Roasted Garlic & Herb Bread

This savory quick bread is loaded with roasted garlic—two heads of it!—plus chopped fresh herbs of your choice, so it has a big nutty, toasty, herbal flavor that’s ideal with a hot bowl of soup. If you’re intimidated about baking bread, a quick bread, which is made with baking powder and baking soda instead of yeast, is the perfect place to start.

1 loaf, 12 slices
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 1/4 hours

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Ingredients

2 heads garlic, roasted (see How To) and cooled
1 1/4 cups white whole-wheat flour (see Note)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano and/or dill, or 2 1/2 teaspoons dried, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups low-fat milk
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

Position rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°F. Line a 9-by-5-inch (or similar-size) loaf pan with parchment paper; generously coat the paper and sides of the pan with cooking spray.
Peel roasted garlic cloves, keeping them whole.
Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons fresh herbs (or 2 teaspoons dried), baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk eggs, milk and oil in a medium bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently stir together until almost combined. Add the garlic cloves and gently fold into the batter until evenly combined; do not overmix. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top; sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon fresh herbs (or 1/2 teaspoon dried).
Bake the bread until lightly browned on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around and under the loaf to loosen it and turn out onto the rack. Let cool at least 30 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tips & Notes

How To Roast Garlic: Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 400°F. Rub off the excess papery skin from a head of garlic without separating the cloves. Slice the tip off the head, exposing the cloves. Place the garlic on a piece of foil, drizzle with 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil and wrap into a package. (If roasting more than one head of garlic, you can put them together in one packet or make individual packets.) Place the package directly on the oven rack and roast until the garlic is very soft, 40 to 45 minutes. Unwrap and let cool. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Note: White whole-wheat flour, made from a special variety of white wheat, is light in color and flavor but has the same nutritional properties as regular whole-wheat flour. It is available at large supermarkets and natural-foods stores and online at bobsredmill.com or kingarthurflour.com. Store it in the freezer.

Nutrition

Per slice: 178 calories; 7 g fat (1 g sat, 4 g mono); 32 mg cholesterol; 23 g carbohydrates; 5 g protein; 2 g fiber; 211 mg sodium; 102 mg potassium.

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 1 1/2 fat