I wanted to let this dough sit in the fridge for a few days but after eating nothing besides sweets today, I got hungry around 10 p.m. and decided I could not wait a few days.
This warm garlicky bread hit the spot. I didn’t even wait for it to cool down – just sliced right into it and slathered the butt end of the bread with butter. Despite its name, this bread is heavy on garlic and light on the potato flavor. Though maybe it’s only heavy on the garlic flavor because I have a heavy hand when adding garlic to any dish?
ingredients.
- 1 whole head of garlic
- 1 c. mashed potato
- 3 c. lukewarm potato water (reserved from making mashed potatoes)
- 1 1/2 T. instant yeast
- 1 1/2 T. Kosher salt
- 1 1/2 T. sugar
- 6 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
- cornmeal
directions.
- Roast a whole head of garlic by wrapping it in aluminum foil and baking for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Allow to cool and cut off the top of the head. Squeeze out the roasted garlic, measure 2 tablespoons, and set aside.
- Mix the yeast, salt, sugar, mashed potato, and garlic with water using a spoon, food processor with dough attachment, or heavy-duty stand mixer with a dough hook. Add flour and mix until incorporated.
- Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately two hours.
- The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise or refrigerated in a lidded container and used within 7 days.
- When you’re ready to bake, dust the surface of the dough with flour and cut off a hunk of dough approximately the size of large orange or grapefruit. Dust the chunk of dough with flour and quickly shape the dough into a ball. Stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the dough a quarter of a turn. Flatten slightly and allow to rest and rise on a piece of parchment paper dusted with cornmeal for 60 minutes.
- Place a baking stone on the top rack (in the middle of the oven) and an empty broiling pan on the rack below the stone. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Just before baking sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and slash a cross, scallop or tic-tac-toe pattern into the top using a serrated bread knife.
- Set the bread on the hot baking stone and quickly pour 1 cup of water into the broiling pan beneath the stone. Close the oven door as quick as possible. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, until deeply browned and firm.
- Cool on a wire rack (to avoid a soggy bottom) before cutting or eating.
Recipe rating:
Food Snob 