Garlic and Herb Swirl Bread

When we went over to Jonathan and Priscilla’s to make a batch of caramels together A Whole Lot Of Caramels we also enjoyed a delicious dinner and great company too, as we always do. When Priscilla and I get together, we always share the food preparations and menu. She told me was she was going to make, and I asked what she wanted me to bring. She said she was going to buy some bread, and I offered to make some instead. I love baking bread. There is something very therapeutic about it to me. I will find and make any opportunity to bake bread. Having dinner with great friends is a great opportunity for me to bake some bread. I chose to make a garlic and herb swirl bread for the occasion. It went perfectly with the steak, smashed potatoes and salad that Priscilla had made.

Garlic & Herb Swirl Bread

3 1/2-4 cups flour

2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast

3/4 cup warmed milk

6 TBSP butter

2 TBSP sugar

1 tsp salt

3 eggs lightly beaten

1-2 tsp each dried basil, oregano, thyme & marjoram – You can also use fresh herbs, but it would be about 1 TBSP of each herb

1/4 cup shredded Parmigiano cheese

2 TBSP sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped fine

1 TBSP garlic

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

melted butter

Mix the dry ingredients together, including the yeast. In a small saucepan, add the milk, 2 TBSP of butter, sugar and salt and bring to about 120-130* F or 48-54*C. Then add to the flour mixture. Add the eggs, cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic. Stir in as much as you can. This will be a very soft, sticky dough.

Turn the flour mixture onto a floured surface with the remaining flour and start kneading it all together to make a soft dough. Shape into a ball and rub a large bowl with olive oil and add the dough. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour or until the dough doubles in size.

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Then turn it onto a lightly floured surface once again and roll into a rectangle about 18″ long.

Roll it up and pinch the seam tightly to seal. With a sharp serrated knife, slice down the center of the roll, leaving the ends connected. Then start twisting the dough in a braided fashion.

Once the dough is braided, start forming into an “S” shape, rolling both ends to the center in the opposite direction. Tuck the ends in at the bottom.

Place the loaf on a parchment lined baking pan, cover and let rise once again for about 45-60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375*F or 191*C.

Brush some melted butter on the top of the bread and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and hollow when tapped on the bottom.

If you like, you can add more melted butter as soon as the bread comes out of the oven and top with fresh chopped herbs right before serving.

This bread was so soft, tender and moist and was a huge hit. All of us loved it. I need to make some more again real soon too. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Life is always better when served with great friends and great food. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.