Whole Wheat Savory Tomato Scallion Bread

Have you ever wondered how much food we waste? There are people who throw away food and it is a waste, and there are people who eat expired or spoilt food because they don't want to waste it. To be honest, I prefer wasting the first way rather than the second. But I belong to neither of the categories. I go through the pantry, refrigerator and freezer and use up the things before they get spoilt or expire. I had opened a tomato sauce can to make pasta sauce. When I open a can, I try to finish off the product within 3 days. That is my rules. Good or bad, it gives me peace of mind to do so. I used some and made curry yesterday and the rest is used up in this bread. I also had a bunch of scallions to be used up. So, came Tomato Scallion Bread. I really wanted to call it 'Spicy bread'. I changed my mind after eating it since it was not really 'spicy', just savory. You could make them spicy if you add some more of the chillies and your preferred spice/herb combination.

Ingredients:

• Warm water - 1/3 cup
• Tomato Sauce - 1 cup
• Olive oil - 1/4 cup
• Whole wheat flour - 3 - 3 1/4 cups
• Vital Wheat gluten - 3 TBSP
• Salt - 1 1/2 tsp
• Red Chilli flakes - 1 TBSP
• Sugar - 2 TBSP
• Yeast - 2 1/2 tsp
• Scallions - 5 - 6 chopped
• Garlic - 2 pods chopped finely

Method:
In a large bowl, take warm water, add sugar and yeast to it. Let it froth. Add tomato sauce, olive oil, salt, chilli flakes, chopped garlic and mix. Now slowly add vital wheat gluten, whole wheat flour till you can make a smooth dough. You might not need all of the flour. Knead for 10 - 15 minutes. Add scallions and knead incorporating scallion uniformly into the dough. Let it rest and rise in an oiled bowl. Turn once to coat all over and let it double in volume for about 1 - 1 1/2 hours. I did all these steps in bread machine.
When it has doubled in bulk, punch down and deflate. Shape into the loaf. You'll get a better loaf if you use 9 X 5 pan. I had 10 X 5 1/2 pan on the counter and I just grabbed it. Spray the pan with vegetable oil spray. Place the dough in the pan and cover with an oiled aluminum foil. Let it rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes or till double in bulk.
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Bake for 15 minutes. Cover the loaf loosely with aluminum foil and bake for another 25 minutes at 350 F. Remember to use 25 degrees lower temperature if you are baking in a dark coated pan or glass pan. Bottom of the loaf should sound hollow when tapped. Brush with some olive oil or butter when the bread comes out of the oven. (Make sure the bread is baked well before doing this) Cool on the wire rack and slice after completely cooled. The taste of this bread was awesome. Since it is made of whole wheat flour, pretty healthy too I should say. It was great as is, great with some dal and equally good with a cup of tea or coffee.

This loaf of bread is on its way to Susan's 'Yeast Spotting' hosted here.

Happy Baking!!