Tomato Herb Loaves for #BreadBakers

I made these loaves for the #BreadBakers' November event. See the bottom of this post for more information about this great bread baking group.

Our hostess this month is Holly of A Baker's House. Thanks, Holly!

This was my first month making and using a biga, also called a poolish. I used part of the biga in my Crusty Pumpkin Rosemary Bread for #twelveloaves last week. I'm using another part of the biga for this delicious creation.

Making a biga takes a little bit longer, but made for a softer crumb. It's certainly worth the effort!

Ingredients makes 3 mini loaves

Biga (a pre-ferment)

• 3 1/2 C bread flour
• 2 C water, room temperature
• 1/2 t instant dry yeast

Whisk all the ingredients together and allow it to stand for at room temperature for between 6 and 36 hours; mine fermented for over 24 hours. The biga will begin to ferment, getting gassy and bubbly. You'll use 1-1/2 C biga for this bread recipe. The remaining biga can be stored in the fridge, covered. You can keep the biga alive by discarding some of the biga every couple of days, and adding an equal amount of water and bread flour and giving it a firm stir.

The Bread

• 1 1/2 C biga
• 1 C marinara sauce
• 2 T chopped herbs (I used a mixture of basil, oregano, and parsley)
• 3/4 C water, room temperature
• 1 T fresh yeast
• 1 T honey
• 4 1/2 C organic bread flour
• salt for sprinkling
• caraway seeds for sprinkling

Procedure
In a large mixing bowl, mix together all of the ingredients except for the salt and caraway seeds. Stir with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. It took me about 8 minutes.

Place the dough in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, cover the bowl with a towel, and let the dough to rest for an hour.

After an hour, divide the dough into thirds. Roll the dough into a cylinder, tucking the ends of the dough neatly underneath to form a short, chubby baguette. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer the log of dough to the sheet. Sprinkle the top with salt and caraway seeds. Space the loaves so they have room to rise. Let bread rise for 2 to 3 hours.

After three hours, the dough should be nicely puffed but not quite doubled in size.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Slash diagonal cuts into the top of your bread. Drizzle with olive oil.

Place a pan of water on the bottom rack. Bake the bread for about 50 minutes. The crust should be browned and crisp. When you pick up the loaf, give it a thump on the bottom. It should sound hollow. Allow the bread to cool before slicing and tasting.

Here's what's in the bread basket this month...

• Brown Butter Sage Biscuits by Sophia at Sweet Cinnamon & Honey 
• Butterflake Rolls by Anshie at Spice Roots 
• Buttermilk Rolls by Renee at Magnolia Days 
• Cast Iron Parker House Rolls by Veronica at My Catholic Kitchen 
• Cheese & Mustard Pull Apart Bread by Laura at Baking in Pyjamas 
• Classic Anise Dinner Rolls by Kathya at Basic N Delicious 
• Crusty French Bread Rolls by Robin at A Shaggy Dough Story 
• Gruyère Gougères by Nicole at The 2nd 35 Years 
• No Knead Dinner Rolls by Heather at Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks 
• Parker House Rolls by Tara at Noshing With The Nolands 
• Parmesan Garlic Knots by Lauren at From Gate to Plate 
• Pumpkin and Rosemary Bread by Rocío at kids&chic 
• Pumpkin Pani Popo by Kelly at Passion Kneaded 
• Pumpkin, Sage & Cheddar Pull Apart Rolls by Mireille at Chef Mireille's East West Realm 
• Overnight Rosemary Rolls by Holly at A Baker’s House 
• Soft and Tender Dinner Rolls by Stacy at Food Lust People Love 
• Sourdough Cornbread Rolls with Sage by Karen at Karen's Kitchen Stories 
• Sweet Potato Rolls by Cindy at Cindy's Recipes and Writings 
• Tomato Herb Loaves by Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla 
• Zopf - Braided Swiss Milk Bread by Carola at En la Cocina de Caro

How to join...
#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.