This bread, from the Bread Baker's Apprentice, is by far the easiest bread to make.I would make it again!
I chose to use an herb oil to top the bread.Why not?
I picked some Rosemary, Basil, and Thyme out of my garden.
I would have used Oregano, but it died...
Washed them in the salad spinner and chopped 'em up fine.
I had to add about 1/2 c. of extra flour to the dough to get it to clean the sides of my electric mixer.This is a very soft dough that is just a touch sticky.
But very fun to work with...
See how my dough is sticking its tongue at me?
The dough is stretched and folded three times.I oiled the parchment and placed the dough on it right after the last fold. This was a suggestion made by previous BBA bakers who have made this recipe.
Instead of making P. Reinhart's 2 c. of herb oil, I cut it in half.To my cut herbs, I added 3 cloves of pressed garlic,
1/8 t. onion powder
1 t. salt
and fresh cracked pepper.
I only used 1/4 c. of this herb oil. The rest will make a good dipping sauce for bread.
The 'dimpling' of the dough with my fingertips was so much fun.
I had to resist from 'stretching' the dough...
This is about as far as I got...
Just look at the bubbly goodness~
I just cover it with plastic wrap and let it go to sleep in the fridge over night.
The dough filled out to the edges of the pan nicely.
You can use whatever toppings you want.
I opted for thinly sliced fresh tomatoes
and Parmesan cheese.
Bake it to a golden brown.
After only 20 minutes out of the oven, I was able to slice it up.
The top was crispy and the crumb was light and airy.
The bottom of the crust was a little soft and wet.
Next time, I will not be oiling the parchment. I like a crisp crust on the bottom.
This is an easy, excellent tasting bread that makes great bread sticks or sliced for sandwiches.
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