This bread smelled great and baked up into a beautiful loaf. However, I found that it was too heavy, dense, doughy and raw on the inside. I was unhappy with this bread. Initially I baked it at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, then a few more minutes, totaling 45 minutes. The crust was very dark brown and hard. I think the water and flour ratio is way off. I should have known something wasn’t right when the recipe called for 1 3/8 c. water to 4 c. of bread flour. I presoaked the active yeast in warm water with 2 T sugar for 20 minutes until foamy. I added the flour in batches and the rest of the ingredients. Because some reviews stated the problem with the bread being “too salty,” I cut back on the amount to 1 tsp. I used fresh roasted garlic, 3 tsps. I omitted the black pepper. I guess I am the only other reviewer who had this kind of problem. I have made other breads from scratch and it always came out fine. I felt terrible having wasted a whole bread- I even tried to toast it but it was unedible. Second Attempt, I used only 3c. of bread flour and one package of active yeast. I added the rest of the ingredients (3 tsp garlic, ¼ cup Parm Cheese, 2 T sugar, 1tsp. salt, olive oil, fresh basil, no black pepper) to the dough,I let it rise for an hour before baking. In the end, the bread rose nicely, I had a golden brown crust, bread was warm, fluffy, full of flavor, Gave a nice aroma in the house. I could taste the garlic and cheese! 3 stars for recipe, 5 stars for my adjustments.
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This bread smelled great and baked up into a beautiful loaf. However, I found that it was too...