This Garden Tomato Bread is packed with the flavors of late summer: juicy tomatoes straight from the vine, fresh herbs like sage and thyme, and a scattering of pumpkin and sunflower seeds for extra crunch. Every bite tastes like a slice of the garden.

When the tomatoes start ripening faster than I can use them, I roast some, turn others into sauce or salsa, and tuck jars of lemon cherry tomatoes into the freezer. But no matter how many I put up, there are always a few more waiting to be enjoyed fresh. That’s when this Garden Tomato Bread comes in—it’s the perfect way to showcase the harvest.

I served the bread alongside a pot of homemade tomato soup for a simple, seasonal meal. A friend who joined me for dinner loved the combination so much, he told me I should market it. Instead, I decided to share it here so you can enjoy the flavors of the garden, too.

Storage Tips

Store in paper bags at room temperature up to 2 days. To recrisp the crust, place loaves directly on a rack in a 400° oven and bake for about 5 minutes.

Recipe Note: Don’t Be Intimidated

The ingredient list looks long, but most of it is fresh herbs and pantry staples that come together easily.

Garden Tomato Bread Recipe

Makes: Two 2-pound loaves

Recipe adapted from: Sunset Magazine, November 2001

Ingredients

• 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast (or 1/2 tsp instant)
• 1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes (about 3 1/2 cups of tomato chunks)
• Biga (recipe below), at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or a few teaspoons of dried parsley)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
• 3 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour (freshly milled works well)
• About 3 1/2 cups of bread flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
• About 1/4 cup cornmeal (for sprinkling on the baking sheet)

Directions:

Making the Biga: In a bowl, sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast over 1/4 cup warm (100° to 110°) water. Let it stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup cold water. With a wooden spoon, stir in 1 1/2 cups of bread flour until the mixture forms a soft dough. Cover with plastic wrap and chill 12 to 24 hours. Let it come to room temperature before using, about 1 hour.

Rinse and Core Tomatoes: Rinse and core tomatoes; cut each in half crosswise. Squeeze juice and seeds into a bowl; cut tomatoes into 1/2-inch chunks. You need 1/4 cup juice with seeds (if you have less than 1/4 cup, add water to make up the difference; if you have more, discard extra) and 3 1/2 cups tomato chunks. Note: I didn’t have quite 3 1/2 cups of chopped tomatoes, so I used what I had and all of the juice from the tomatoes (about 1/2 cup) instead of 1/4 cup. I omitted the 1/4 cup of water.

Mix the Dough: In the bowl of a standing mixer or another large bowl, sprinkle yeast over 1/4 cup warm (100° to 110°) water. Let it stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. If you are using instant yeast, add all of the dry ingredients together, then mix in the wet ingredients using a stand mixer.

Add biga, tomatoes and juice, tomato paste, parsley, sage, garlic, thyme, pepper, whole-wheat flour, 2 cups bread flour, and salt to the yeast mixture. Beat with paddle attachment on low speed, or stir with a heavy spoon, until well blended. Gradually beat or stir in 1 1/2 more cups of bread flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until mixture forms a soft dough.

Switch to a dough hook and beat on medium speed until dough is smooth and elastic and pulls cleanly from sides of bowl but is still slightly sticky, 6 to 8 minutes; or scrape dough onto a lightly floured board and knead by hand until smooth and elastic but still slightly sticky, 7 to 10 minutes. Add pumpkin and sunflower seeds and beat in with the dough hook or knead in by hand just until incorporated (after mixing in by hand, place dough in a bowl).

Cover bowl with plastic wrap; let dough rise at room temperature until doubled, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Punch down with your hand to expel air.

Re-cover dough with plastic wrap and let rise again until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Or for a slow rise, chill at least 8 and up to 12 hours; let it come to room temperature, about 3 hours.

With lightly floured hands, gather each half into a ball, then stretch and tuck edges under to shape into a smooth round ball. Place loaves on a well-floured surface, dust lightly with flour, cover loosely with plastic wrap, or place the shaped loaves in banneton baskets, and let rise at room temperature until they’re slightly puffy and hold the imprint of a finger when lightly pressed, about 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. with a baking stone on the middle rack and a steam pan underneath to create steam.

Baking the loaf without steam

Sprinkle a 13-by-17-inch baking sheet generously with cornmeal. Transfer loaves, one at a time, onto the baking sheet, spacing 2 to 3 inches apart. With a sharp knife, slash a 1-inch-deep X on top of each loaf.

Place the sheet on a rack in the lower third of a 450° regular or convection oven. Bake bread until crust is well browned, 35 to 45 minutes total.

Baking the loaf with steam

If using a baking stone, gently slide the edge of the cornmeal-covered baking sheet under one loaf and lift it onto the end of the sheet. Slash as directed above, then gently slide the loaf onto one side of the baking stone in the oven, leaving room for a second loaf. Repeat to slash and transfer the second loaf.  When using a baking stone, I find it easier to place the loaves on parchment paper and use a baking sheet to transfer the loaves to the preheated stone.

Pour 1 cup of hot water into the steam pan, if using.  Bake bread until crust is well browned, 35 to 45 minutes total.

Transfer loaves to a rack to cool for at least 1 hour.

This bread was YeastSpotted. Please visit Wild Yeast to view the roundup.

You might also enjoy

Tomato Basil Bread – If you’re ready to bid farewell to hot, dry weather, but still want to enjoy the delicious flavors from your summer garden, then this Tomato Basil Bread just might be the ticket.

Happy Baking!
Cathy

 

Nutritional Information

Nutritional analysis per ounce.

Amount per serving

Calories: 82

Calories from fat: 7.7%

Protein: 2.9g

Fat: 0.7g

Saturated fat: 0.1g

Carbohydrate: 16g

Fiber: 1.5g

Sodium: 152mg

Cholesterol: 0.0mg