Zesty Tomato Bread
Last summer we grew two very large cherry tomato plants. And those two plants produced an abundance of tomatoes. So, I went searching. Could you make bread with cherry tomatoes? The answer was yes! I combined and tweaked a few recipes to make what I thought would be a good loaf. It exceeded my expectations. There was this wonderful fragrance in the house during the whole baking process. And the bread was amazing. It had this warm, light orange/red color and taste was absolutely delicious. I juiced up and froze enough tomatoes to make several more loaves through the winter months. I even made a loaf to give as a gift.
This recipe was too big for my bread maker to knead. Instead, I relied on my Kitchen Aid mixer to do the job.
Zesty Tomato Bread
Makes 2 loaves
- 6 – 6 1/2 cups bread flour
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 4 1/2 teaspoons quick rising yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoons oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon basil
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon Italian or pizza seasoning
- 2 1/2 cups tomato juice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Combine 3 1/2 cups of flour, sugar, yeast, salt and seasonings. In a saucepan, warm tomato juice and olive. Not to boiling, just warm. Add to dry ingredients and beat until smooth with paddle attachment on mixer. Exchange paddle for dough hook. Stir in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough is formed. Divide the dough in two and knead each section for 4-6 minutes (I found this is easier on my mixer). Place each piece of dough in its own greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Let rise until doubled, about an hour. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board. Punch down and shape into a loaf. Repeat for second loaf. Place each loaf into a greased 8 1/2″ x4 1/2″ bread pan. Cover and let rise until doubled. Bake at 350° F for 35-40 minutes. Remove from bread pan and cool completely before cutting.
Now, get ready to enjoy the best tasting grilled cheese sandwich made with your Zesty Tomato bread. Yum!
Sunny Diversions 
I am totally going to try this when the tomatoes hit this summer. I was looking for recipes to use some of the goodies from Dad’s garden last summer, ended up making ketchup and tomato sauce and spaghetti sauce. Bread would be a delightful change!
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