Garlic and Sage Bread

I have overcome my fear of yeast. And how!! I was eyeing the recipe for cheese and potato bread in the book "Favorite Vegetarian Dishes" after my success with the masala buns. I asked S what kind of bread I should bake and he instantly said, "garlic".

I should have known. Both of us love the taste of garlic in our food and I sometimes add it in recipes where the recipe doesn't call for any. S's colleague keeps asking me to not use it because he doesn't like it. But then, S and I need to be catered to as well, right? Every once in a while I make an utterly garlicky dish and today is one of those days.

I had to modify the recipe of the Garlic and Sage Bread that I found in the same book. I continue to be completely out of normal flour. The recipe calls for dry yeast and my fruit buns used the same thing. I'd much rather use fresh yeast. Especially since I brought back a huge packet of the same from the I.N.A. market on Sunday. And I can't be bothered to go find fresh sage. And last, but not the least, I have no idea what sea salt is. I also decided to add some cheese for the garnish which didn't seem like a very good idea when the bread was ready. But then it is hindsight that is 20:20.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour/ Atta

1 1/2 tbsp Fresh Yeast

3 tbsp Sage

2 tsp Salt

3 tbsp Chopped Garlic

1 tsp Honey

2/3 cup Water, tepid

1/2 slice Low Fat Cheese, cut into strips (optional)

In a large mixing bowl, add the water, honey and 1 tsp salt. Mix well. Add the yeast and dissolve completely. Add the sage, wheat flour and 2 tbsp garlic and mix well to form a dough. Turn the dough on to a floured surface and knead it for 5 minutes.

Place the dough in a covered greased bowl and allow to rise in a warm place until double in size. (60-90 minutes.) Knead again for a couple of minutes and then shape into a circle. Place the dough on a greased baking tray and allow to rise for another 30 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining garlic and salt over this ring. Place the cheese strips over the dough and bake in a preheated oven at 400F for 25 minutes.

Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.

This bread is very crusty on the outside but soft on the inside. I think I am going to make some soup to go with it tonight. It also seems like the ideal bread to make crostinis or bruschettas.

I'm enjoying this new phase in my life. The one in which I befriended Mr. Yeast. I have a long list of things I want to make. And high in terms of priority is Amma's handmade pizza. I plan to try that with whole wheat flour as well. Anita’s blogpost on whole wheat potato bread has tips for substituting wheat flour for flour. This has opened up so many possibilities. Thanks Anita.

My first bread making experiment is off to Melissa from Cooking Diva for this weekend's Weekend Herb Blogging, started by Kalyn.

I have to thank my dearest friend Shobha for her interest in bread making. Long before I entered the world of food blogging, Shob's emails about the bread she made with pictures got me interested in this art.