roast garlic rosemary bread & whipped ricotta
This recipe is so simple to pull together, and made fresh the bread is a versatile thing made for dipping into guacamole, your favourite homemade salsa, or this soft and creamy citrus-whipped ricotta.
Roast garlic and rosemary bread
Roasted garlic is folded through the dough and crisped up, only to be happily torn apart.
- 1 head garlic
- ½ tbsp plus 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra
- 500g strong ‘00’ plain flour
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 x 7g sachet dried yeast
- ½ tbsp golden caster sugar
- 350ml lukewarm water
- 1 sprig rosemary, leaves removed
Preheat oven to 190C. Cut top from head of garlic to expose the cloves. Place garlic in one hole in a muffin tin, drizzle with ½ tbsp olive oil, season. Cover with a small piece foil and bake 30 minutes, until very soft. To make dough, sieve flour and salt into a pile on a clean work surface, make a well in the centre. In a jug, combine yeast, sugar, water and 2 tbsp olive oil. Pour liquid into flour well, using a fork to gradually bring flour from the sides and mix with liquid. Work mixture together with your hands, knead well until elastic and springy, about 10 minutes. Place dough in an oil-coated bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot for 1 hour. Transfer dough to flour-dusted surface and knead a little to push out air. Divide dough into 6-8 balls and knead in soft garlic cloves and rosemary. Let relax for 5 minutes, then press each into a rough circle, 5mm thick. Increase oven to 220C. Line a tray with baking paper and cook two breads at a time, turn after 8-10 minutes, flip and cook another 8 minutes, until golden. Repeat with remaining dough.
Salted whipped citrus ricotta
Once you make this, you’ll be searching for in-season raw vegetables, bread, a sneaky finger, to dip in.
In a bowl, whip together 400g soft ricotta cheese, add a dash of milk, zest from 1 lemon, ½ garlic clove, crushed, and 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Whip until light and fluffy. Fold in ¼ cup finely chopped parsley and snipped chives, if liked. Drizzle with extra oil to serve.
This recipe of mine appeared in a 2013 issue of Sunday Life magazine. Photography by Katie Quinn Davies.