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St. Paul Bread Club member David Cargo, a computer engineer by day, created this recipe, the blue-ribbon winner in the club’s 2004 bake-off. It’s best served warm.
Ingredients
1 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon sugar
1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 to 8 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1. Heat half-and-half in a saucepan over low heat until lukewarm. Pour into mixing bowl. Add sugar and yeast and let stand until yeast foams, about 5 minutes.
2. Add 1 cup flour and salt and mix well. Add remaining flour and mix until a workable dough results, adding water if necessary. Knead by hand on a lightly floured surface 10 minutes or with a mixer fitted with dough hooks until dough cleanly pulls away from sides of bowl. Let rest 10 minutes.
3. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté 3 minutes.
4. Roll dough into an 8 x 12-inch rectangle. Spread garlic mixture over top of dough. Cut into 4 strips vertically, then horizontally to get 16 (3 x 2-inch) pieces. Place pieces in a greased 81/2 x 41/2 -inch loaf pan. (The arrangement will look like an accordion pleat.) Cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm place until slices fill pan, about 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 375F.
6. Bake about 30 minutes, until golden brown, placing foil on top after 10 minutes. Immediately invert bread onto a wire rack; cool slightly. Serve warm. Makes 1 loaf. Serves 8.
Adapted with permission from Kim Ode’s Baking With the St. Paul Bread Club (Minnesota Historical Society, 2006), "The Gospel of Bread," Feb. 2010.
Per serving: 200 calories, 7g fat, 20mg chol., 6g prot., 30g carbs., 1g fiber, 300mg sodium.
