Is there anything better than freshly baked bread? I think not. This Sun Dried Tomato Bread is simple to make and so full of flavour. Not to mention the beautiful colour. This little loaf of love is perfect to make when you are having a Mediterranean meal or its perfect with a warm bowl of soup. I also love serving it with meats and cheeses, this bread is a brilliant picnic loaf.
This only makes a small loaf. Often I find that bread recipes make massive loaves. Now usually I am feeding two people, just myself and my fiancee, so I am forever trying to halve recipes to create smaller more manageable bakes. This is the perfect size loaf a lovely crust with soft interior. Flavoured with Sun Dried Tomato and Italian Herbs. This is one of my favourite breads to make as its so packed with flavour and all you do is add a couple of ingredients.
Yes bread making can be a long process, however, for most of that you are not having to do much. This recipe takes 15 minutes to bring it together then an hour to rise. Shape it and leave for a further 40 minutes then bake for 35 minutes. So it’s not a quick bread but it is an easy and tasty bread – so I say well worth making. If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook this couldn’t be simpler! It can easily be done by hand but may take a little longer to knead. I often make this by hand completely and if I do use the stand mixer i will always finish kneading by hand anyway.
I use Sun Dried Tomato Paste in this recipe. You could use sun-dried tomatoes and slice them up but you would want to add a tablespoon of the oil they are stored in as well. With the paste then oil is already incorporated so that’s why I use that. I also let it rise in an oiled bowl, the oil I use there is Garlic Oil just to add a bit of flavour at that stage as well. I use that trick when I’m making pizza dough as well.
Make sure you give the bread enough time to rise both times. If you cheat and skip a step or shave off time then you can end up with a heavy dense loaf. It will still have a fantastic flavour but not the texture you want. The way to test if it is done is tap the bottom it should sound hollow, if in doubt leave it in the oven for 3 minutes longer. Over baked is better than under baked when it comes to bread.
If you are looking for more baking recipes check out my Baking & Desserts Section. If you try this Sun Dried Tomato Bread let me know what you think in the comments below and leave me a star rating. Share your pictures with me on social media, tag me or use #CUBBintheKitchen to be featured in my stories.
Happy Eating!
Sun Dried Tomato Bread
Ingredients
- 250 grams Strong White Bread Flour
- 8 grams Fast Action Dried Yeast (2 tsp)
- 2 tsp Dried Italian Herbs / Italian Seasoning
- 1 tsp Salt
- 130 ml Water (Room Temperature)
- 70 grams Sun Dried Tomato Paste
- Drizzle of Oil to grease the bowl I use Garlic Oil
Instructions
- Mix & KneadIn the bowl of a stand mixer place the Flour, Yeast, Herbs & Salt making sure the salt and yeast are seperate and not touching. With the Dough hook attached mix for 2 minutes. Add the Water and Sun Dried Tomato Paste and mix until the dough is smooth and when gently pressed springs back. This should take about 10 minutes. If you do not have a stand mixer use a large mixing bowl and use a whisk to mix the Flour, Yeast, Herbs and Salt then I suggest your hands once you add the Water and Sun Dried Tomato Paste but you can use a fork to bring it togther then knead with your hands. Until the dough is smooth and elastic. Using the same press test gently press the dough and it should spring back.
- Double in SizePlace the dough in a lightly oiled large bowl cover with a clean tea towel and place in a warmish place – I use a nook under a radiator or on the windowsill in the sun. Leave it for 1 hour until doubled in size.Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a round tight loaf place on a lightly floured baking tray cover with the tea towel and leave for 45 mins until doubled in size.Preheat the oven to 180ºC or 160ºC Fan
- BakeOnce doubled in size you can use a sharp knife to slash the top if you wish. Then bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes. Once cooked it should sound hollow if you tap the bottom.Allow to cool before slicing if you can on a wire rack then enjoy!
