A sandwich is only as good as the bread it is served on. That's where this amazing Tomato Basil Bread comes in!
Prep Time2 hourshrs20 minutesmins
Cook Time35 minutesmins
Total Time2 hourshrs55 minutesmins
Course: Lunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: basil, bread, tomato
Servings: 16slices
Calories: 114kcal
Author: David
Ingredients
3cupsall-purpose flour
2teaspoonssugar
1 1/2teaspoonsyeast
1teaspoonsalt
1½Tbspdried basil
¼tspcrushed red pepper
1tablespoonunsalted butterroom temperature
1cupmilk
3Tbsptomato paste
3Tbspgrated Parmesan cheese
1medium tomato
Instructions
In the bowl of a countertop mixer, add the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, basil and crushed red pepper; stir until well combined.
Add butter, milk and tomato paste; mix on low speed until blended.
Increase speed to medium and mix for 3-4 minutes, or until dough is smooth.
Place dough in a large bowl and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Let dough rest in a warm (85°F) location for 60 minutes, or until almost doubled in size.
Flip the dough onto a lightly oiled countertop and fold/press it into a 10" log. Place the dough seam-side down into a greased 10"x5"x3" bread pan.
Spray top of dough with baking spray and lightly cover with plastic wrap. Place dough back in a warm location for 60 more minutes, or until dough has just begun to rise over the edge of the pan.
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Slice the tomato thinly and pat slices dry with paper towels.
Remove plastic wrap and brush top of loaf lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle half of the Parmesan cheese on top of the loaf. Arrange tomato slices on top of dough and then sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
Bake at 375°F for 33-38 minutes, or until top is golden brown in color.
Let bread cool for 20 minutes in the pan and then turn loaf out onto cooling rack until fully cooled. (Note: If you aren’t planning on eating the bread within a couple of days, wrap it tightly and freeze it instead. This bread freezes quite well!)
Notes
Tomatoes contain a lot of water. Make sure to slice the tomato very thinly and also pat slices dry as much as possible before placing them on top of the dough.As this bread contains fresh tomatoes, leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator.