Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1½ Tbsp dried basil
  • ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 3 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 medium tomato

Instruction

  • 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!)