Herbed Spicy Garlic pull apart bread

I was thinking what to make for another bread post and the idea of using mint to make a bread came when I went to my backyard and saw my mint plant already spread to fill the entire planter. There were barely 4 sprigs last week and all the rain must have made them grow super fast. I plucked few mint sprigs and came inside. I have been wanting to make a herbed pull apart bread for a while now. I had seen the picture in a magazine which had Italian seasonings sprinkled between layers of dough and baked. Inspired by that, I started the process of my own spice mix. This bread is so awesome, I probably will bake it too many times and eat it and gain too many pounds. Try it and I promise you - you won't be disappointed.

One Year Back - Cake pans and their conversions
Two Years Back - Strawberry Mousse
Ingredients: (Makes one 9 X 5 loaf)
All purpose flour - 3 cups
Warm water - 1 cup
Salt - 1 1/4 tsp
Sugar - 1 TBSP
Oil - 2 TBSP
Active dry yeast - 2 tsp
Green chillies - 2 chopped fine
Mint leaves - 6 chopped fine
Cilantro - 2 TBSP chopped
Garlic Powder - 3/4 tsp

To make a paste:
Oil - 2 TBSP
Salt - to taste (about 1/2 tsp)
Green chillies - 3 chopped
Mint leaves - 2 - 3 TBSP
Cilantro - 2 - 3 TBSP
Garlic - 1 clove

Method:
In a bowl, take warm water, sugar. Add yeast to it. Let it stand till it froths. Add the remaining ingredients to it and start making a dough. When all the flour has been absorbed, knead it for 10 minutes or until it is smooth and elastic. It should not be sticky or tacky. If it is, add 1 TBSP flour at a time and knead it. Place in an oiled bowl and turn it once to coat all the sides. Cover and let rise in a warm place. About 45 minutes to an hour or till double in bulk.
Meanwhile, line a 9 X 5 loaf pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Leave an overhang so that you can lift the loaf as soon as it is done. Coat the bottom and sides with oil or vegetable oil spray. Set aside. In a food chopper or blender (small jar) or mortar and pestle, take all the ingredients mentioned in 'To make a paste' and mince them so that it is a coarse paste with some oil. Adjust the salt if necessary and set aside.

When the dough has doubled, punch it down. On a lightly floured or greased surface, divide the dough into 12 or 14 small portions. Keep the loaf pan vertically so that the pan is sitting on the shorter edge. Take one dough ball and flatten it to about 1/2 " thick. It need not be a perfect rectangle. A rough oval shape will be fine. Repeat with the remaining dough balls. Place one dough ball in the pan, top it with little bit of the paste and spread it. Make sure you use the paste evenly to coat all the dough balls. Stack the flattened dough balls in the pan and when done, place the loaf pan correctly. If you have any more paste remaining, you can spread it on the top. You might have to maneuver the dough so that it is stacked properly. Don't worry if the dough is not full in the pan. It will get full after the final rise. Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let it rise till the dough is double or it touches the rim of the loaf pan. About 45 minutes to an hour.

Towards the end of the rise time, preheat the oven to 375 F. Bake for 25 minutes. Rotate the pan and reduce the temperature to 350 F. Bake for 5 - 8 more minutes or until the top is golden brown. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then holding  the over hang, remove it and place on the wire rack to cool completely. Pull the bread when completely cool if you can resist the smell that long. I pulled it when it was still warm. If you are one of those  who like spicy breads, I can tell you this is the best bread for you.

This is my entry for the Blogging Marathon started by Srivalli. Also sending this to Yeastspotting.

Enjoy.

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