Ingredients
2 cups tomato juice, fresh or canned
½ cup tomato sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
6½ cups flour, set aside 1 cup for dusting
2 tbsp active dry yeast
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
½ tsp dried basil
¾ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp ground rosemary
¼ tsp ground fennel
1 garlic clove, crushed
Preparation
Heat tomato juice, sauce, and olive oil to 130 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine 3 cups of flour with yeast, sugar, salt, basil, oregano, rosemary, and fennel. Add warmed tomato mixture and garlic.
Mix with a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment for 3 minutes or by hand for 300 strokes, scraping the bowl frequently.
Add the remaining 2½ cups of flour and mix into the dough until it’s firm enough to handle.
Turn out the dough onto a floured board. Add more flour as needed so that the dough is not sticky. Knead until smooth and elastic.
Place dough in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, for about 1 hour. Punch the dough to deflate it and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Shape into two loaves and place in greased 9-inch bread pans. Cover loosely and let rise until nearly doubled, for about 45 minutes.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake 30 minutes longer, until loaves sound hollow when tapped.
Remove from pans and let cool on a rack before serving.
