Garlic Yeast Bread

Christmas in the new kitchen. Anaya's second Christmas, her first in this house, the first where she understands that the tree is special and the lights are magic and the presents are for her. She's eighteen months old. She says about forty words now, and her favorite sentence is "Amma cook" which she deploys every time I enter the kitchen, as if announcing my function to the household. She also says "Paati come" whenever the doorbell rings, because in her experience, the doorbell means Amma has arrived. We hosted Christmas again. The full crew — thirteen people, both families, the biryani-undhiyu alliance. This time in the new kitchen, with the new range, with the granite counters, with the space I've been dreaming of since the apartment. I made: biryani, cranberry chutney, roasted vegetables, garlic naan, payasam. The kitchen handled it without breaking a sweat. Five burners, oven, broiler — all going, all working, the kitchen performing like the instrument it was designed to be. Amma brought her payasam (she didn't trust my version for Christmas — "Christmas payasam must be the original," she said, which is a statement that has no theological support but absolute maternal authority). Pushpa brought undhiyu and shrikhand. The table was a landscape of two cuisines, two families, one holiday. Anaya opened presents: a toy kitchen from Amma (of course — she's been angling for this since the birthday), a set of wooden cooking utensils from Pushpa (the competition continues), books from Raj and me (she reached for the book at the Aksharabhyasam — we're committed to the prophecy). The toy kitchen was assembled on Christmas morning. Anaya stood at it — tiny pots, tiny stove, tiny spice jars — and said, "Amma cook!" except this time she meant herself. She was Amma. She was cooking. I photographed her at the toy kitchen and then photographed the real kitchen behind her and the contrast was everything: the tiny play kitchen and the full-size kitchen, the pretend cooking and the real cooking, the beginning and the continuation. The book deal is signed. The blog is growing. The kitchen is working. Amma said she's proud. Anaya has a toy kitchen. 2019 ends. 2020 begins. Everything feels like it's going in the right direction. I don't know yet what 2020 will bring. Nobody does. Merry Christmas. Happy cooking. The spirals are mine.

The garlic naan I made that Christmas was one of those quiet workhorses of the meal — not the centerpiece, not the showstopper, but the thing everyone reached for between bites of biryani and undhiyu, the thing that disappeared first. If you don’t have a tandoor (and I don’t, not yet), a proper garlic yeast bread baked in that new oven is the next best thing: same warmth, same pull-apart satisfaction, same way of telling thirteen people at your table that you made something from scratch and meant it. This is the version I keep coming back to whenever I need a bread that can hold its own in a crowd.

Prep Time: 20 minutes + 90 minutes rising | Cook Time: 28 minutes | Total Time: about 2 hours 20 minutes | Servings: 12 slices

Ingredients

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (one standard packet)
1 cup warm water (about 110°F)
1 tsp granulated sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1 tsp fine salt
1 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
5 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Flaky sea salt, for finishing

Instructions

Activate the yeast. In a large bowl, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Stir gently and let stand for 8–10 minutes until the surface is foamy and fragrant. If it doesn’t foam, your water may have been too hot or cold — start again with fresh yeast.
Build the dough. Add the olive oil, salt, and flour to the yeast mixture one cup at a time, stirring after each addition until a shaggy dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8–10 minutes, until it is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but not sticky. Add flour a tablespoon at a time only if the dough is sticking badly to your hands.
First rise. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm, draft-free spot. Let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Make the garlic butter. While the dough rises, combine the softened butter, minced garlic, parsley, red pepper flakes (if using), and Parmesan in a small bowl. Mix until fully combined and set aside at room temperature.
Shape and fill. Punch the dough down gently to release the air. On a lightly floured surface, roll it into a rectangle roughly 9 by 14 inches. Spread three-quarters of the garlic butter evenly over the surface, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges. Starting from one of the long sides, roll the dough tightly into a log. Pinch the seam closed and tuck the ends under.
Second rise. Place the log seam-side down in a greased 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Cover loosely and let rise in a warm place for 30–45 minutes, until the dough crowns about 1 inch above the rim of the pan.
Bake. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spread the remaining garlic butter over the top of the loaf and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. If the top is browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil after 20 minutes.
Cool and serve. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Slice and serve warm. It is best the day it is made but holds well wrapped at room temperature for one day, or can be frozen for up to one month.

Nutrition (per serving)

Garlic Yeast Bread — The Loaf That Held Its Own at the Feast