on its own.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 4/5 cups (350 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
- 4/5 cup (185 g) water
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
- 1 whole head garlic
- 1 tsp olive oil
- additional oil
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, salt, and yeast in a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add the water and mix to a shaggy dough, then add the 30ml (2 Tbsp) olive oil and mix to combine.
- Knead the dough for about 8 minutes until soft and smooth.
- Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size.
- Roasted Garlic Paste
- Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins into a small bowl, keeping as much of the oil as possible. Use a small fork to mash it to a smooth paste, adding a little more oil if necessary.
- Punch down the dough and knead it together, then divide into three equal portions.
- Roll each portion out to a roughly rectangular shape about 10cm (4?) wide and 35cm (14?) long and spread each portion with the garlic paste.
- Roll the dough into long sausages, pinch them all together at one end and braid the three strands together. Pinch the other end together and transfer to a paper-lined baking sheet.
- Cover with a clean kitchen towel, allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour, and preheat oven to 230°C / 450°F.
- Brush the top with a little olive oil and bake in centre of oven until golden brown, about 25 minutes.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- For a richer garlic flavor, roast the garlic head at 400°F (200°C) for 40-45 minutes before making the paste.
- If your dough seems too dry, add a teaspoon of water at a time until it comes together.
- To prevent the bread from drying out, store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 loaf
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 400
- Fat: 15
- Saturated Fat: 5
- Unsaturated Fat: 8
- Carbohydrates: 60
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 8
- Cholesterol: 10