~ "By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; Through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." ~ "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" ~ "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." ~ "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."~

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Sundried Tomato Basil Bread Rolls


Sundried Tomato Basil Bread Rolls... I have been meaning to make a tomato bread for a while now. We had the most delicious tomato bread, while dining at the Gordon Ramsay at Powerscourt in Ireland. When we sat down at the table, we were served with this wonderful bread basket. It was filled with a variety of breads....about 4 or 5 different breads. Each one just as delicious and yet so different. I just fell in love with the tomato bread...it was so unique and soooo fluffy! Soft and buttery... it left its mark on me. This recipe is my quite feeble attempt at duplicating it. My very own recipe! I admit it is not the same as the one I had at the restaurant. But I tried...Actually it's quite funny, but when I make my own recipe, I want to add some wholesome goodness to it, otherwise I sort of feel guilty about it. Well, not always:). There are some recipes that just aren't the same when you add whole grains to it. But with this one, I thought I could camouflage some whole wheat in it somehow, at least so you wouldn't be able to tell. The tomato color hides the brownish tinge that the whole wheat imparts. So because I wanted to bring in a bit of whole wheat flour, the original intention sort of went out the window! But I did add some sundried tomatoes and basil to the bread, hoping to bring in a ton of flavor and make it worthwhile. Well, I think it did...we really liked this version. Love tomato with basil. It would be such a wonderful and different addition to any bread basket. Lovely to make sandwiches out of, or serve as an accompaniment to a soup/chowder. Don't get me wrong, I still want to make that buttery, light and fluffy version...who knows, I might be back with a revised version in the future:). For now, I will post this recipe...not only because we liked it, but because it is worth making again. Hope you enjoy!...
You will need:
2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
1 TBS sugar
1 TBS olive oil
1 cup warm water(110 deg)*
2 TBS tomato paste(you can use only 1 TBS if you like...but tomatoes have good stuff for us)*
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
1 TBS basil,dried (you can cut down on the amount, if you don't care for too much basil)
1 egg, beaten
*you can also use tomato juice instead of the water and tomato paste~just make sure you have 1 cup total tomato juice, of course warmed)
Directions:
In a measuring cup, add very warm water and stir in tomato paste, oil, and sugar, Stir until the tomato paste dissolves...basically,just make sure it is combined. Set aside. The water will cool down a bit as it sits. Just make sure it is still warm when you need it later(about 110 degs).
In the mixer bowl, add 1 cup bread flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour, salt, basil and instant yeast.
Stir to combine.
Add the tomato water( if it is too cool, just reheat till about 110-115 degs.) and knead for 1 minute till very smooth. Add the additional 1 cup bread flour and knead for 5 minutes.
Add sundried tomatoes and knead till combined.
Cover and let rise till doubled in a draft-free place, such as your oven...for about 1 hour.
Form rolls and brush with beaten egg.
You should have about 12 dinner sized rolls. Let rise till doubled. Bake in preheated 375 deg oven for 20-25 minutes, or until nicely golden brown.
The rolls freeze very well. Just re-heat before serving.

12 comments:

Sailaja Damodaran said...

Looks very colourful....

Ellie said...

Thanks Sailaja.

Unknown said...

do you think I can make these rolls with garlic and rosemary instead? Taking the original recipe? Any thoughts?

Ellie said...

Alice,
I think you can definitely do a garlic /rosemary version. Actually, it sounds wonderful! Just make sure that the bread dough is neither too wet( as the dough can fall flat) nor too dry. Adjust flour/water as needed...though it wouldn't be a major adjustment. You are only taking out the 2 TBS of tomato paste and sundried tomatoes( not much in water content)....I would probably add another 1TBS of oil, for a total of 2 TBS. If you are kneading the dough in a mixer, the dough should not stick to the sides of the bowl only at the bottom of the bowl. Other than that, it should be like any other bread dough. Let me know how it comes out for you...I hope you enjoy it. ~Ellie

Tia said...

these sound wonderful!

Ellie said...

Tia, Thanks for stopping by...definitely a different sort of roll. You can easily adjust the amount of basil...I just put a bit more, because I rather like basil:)....

Jenyoseph said...

Just tried out this recipe.
Mind? Blown. Gut? Thoroughly satisfied. My whole family is in love with these rolls! Thanks.

Ellie said...

Jenyoseph, YAY! I am so glad you tried the recipe... and liked it:)! And the fact that the whole family likes it... is even better:)
Thanks so much for taking the time to write and let me know...really appreciate it.

Laura said...

Thank you so much for this lovely recipe! I just made a batch and they turned out beautifully!

Ellie said...

Laura, Oh, wonderfful! So glad you liked the bread...and thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback. It means a ton...and it simply made my day:)
Have a great day!

Unknown said...

can i substitute the tomato paste for tomato purée?

Ellie said...

Emily, I don't see why you couldn't substitute the tomato puree...

I would add the tomato puree( amount depends on your taste maybe 1/2 cup?) into a measuring cup and then add enough water to equal 1 cup liquid that is needed for the recipe. Mix and add as directed in the recipe.

Note:If you feel the dough is too dry as you are mixing it, add 1 tablespoon of water, at a time, until you get it it into a smooth slightly tacky dough...see picture in post.

Hope that helps...