Warm bread for a chilly evening
With the monsoon still going strong, one longs for the warm delicious smell of fresh bread baking in the oven. Teamed with a hearty soup or eaten all by itself, warm breads make for a great simple snack or meal that is light on the tummy. This easy recipe bursts with flavours thanks to the fresh dill that is so readily available everywhere and sundried tomatoes that add their own tangy zing. Make sure you keep the bread in a nice warm place to prove (rise) so that you have a good, light bread.
Ingredients:
½ cup warm water
1 tbsp dry yeast
½ tsp sugar
400 gm all-purpose flour
1 egg
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp salt
6 pieces sundried tomatoes (drained and finely chopped)
¼ cup finely-chopped fresh dill
Method:
1. Combine water with yeast and sugar in a glass bowl. Gently mix with a spoon, cover and keep aside for 10 minutes to allow yeast to froth.
2. Transfer flour to a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the yeast water to the well and using your fingertips gently knead the water into the flour. Add the egg with half the olive oil and knead the mixture to make smooth soft dough. (Very little water may also be mixed in if required when kneading.) Cover the dough with a moist kitchen towel and keep aside in a warm place for two hours or till dough rises to become double in volume.
3. When the dough has risen, knock it back and knead in salt, dill and chopped-sundried tomatoes. Knead the dough for four to five minutes and press into a well-greased loaf tin. Cover with moist kitchen towel and keep aside for 30 minutes in a warm place.
4. Preheat oven to 225˚C.
5. When the dough has risen a second time, place tin in the centre rack and bake for 25 to 30 minutes till the bread is baked and golden on the surface.
6. Remove from oven, and remove the loaf from the tin and immediately brush all over with remaining olive oil. Keep aside to cool.
(TIP: Sundried tomatoes can be easily substituted with fresh tomatoes. Simply, toss finely chopped fresh tomatoes with some salt, pepper, finely-chopped garlic and chili flakes (or crushed green chilies) and sauté for half a minute. )
Image courtesy: Michael Swamy
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