Real Garlic Bread

Recipe can be found @ Zesty South Indian Kitchen

What you need

Preferment

Bread flour: 1 cup/161g (I used unbleached King Arthur flour)

Sea salt: 1/8 teaspoon

Sourdough: 1/2cup/103g (I used 100% hydration starter)

Water: ¾ cup/161g(95F-101F)

Dough

Water: 7 ounce/202g

Whole white wheat flour: 2cup/306g

Sea salt: 1 1/2 teaspoon/9g

Extra virgin olive oil: ¼ cup

For filling

Garlic heads: 3 no/136g

Salt ½ teaspoon: 3 g

Water: 1 ¼ cup/260g

Balsamic vinegar: 1 tablespoon/12g

Granulated Sugar: ½ tablespoon/ 8g

Black pepper: 1/2 teaspoon/2g

Dried rosemary: ¼ teaspoon/1g ( if you have fresh rosemary in hand use that)

How I made

Day before baking

In a medium bowl mix bread flour, salt, sourdough and water to form a loose batter and set aside for ferment at room temperature for 5 hours. You will see some bubbling action at end of fermentation time. You can store the preferment in the refrigerator at this time.

Next morning bring the preferment to room temperature by keeping them out for about 1 hour 20 minutes. Still they are cold to touch increase the water temperature of the dough (By microwaving water for 20 seconds at high).

On the baking day

In the large bowl combine all the preferment, white whole wheat flour, water and salt and mix everything to form very sticky dough. Set aside by loosely covering them with plastic wrap for 20 minutes for autolyse.

After twenty minutes knead the dough in the bowl to form a slightly smooth but sticky and top the dough with 2 tablespoon of olive oil and set aside for ferment at 2 hours by covering them plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel.

In the mean time prepare the filling. In a saucepot add 1 cup of water and bring to boil to this add garlic cloves and let it simmer for 4 minutes. Then remove from the fire and strain it using a strainer and set aside for cool. When they are cool enough to touch peel the skin and set aside.

In a skillet heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and add garlic cloves and fry them until both sides become golden brown color( Make sure not to let garlic burn, if it burn it is not useable).It takes about 5 minutes in low flame.

In a bowl mix ¼ cups of water, balsamic vinegar, salt, sugar, black pepper and rosemary. Add this mixture to garlic cloves and let the balsamic vinegar gets reduce and coat the garlic cloves. It takes about 6 minutes and set aside for cool.

In lightly oiled flour or table transfer the dough and fold from side first and then fold from opposite side to form a parcel and set aside for 30 minutes to ferment by covering them with plastic wrap.

After 30 minutes again bring back the dough the lightly oiled area and spread it into rectangle and fold again from sides and then from opposite sides and make a parcel and set aside for another 30 minutes fermentation.

After 30 minutes of second fermentation spread the dough into rectangle and lightly press the caramelized garlic cloves to 2/3 rd of the dough. Then start folding from the side which doesn’t have garlic cloves and then fold from opposite sides and make parcel and set aside for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes remove oil from the work surface and well flour the area. Bring the dough and spread the dough into rectangle and again fold to from sides and opposite sides to form a parcel and set aside for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes cut it into two equal pieces form a batard/loaf transfer to well floured tea towel placed in a try. Place the dough cut side upward on the tray then pinches the fabric between each so that they stay separated. Cover and let it allow rising for another 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, carefully transfer the batard into baking tray sprinkle with cornmeal/semolina. (Make sure that no garlic cloves gets exposed, then they burn and become bitter).

By the end of rising time preheat oven to 390 F and Place the baking sheet in the oven. Keep an empty broiler pan in the lower rack of oven. Add boiling hot water into the broiler pan when you are ready to bake the bread. (This will create steam, necessary to make the thick crust).

Bake the bread for about 35 minute or until they brown in color. Or they register 195 -200F in the instant thermometer. Immediately transfer them to cooling rack and let it cool for 2 hours.

Slice and enjoy as much you want.

We become total fan of this bread. Once again don’t intimidate by these steps all efforts are worth to get this delicious bread.

Preparation time: Preferment: 5 hours+ Autolyse: 20 minutes+ Dough: 2hours, Filling: 15mintues, First fold: 30 minutes, second fold: 30 minutes, third fold: 30 minutes, 4th fold: 30 minutes, 5th fold: 20 minutes+ 45 minutes second rising time+ 35 minutes baking time

Total: 12 hours

Yield: 2 loaves

Verdict: Yummy

Will you make it again: Yes I will