Roasted Red Pepper Bread

Week 333. Summer 2022. I am 39 years old and standing in my kitchen — the Bench house kitchen, the one that held cancer and divorce and cinnamon rolls — and the stove is on and something is cooking and the house smells like grilled food and garden herbs and this is my life. This is the life I built.

I went for a run this morning — the Saturday routine, the greenbelt, the river, the particular meditation of feet on a path and lungs filling and the body doing what it was told it couldn't do. The running group meets rain or shine.

Mason is 11 and reading everything he can find and examining the world under a microscope with the intensity of a tenured researcher.

Lily is 9 and riding horses with the fearlessness of someone who has never considered the possibility of falling.

I made tomato sandwich this week. The food continues. The food always continues. It is the thread that connects every week to every other week, every year to every other year, every version of me to every other version — the woman on the kitchen floor, the woman at the chemo recliner, the woman at the grill, the woman at the outdoor table under the string lights. All of them, connected by the food they made with their hands. All of them, me.

The tomato sandwich is the thing I keep coming back to every summer — ripe tomatoes, good bread, nothing fancy — but this week I also pulled out a recipe for roasted red pepper bread that lives in the same neighborhood of simple, garden-driven food. It’s the kind of bread that fills the Bench house kitchen with the smell of something warm and real, and it’s perfect sliced thick for sandwiches or eaten on its own, standing at the counter, still a little bit proud of the life you built.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes (includes rising) | Servings: 10

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water (about 110°F)
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing
2 large roasted red peppers, drained and chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions

Activate the yeast. In a small bowl, combine the warm water and sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and let it sit until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Mix the dough. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture and olive oil. Stir until a shaggy dough forms, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
First rise. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Prepare the filling. Pat the chopped roasted red peppers dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Toss with the minced garlic, oregano, and black pepper.
Shape the loaf. Punch down the dough and roll it out into a rough rectangle on a floured surface. Spread the red pepper mixture evenly over the dough and sprinkle with Parmesan if using. Roll the dough up tightly, tuck the ends under, and place seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
Preheat and bake. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the top of the loaf lightly with olive oil and use a sharp knife to score 3 diagonal slashes across the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Cool and serve. Let the bread cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Roasted Red Pepper Bread — The Food That Connects Every Version of Me