Bread Challenge Week 21
When I make salads for dinner there must be some sort of chicken or shrimp in order for it to pass the Luke test. Serving bread with the meal only helps my cause. Luke isn’t a picky eater, he just requires protein to feel full. It is am interesting thing being married to a man that needs to almost stuff himself at every meal and snack throughout the day in order to maintain his weight.
This week I planned salad for dinner as one of my quick and easy meals for the week. I planned for our salads to have lots of shrimp, avocado, mango, red pepper and onion which I knew would be a hit with Luke and Maddy but as a last minute addition I decided to make some bread to go with our meal that afternoon. Garlic-Studded Baguette from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day to be exact.
The very most important thing you need to know about this bread is while baking it will fill your house with the heavenly smell of roasting garlic. I was talking with a neighbor out in our driveway while the bread was baking and she commented on the amazing garlic smell coming from my house. The next thing you need to know is the bread has a wonderful balance of soft and chewy inside and lightly crusty outside. We really enjoyed this bread. So much so that we (Luke and Maddy) ate almost the entire loaf.
This bread takes about 10 minute of hands on time, about 2 hours of rising total, and about 25 minutes to bake. Keep in mind that rising time can be affected by how warm or cool it is in your house. Zoë François’s recipe is simple, well written and uses basic household ingredients with the exception of vital wheat gluten which is fairly easy to find in your local grocery.
This recipe is versatile for the simple fact that it gives the option to use a number of basic recipes from throughout the cookbook. I chose to use the Whole Wheat Bread with Olive Oil as my base recipe and I was very happy with the result. Beyond the choice in starting recipes I can see this bread becoming much more than just a baguette. Individual rolls studded with garlic instead of a whole baguette would be a fun twist or if the baguette is sliced in half it would make a good hoagie base fit for guests.
Bottom line, I’m making this again and probably soon. The delicious roasted garlic on top is only part of the reason, even if I did eat more whole garlic cloves than one should if she ever wants to be kissed again.
Flavor: 5
Hands on Time: 5
Total time: 3
Recipe: 5
versatility: 4
make it again: 5
Catherine: 1
Luke: 1
Maddy: 1
Total Score: 30
(what is this Bread Challenge and how are recipes scored?)
Previous Bread Challenge reviews and scores:
Quinoa Bread – Week 20
Asiago Herb and Garlic Bread – Week 19
Cranberry Pecan Rye Bread – Week 18
Rotis – Whole Wheat Unleavened Bread- Week 17
Farmhouse White Loaf – Week 16
Honey Whole Wheat Slow Cooker Bread – Week 15
The Easiest Loaf of Bread You’ll Ever Bake – Week 14
Hot Cross Buns – Week 13
100% Whole Wheat Bread – Week 12
Thin Wheat Crackers – Week 11
Irish Soda Bread – Week 10
Double Blueberry Muffins – Week 9
Oatmeal Batter Bread – Week 8
Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls – Week 7
Cheesy Pretzels – Week 6
Light Rye Bread – Week 5
Country-Style Whole-Wheat Pita – Week 4
Carrot Raisin Quick Bread – Week 3
Potato Bread – Week 2
Focaccia – Week 1
