Garlic and Herb Bread

My homemade garlic and herb bread

Hi friends! I can’t wait to tell you about my garlic and herb bread recipe. I just made it today and man does the house smell good. It’s a perfect day for baking!

I used my no-knead bread recipe, however I had made the dough last week. After rising on the counter for 24 hours, I transferred it to an air tight plastic container and put it in the fridge. It’s always good to have bread dough on hand! I was also aiming for it to develop a sour dough taste, which it did! You can store bread dough (that’s already risen on the counter) for up to two weeks in the fridge. The longer it stays, the sour-er it gets! And it’s definitely a good sour.

So fast forward to today, I took the container out and let the dough come to room temperature. From here I took about half of the dough (the other half went to regular sour dough bread, which is currently in my crockpot), then mixed in:

1/2 cup flour
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic salt
1/4 cup warm water

You could also add: basil, minced onion, rosemary, the possibilities are endless.

Mix this all up, knead for a few minutes to get all of the flavor incorporated. Then let rise for 30 mins. During this time, heat up your crockpot to High, or oven to 450. Form your dough into a ball with floured hands, and place in your cooking container. Bake for 2 hours, or until crust is a light golden brown. You can finish in the oven for 10-15 mins at 450 degrees if you want a slightly browner crust

I baked mine in the crockpot today simply because I wanted a softer bread. To do this, I sprinkle corn meal on the bottom of the crockpot so the dough doesn’t stick. Parchment paper will also work. It’s so tempting, but don’t open the lid during cooking. It will let out steam and heat, vital to the cooking process.

If you want to use your oven, preheat a casserole dish (with a lid) in the oven for 30 mins while the oven preheats and your dough rises. Then sprinkle corn meal or spread parchment paper on the bottom of the casserole dish, plop your bread in and bake for 45 minutes. Remove lid and bake an additional 15 mins.

I’m going to eat this with an olive oil and Parmesan bread dip. Happy baking!