Tomato-Quinoa Bread


I stumbled on this recipe a few weeks ago, and it's one of the only things I've made in the same day, although I'm only just now getting around to blogging it.  It was just too interesting a bread to pass by.  Somehow, Elizabeth at Kitchen Confit convinced me without knowing it to trudge through rain, sleet, snow and wet hail (literally) to buy some V8, the only ingredient I was without (okay, we were getting a movie anyway).  

But I did it for the bread.  This Tomato-Quinoa Bread, have you ever heard of such a thing?  A magic bread with the tomato soup already inside, it's like Willy Wonka's gum that contains an entire meal.  This bread is begging to be made into a grilled cheese sandwich (in this case with prosciutto and swiss cheese), and if my sister were here, she'd eat bunches of my grill cheese sandwiches on tomato-quinoa bread.  What a spoiled sister she would be.


But instead I'll send her images across cyber-space and hope they make her very jealous.  A little jealousy from a younger sister is always a good thing.

Tomato Quinoa Bread
From Patricia Wells Vegetable Harvest via Kitchen Confit

1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 cup seasoned vegetable juice - in this case, V8
1/2 cup quinoa (uncooked)
3 3/4 cups (I pound) bread flour

Mix the yeast, sugar and water together in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Let stand for 5 minutes, until foamy then stir in the oil, salt, juice and quinoa.

Fit your stand mixer with the dough hook, set it on medium-low speed and add the flour in a little at a time.  Mix until most of the flour is encorporated and the dough comes together in a ball.  Continue to mix for 4-5 minutes more, until the dough becomes soft and shiny, but still firm.  If the dough is too sticky, add a bit more flour.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the dough has doubled or tripled in size, this should take 8 to 12 hours.  The dough may also be left in the refrigerator for up to two days, but you may need to punch it down a few times as it doubles.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and punch it down.  Form the doug into a ball, return to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow the dough to double once again, this should take about an hour.

Punch the dough down one more time, then form it into a tight rectangle.  Place the dough into a rectangular bread pan, cover with a cloth and let rise until double in size.  One more hour.

Oven preheated to 450, slash the top of the loaf with a very sharp knife so that it can expand properly and place on the middle rack of the oven.  Bake for 45 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and it sounds hollow when tapped.  Turn the loaf out on a wrack to cool and wait at least 1 hour before slicing (it will continue to cook while cooling).  Enjoy your magical bread!

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I'm sending this into my beloved YeastSpotting, the weekly event hosted by Susan of Wild Yeast.  Everyone say "Thank you Susan!"

Comments

Kana said…
This would be a great bread to make this time of the year!
Esi said…
I remember seeing this and thinking how unique it was. I love the sandwich you made from it to. Happy New Year!!
Anonymous said…
I love the tomato-basil bread from Panera, and this sounds so much better. Happy New Year!
Dana Treat said…
That looks and sounds delicious. Something great to have on hand. I have that cookbook and don't remember seeing that recipe. Time to check it out! Happy New Year to you!
Becka Robinson said…
One of my goals is to make bread! I think this might be the magic recipe!
Andrea said…
Thanks Maya, it's a nice, filling bread.

Esi, very unique. Happy New Year to you, too!!

Hayley, ooooh, I love Panera, but I haven't been there in quite a while.

Dana, I actually don't have the cookbook so I can't tell you where it is, but I can tell you it makes for great sandwiches.

Miss Marie, this is an easy one so it would be good to start with!
test it comm said…
I really like the sound of a quinoa and tomato bread!

Happy new year!
Anonymous said…
Wow, I would LOVE to make this into a grilled cheese sandwich.
anudivya said…
This looks amazing! Who would have thought of a bread with quinoa and tomato! Lovely. Have a great New Year.
Anonymous said…
Oooooh. Must. Make. Grilled cheese sandwich with tomato-quinoa bread. [drools]

Happy new year!
Mary Bergfeld said…
Absolutely amazing and a great bread to have at this time of year. I'm a big fan of Patricia Wells but don't have "Vegetable Harvest" in my collection. I'll have to remedy that.
Court said…
Mmmmm, a simple grilled cheese sandwich sounds divine after all the fancy food of the holidays.
Andrea said…
Kevin, Thanks! Happy New Year to you as well!

Susan, thanks for the comments and for being so great with Yeastspotting!

Anudivya, I agree, it's very unique. Happy New Year to you, too!

Jackie, I hadn't had a grilled cheese in forever. This is a great excuse!

Mary, totally, I heart Ms. Wells. She never lets me down!

Court, thanks! Simplicity at its finest!
Anonymous said…
This looks so great! This is one of the many things that stood out when I read Vegetable Harvest. Can't wait to try it!
Anonymous said…
This looks so great! I'm a huge fan of quinoa...definitely going to give this a try!
Dazy said…
Delicious looking and delicious tasting and quite simple to make! I've never tried this before. These are pure delight and I'm sure to make them again.
Amanda said…
Yum! Have you submitted this to the Grilled Cheese Academy yet? http://www.grilledcheeseacademy.com/submitrecipe

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