Sundried Tomato Basil Bread

I have been searching the world over for the perfect tomato basil bread. This one, cold very well be it. It's been a lengthy process to make this bread and it was well worth it. To get the best taste of tomato I opted for dehydrating tomatoes instead of buying sun dried tomatoes. It has been a full day affair but my house smells yummy and the bread.. oh divine!

Sundried Tomato Basil Bread

• Prep Time: 2 hrs
• Total Time: 2 hrs 15 min
• Serving Size: 1 8 x 4-inch loaf

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp chopped dried basil
• 1/2 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

Directions

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in the bowl of stand mixer. Add 2 cups of the flour and all other ingredients to the batter and mix with dough hook until just combined.
2. Add remaining flour a little bit at a time until dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.
3. Remove dough from bowl and place in a clean, lightly-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled. This will take approximately 1 hour.
4. Punch down risen dough and shape into an oval, stretching from the top of the loaf to underneath the bottom. Place shaped loaf in a lightly-greased 8 x 4-inch loaf pan, cover and let rise until doubled. (about 30 minutes.)
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.