Recipe: Twisted Roasted Garlic Bread

I love roasted garlic and I love this recipe. I usually double it. It's a very soft bread. If you only like hard, crusty bread you'll want skip this recipe.

KitchenAid
Twisted Roasted Garlic Bread
with Pesto Variation

2 Tbsp. roasted garlic
1 1/4 tsp. yeast
1 c. water (105 to 115 degrees)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 c. bread flour
1 c. whole-wheat flour

1. Mix water and yeast and set aside for 5 minutes to poof.
2. Combine oil, sugar, and salt. Stir in yeast mixture. Gradually add in flour to form a soft dough.
3. Knead on low for 3 minutes with the kneading hook in the mixer.
4. Put the dough into a greased bowl and let rise to double it's size. About one hour.
5. Turn dough out onto floured surface and divide into 2 equal parts. Roll each piece into a 13-inch rope. Place ropes close together on greased cookie sheet and twist gently and loosely (do not stretch). Pinch ends to seal. Tuck ends under twist.
6. Cover and let rise in warm place until double. About 30 minutes.
7. Heat oven to 375. Bake about 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Variation: Use prepared pesto instead of roasted garlic. Excellent with an Italian dinner.

Bread Machine Version:
Measure ingredients carefully and place them into the bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough/manual cycle.
Remove dough and pick up the above directions at step 5.

Hand Kneaded Version:
Hand knead approximately 10 minutes instead of placing into the mixer.

Note: You can skip the whole-wheat flour and use all white if you prefer.