Recipe: Sourdough Garlic Bread

Delicious as a side with soup, pizza, pasta dishes, and salad - or even just by itself - this garlic bread is perfect for garlic lovers!

The Ingredients

I love baking bread, especially sourdough. I make my own sourdough starter and then keep it alive by feeding it periodically. Some people find it hard to keep a sourdough alive in Queensland, but I've never had a problem - I keep it in the fridge where it won't get too warm.

Bread dough divided in half

Well-risen loaves waiting for the oven

Beautiful bread, all baked....

Garlic butter is delicious and easy to make. Use any leftover garlic butter for savoury sandwiches, burgers, fried or scrambled eggs, a garlicky addition to mashed potatoes, or anything else that requires butter and the benefit of a garlic flavour!

Garlic butter spread between each slice ready to grill!

Sourdough Garlic Bread

Ingredients:

• 450g khorasan flour

• 50g rye flour

• 10g salt

• 5g dried instant yeast

• 100g fresh sourdough starter

• 320g water

Garlic butter:

• 125g butter, softened

• 3 - 5 fresh garlic cloves, peeled (depending on clove size and desired strength)

• 1 tsp salt

• Sprinkle of dried or fresh finely chopped parsley and oregano

Directions:

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and add the sourdough starter and water. Mix into a dough, then knead. The dough will be a little sticky; just keep kneading for 5-10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

2. Shape dough into a ball, then rise in bowl with a bowl cover or tea towel for a minimum of 2 hours or until doubled in size.

3. Tip dough onto very lightly floured work surface. Shape into a ball, then divide dough evenly in half. Shape each half into a short baguette and set on a lined baking tray to rise for 1 hour or until well risen, covering the loaves with a tea towel during rising. Preheat oven to 200°C.

4. Bake baguettes for 20 minutes. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

5. To make garlic butter: Crush, finely grate, or very finely dice garlic cloves. Combine butter, crushed garlic, salt, parsley and oregano in a small bowl. Mix well.

6. Slice bread by cutting through almost to the bottom crust of the loaf - make sure to leave the bottom crust of the whole loaf intact. Spread a lump of butter in each gap between each slice and press together. Wrap the whole loaf in a sheet of baking paper followed by a sheet of aluminium foil. Place either in warm (150°C) oven or under a grill for about 10 minutes to melt the butter and slightly toast the crust of the bread.

7. Serve immediately, cutting through the bottom crust to separate each slice. Enjoy! Leftovers may be reheated in the paper and foil in a griller.

Cooking time: 30 mins plus 3 hours of rising

Serves: 3-4