We’ve got a delicious tear and share smoked garlic bread for this week’s Cakes & Bakes post.
The majority of the recipe comes courtesy of Jamie Oliver with a few additions, omissions and twists. I can almost hear him say that, so it’s very apt.
Jamie’s recipe uses plain, fresh cloves of garlic. I used the smoked garlic bulb that we had in our veg rack. I omitted the chopped parsley when making the garlic butter – I can’t stand it – despite the fact that the breath freshening properties would come in handy! Finally, he adds a teaspoonful of cayenne pepper which I swapped for smoked paprika – double smoky loveliness!
It has lots of air, yet it’s substantial too. The breadcrumbs are a revelation, adding a great crispy crunch. The garlic butter is punchy & intense. We used the word delicious at the start, but we’ll also throw in flavoursome, comforting and generally stupendous!
It’s the perfect bread to have on the side of a saucy pasta dish or bowl of salad.
Click here to save the smoked garlic bread recipe to Pinterest for later!
- 800g/28oz strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting
- 7g/¼oz dried yeast
- 1tsp salt
- 550ml/19 fl oz tepid water
- 100g/3½oz stale breadcrumbs
- ½ bulb smoked garlic
- 250g/9oz butter, softened
- 1tsp smoked paprika
- pinch of sea salt
- Put the flour, yeast and 1 teaspoon of sea salt into a large bowl and make a well in the middle
- Gradually pour in the water, continuously stirring and bringing in the flour from the outside as you go to form a rough dough
- Transfer to a flour-dusted surface and knead for 10 minutes, or until smooth and springy
- Place in a bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and prove in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size
- Use this time to make the butter. Use a garlic crusher or mini-food processor to crush the garlic into the softened butter
- Add the smoked paprika and a pinch of salt, then mix it all together
- Remove half to use in this recipe, then spoon the rest onto a sheet of greaseproof paper, roll it up into a log and twist the ends like a Christmas cracker, then pop into the freezer for up to 6 months for future use
- Using a pastry brush, spread ⅓ of your soft butter portion all around the base and sides of a large metal tray (25cm x 35cm), then scatter in the breadcrumbs and shake around into an even layer so they stick to the butter
- Divide up the dough into 35 pieces, then, one-by-one, roll each one into a ball and place into the tray in rows – 5 balls across and 7 balls long is perfect
- Brush over another ⅓ of the soft butter, in and around the balls
- Leave to prove for another hour and a half or until doubled in size again
- Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas 5
- Sprinkle the balls with a little sea salt before baking on the bottom shelf of the oven for 30 minutes, or until lovely and golden
- Brush over that final ⅓ of butter spreading it around to give the bread a beautiful shine
- Serve straight away
2 thoughts on “Cakes & Bakes: Tear & share smoked garlic bread”
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How delicious. A great twist on garlic butter, too. I like to make my own flavoured butter and have some wooden butter pats tucked away somewhere to make lovely round balls suitable for serving.
I love baking my own bread & love the idea of making my own garlic butter. Am adding this recipe to my recipe folder on pinterest