Honour the Greek goddess of the hearth, Hestia, with this crusty no-knead bread studded with garlic confit and fresh rosemary!
The last sacrificial flame to the Olympians may have been extinguished nearly two thousand years ago, but their influence lingers on; and Greek mythology continue to inspire artists and writers to this day. The fantastical tales of gods, heroes, and mythical creatures first captured my imagination as a child. Today I look to those ancient yet familiar tales as inspiration for our Greek mythology inspired feast!
We begin our feast much like the Ancient Greeks began theirs, with an offering to Hestia, the beloved Goddess of the Hearth. Hestia held a special place in the lives of the Ancient Greeks. Originally one of the twelve Olympians, she gave up her place for Dionysus. In return, Zeus granted her the highest honour of presiding over each household and hearth. Represented by the daily hearth fire, Hestia was a constant presence in the lives of the Ancient Greeks, watching over and protecting the household.
For without you mortals hold no banquet -- where one does not duly pour sweet wine in offering to Hestia both first and last.
- Homeric Hymn 24 to Hestia
Today the hearth fire has been replaced with modern ovens. In honour of Hestia we begin our feast by baking that quintessential food that has sustained civilizations throughout human history – bread. Crusty no-knead bread is super simple to make and only requires a few basic ingredients. While this bread can be baked plain, I love adding garlic confit and rosemary for extra flavour!
Ingredients
Flour: I typically use all-purpose flour for this recipe. You could use bread flour instead, if desired.
Yeast: I use traditional active dry yeast in this recipe.
Garlic: Confit garlic is made by slowly cooking whole garlic cloves in olive oil.
Rosemary: Use fresh rosemary if possible.
How to make No-Knead Bread with Garlic and Rosemary
No-knead bread is super simple to make but it does have a long rise time. The long rising time allows for the gluten development that would normally be made through traditional kneading. Therefore, you will need to plan ahead to allow for that extra time. This recipe adds garlic confit and rosemary for flavour; however, you can omit both to make a simple no-knead bread.
Make the bread dough
In a mixing bowl combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Stir together until well mixed. Add the warm water and stir together. It will be a soft and sticky dough. Cover with cling film and a tea towel. Set in a warm place for at least 8 hours but as long as 12 hours if desired.
Make the garlic confit
The garlic confit can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Peel the garlic cloves and place in a small baking dish or ramekin. Cover with olive oil. Add a sprig of rosemary. Cover the baking dish and bake for 1 hour until the garlic is completely soft and golden brown in colour.
Allow the garlic to cool before using. The garlic infused olive oil can be strained and used in other recipes. Store both the garlic and oil in the fridge.
Shape the bread
Sprinkle a liberal amount of flour on the counter. Use a spatula to scrape the dough out of the mixing bowl onto the counter. The dough will be very sticky. Sprinkle the dough generously with flour and use your hands to pat the dough out into a rough circle about 1 inch thick.
Top the dough with some of the garlic cloves and sprinkle with chopped fresh rosemary. Pick up one side of the dough and fold it over the garlic. Top that piece with more garlic and rosemary. Pick up another side of the dough and fold it over the first fold. Top with more garlic and rosemary. Repeat one more time. Fold the dough over one more time to seal in the garlic.
Flip the dough over and shape into a round ball. Place a piece of parchment paper into a clean mixing bowl. Place the dough in the bowl on top of the parchment. Gently brush the top of the dough with olive oil. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for 1 hour.
Bake the bread
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Half an hour after shaping the dough place a dutch oven or clay baking dish with lid in the oven to preheat. You want the dutch oven to be as hot as the oven itself. To bake the bread, remove the lid from the dutch oven. Carefully pick the bread dough up by the parchment paper and lower it into the dutch oven.
If desired, sprinkle the top of the dough with flakey sea salt. Use a sharp knife to score a slash across the top of the dough. Replace the lid of the dutch oven and place into the oven. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to cook for another 5 to 10 minutes until the bread is golden brown.
Transfer the bread to a rack to cool. This bread is quite soft and is easier to cut after cooling. Enjoy!
