Recipe: Double-Garlic Sandwich Bread

I came up with this the other day when I wanted something more than basic wheat bread for sandwiches and other everyday nomming. It goes beautifully on a grilled cheese!

DOUBLE-GARLIC SANDWICH BREAD
2 whole heads of garlic
1/2 head additional fresh garlic
1 1/2 cups water
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 c unbleached white flour
1 c whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp yeast
Parsley, basil, oregano, rosemary, and/or other herbs, to taste
1/4 cup pine nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350 F. While it preheats, separate the cloves from two heads of garlic and peel them. Toss the peeled cloves together in a bowl with 1 Tbsp olive oil, spread them on a foil-lined cookie sheet, and roast in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour, until they're golden and soft.

While they roast, peel the remaining garlic and mince finely. Set aside.

Once the roasted garlic is ready, mash it up into a paste, stir in the fresh garlic, and put in the pan of your bread machine. Add water and olive oil. Sprinkle the flours over the top, put sugar in one corner and salt in the other, and add yeast to a deep well in the middle. Add the herbs over the top and turn the bread machine on to the dough cycle. If you're using pine nuts, add them five minutes before the end of the kneading cycle. Coat the inside of a bread pan with olive oil and flour.

When the dough is ready, remove it from the machine and transfer it to a floured surface. Punch it down and shape it into a smooth, even loaf; transfer to the oiled floured bread pan. Let it rise in a warm place until the sides come to the top of the pan and the top looks nice and loafy. Put it in the oven and mist water all around in there, or pour a big glop of water on the bottom of the oven so it steams up. Close the oven door and set the timer for 30 minutes.

When the timer goes off, knock lightly on the loaf to make sure it's done (it should sound hollow) and transfer it to a wire rack to cool, carefully turning it out so it doesn't stick to the loaf pan. Enjoy at least one slice while it's still fresh and hot, with a little pat of butter (herbed butter if you have it) or peppered olive oil.