If you don't want to wait 8 hours, then bake it at night, so you can sleep while it rises. There's no getting around that.
Ingredients:
For the Roasted Garlic:
1 head garlic
Extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Bread:
11/2 cups water, room temperature (at or near
70°F/21°C)
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
3 cups bread or all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary, plus more to sprinkle on top
1 whole head roasted garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions:
Roast the Garlic:
Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Slice the garlic head in half and drizzle the exposed cloves with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Wrap in foil and roast on a baking sheet for 40 minutes. Once roasted, let it cool and remove the cloves from their skins. Set aside.
If you don't have foil or don't want to bake it, you can also activate the garlic by throwing the whole thing with skin on in a pan on medium high-high heat with oil, salt, and pepper.
Activate the Yeast:
Add yeast to the room temperature water and let it sit for 10-15 minutes until it starts to bubble. Don't forget to stir it. If it sits on top, it won't quite activate as fast. The bubbles aren't grandiose, they're really small.
Mix the Dough:
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, oregano, salt, and chopped rosemary. Add the yeast mixture, roasted garlic, and olive oil to the bowl.
Use a rubber spatula to mix everything until just combined. The dough will be sticky and stringy with a bit of flour still around the edges.
Let the Dough Rise:
Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm spot for 8-10 hours or until it has doubled in size.
Shape the Dough:
Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a floured surface. Gently fold it into itself to form a soft ball.
Place the dough, seam side up, into a floured proofing bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to 24-48 hours.
Prepare to Bake:
Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C) with a Dutch oven or covered baking vessel inside. Turn the dough out onto parchment paper, seam side down, and gently shape it if needed. Score the top of the dough with a sharp knife.
Bake the Bread:
Carefully place the dough (still on the parchment) into the preheated Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the cover and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes until the top is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
