Garlic Bread...with herbs!

Herbaceous!
So much green!
So flavourful!
So good for your health!
So great on your taste buds!
Garlic bread ...with herbs!

All made at home....bread is extremely comforting....even more than sugar laden cakes and cookies.
And if it is warm and full of the amazing flavours of fresh herbs and garlic....Awesome
This is the basic white bread -with a difference.
I really want to use an amazing adjective praising bread...heard It long time ago on a Brit stand up comedy show...the word stuck ! and here it fits....


Fandabidozi !


pronounced "fan""dabi""dozi"!


So well after reading about the kind of stuff that is put into commercially prepared bread...I feel its better to bake two loaves a week than to buy them from the store...that brings to mind the "GIGO" bit we all teach our kids.....better to put good stuff in ...whatever comes out...who cares..

you  can use it for toast,dunk it in your soup,as a homemade sub,as the pseudo french bread for your bruschetta...the sky is the limit!



So to make this freaking good bread....

for this 

Garlic Bread...with herbs! 

you need 

3 1/2 cups of flour

1 1/2 tsp dried yeast

250 mils warm milk

1 +1 Tsp melted butter 

1+1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt + extra for sprinkling

1 heaped tbsp chopped garlic

2 tbsp each chopped fresh coriander and basil

1 tsp dried dill(if you have fresh...use as much as you want)
 1/2 cup warm water


In the warm water add 1 tsp of the sugar and all the yeast.

Set aside after lightly mixing.The two ingredients blend together to produce....GAS! carbon dioxide.....that's what works on your bread.after  5 minutes the mix should look like this!

Get the herbs and  the garlic  ready---not by dressing them up for the slaughter ,but by chopping them finely!

In a big bowl place 3 cups of the flour,add the salt and the sugar.Make a well in the mixed flour...

Pour in the yeast and the melted butter , the garlic and the chopped herbs,

I used my kneading blades here...total waste of time.But clean hands give clean pictures...so bear with me.Knead the dough with the warm milk.The dough is sticky ,now add in whatever amount of the flour needed to  make a dough.You will need to Knead for at least 5 minutes.

Cover and leave to prove for at least an hour.When it has doubled,bring it out and vent all your anger on the dough.Provided you are the "angry young man" types!Therapeutic ,bread making is...and also never complains.....even to your mum!

The worktop is floured ...we don't want to leave too many tell tale signs.....once beaten into submission...the dough must be cut into three equal sizes....You can leave it as one simple baguette....but plaiting always brings back memories...of my mum forcing my sisters hair into one plait...and all the cussing that went with it every morning!Baking is all about reliving the memories...no Jiya???

Shape the tree balls into  three sausage like things...

Devils Pitchfork or Poseidon's Trident???
Pinch them together on one side and plait the logs"?" of dough...into...

Placed on a greased piece of Al foil...saves up the cleaning later and slathered with the remaining one tsp butter.You can sprinkle some salt on the bread at this stage...gives an absolutely yummy salty ,buttery crust.
Cover and leave for a hour.Set your oven at 200C after an hour and pop in the risen plaited bread.

This bread takes between 30-40 minutes.Always economical and labour saving to bake two loaves together....Not that I do that...you can!
After it came out...

and the loaf sliced...

The basil gave a nice aroma in which the dhania coriander to most, got lost....for Indians..dhania is more out of habit.....Could have been omitted here.....and the dill...that almost acted as Faux Butter...gave the impression of there being more butter than there was.
Toasted,with soup...made a wholesome dinner.


This was for you Poonam Bedi...get inspired from your best friend...start eating! 
Bake it for Shine!Tell me how he liked it.


Did he say Fandabidozi by any chance?? 



I really miss you guys...Lets get together soon!


So what are you baking today???