24 January 2011

Garlic Loaves!

If you haven't already realized, I am obsessed (read: totally fucking obsessed) with two food items: Chickpeas and Garlic. They feature in a significant majority of my recipes. Really, can you ever trust a person that doesn't like garlic or chickpeas? I sure as hell can't.  So, if you're a hater, you may want to leave now and save yourself the trouble.

Okay, enough of that. Bread. I am infatuated with bread lately. If you read my garlic naan post, you'll know that I had a love/hate relationship with bread: love to eat it, hated to make it. In fact, I was downright scared of trying my hand at yeasted breads after several failed attempts (that may or may not have ended in tears). In effect, the naan helped me a bit with overcoming some of my bread fears. This bread helped me even more. My bread confidence is slowly building. These garlic loaves are dense and hearty and packed with garlicky goodness.

Bread + Garlic = Mouthgasm.

This recipe is based on Robin Robertson's recipe for garlic bread in 1000 Vegan Recipes. I changed it a bit to fit my own tastes. The recipe that follows is my version. It makes 2 thicker baguette-style loaves or one giant regular loaf. Also, it seems to get more garlicky as it sits overnight (cooked, of course). I love it, especially with my winter stew.

Ingredients:
  •  3 cups bread flour (all-purpose is fine, too)
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (This is the equivalent of 1 packet)
  • 7-8 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2 TB olive oil
  • 1 TB sugar
  • 3/4 cup warm water (110-120 degrees)
  • 2/3 cup plain almond milk, warmed up
  • 1/4 cup silken tofu, drained
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp garlic salt
  • 1 1/2 TB garlic powder
Method:
  1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Now, tear off a square of foil. Put the garlic cloves in the foil and drizzle 1 TB of oil over them. Then, gather up the edges of the foil and twist shut. You'll essentially be steaming the garlic in the little packet. Now, put in your oven and cook about 15-25 minutes. You'll know it's done when your house suddenly smells of garlic. Take the packet out and use a fork to mash the garlic into a paste. Cover, and set aside.  
  2. Now, get a smallish bowl (think cereal bowl) and combine the water, yeast and sugar. Give it a few stirs so all the yeast gets wet. Set aside 10 minutes. It should be nice and foamy/frothy when it is ready.
  3. Put the milk, tofu, 1 TB olive oil, mashed garlic, salt, garlic salt, and garlic powder in a blender of food processor. Blend until fully combined and smooth.
  4. Get a large bowl and put your flours in, saving 1/2 cup of the white flour aside to use while kneading. 
  5. Gently mix in the milk mixture and the yeast mixture. I used my hands, but you could use a spoon. Whatever floats your bread boat.
  6. Now, you will need to sprinkle a bit of the flour on a flat surface and knead for about 8 minutes. Sprinkle in some flour as you go. You want the dough only marginally sticky. It should be somewhat soft, too. Just leave the dough in one big ball for this first rise. It was a smidge larger than a grapefruit, if I remember correctly (which I may not...)
  7. Get a baking sheet and cover with parchment or silicone sheet. I gave mine a quick spray with some olive oil cooking spray, just because.Then, place your dough ball on the sheet and lightly oil the top with cooking spray or use a brush and some olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel for about 90 minutes. You'll want the ball to double in size. It may or may not happen in 90 minutes, so be forewarned. It all depends on the temperature of the room and such, so I turned my oven on low and sat the baking sheet on top so it would be warmed a bit and would rise more quickly.
  8. Turn your oven on to 425 degrees F. 
  9. Divide your dough into 2 equal-sized dough balls. Shape each into a long, skinny loaf. 
  10. Cover again with plastic wrap or a towel, and let rise another 25 minutes. They should be about doubled again. I made a few slashes in my loaves, but you don't have to. 
  11. Now bake about 22-26 minutes on a middle rack, until loaves are browned and the bottoms sound hollow if tapped.
  12. Let cool at least 30 minutes on a rack before cutting into them.

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