Garlic Bread

How was your weekend?  Mine was super busy, but great!  I started Saturday morning with a 8 mile run, which went great.  When I got home, Mike was busy at work in our backyard.  We had a random clothesline pole right in front of the stairs to our deck, and we decided it was time for that to go.  He dug around it, hooked up a chain, attached it to our truck, and that sucker popped right out.  Then we decided to tackle some over grown and ugly bushes in our front yard.  We cut down 3 and pulled out 1 with the truck.  He'll finish the rest this week, because we were exhausted!

To help us refuel, we needed carbs!  Carb loaded foods make everything better, right?  While not the healthiest food choice, this bread sure does taste good.  It's quite easy to make, though the rise time does need to be taken into account.  We enjoyed some of this bread as garlic bread, and then used the rest for another recipe I'll be sharing with you Wednesday.  Be sure to come back then--you don't want to miss out! 

Garlic Bread

Makes 16-18 slices

You will need:
1-3/8 cups water, 110 degrees
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons yeast
1-1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
4 cups flour
butter
garlic salt


1.  Pour the warm water into the bowl of your stand mixer.

2.  Sprinkle yeast and sugar on top of the water.  Let it sit for 5-10 minutes, until it becomes frothy.

3.  Add in olive oil, salt, and flour.  Mix on low speed until the ingredients are combined and the dough begins to pull away from the edge of the bowl.

4.  Increase speed to medium and knead for 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and pliable.

5.  Cover the bowl with a damp towel.  Set aside to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

6.  When the dough has risen, punch it down and form it into a long thin loaf.  Place on a greased cookie sheet.

7.  Cover dough again with a damp towel and set it aside to rise for 20 minutes, plus oven preheating time.

8.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, until golden brown.

9.  Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing it into 1-inch thick slices.

10.  Spread both side of each slice of bread with butter and sprinkle with garlic salt.

11.  Place on the cookie sheet again and broil for 2 minutes, until the butter is melted and the edges of the bread become golden.

12.  Flip each slice and broil for 2 more minutes.

Serve hot.  Store any leftovers in an airtight container.