Mushroom Pan Bread

I don't know about other people, parents of little ones or not, but some nights I feel lucky to get anything on the table for dinner at all. So when I successfully made this mushroom pan bread mid-week in about an hour including dough rising time, I was pretty happy!

I love rustic breads that don't require lots of kneading and time spent waiting for dough to rise. Having homemade bread with a meal is such a treat. This one is a cross between focaccia and pizza. The bread is soft and fluffy, and the mushrooms make it even more delicious!

Sylvia took one look at this bread and politely requested a Vegemite sandwich for dinner. Then she tasted some, and loved it. She didn't even pick the mushrooms off!

Mushroom Pan Bread (adapted from Rosemary Pan Bread from Cooking with Herb the Vegetarian Dragon by Jules Bass and Debbie Harter)

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3 tsp instant dried yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp olive oil
250ml warm water
approx 2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp fresh thyme or 1/2 - 1 tsp dried thyme

Put yeast and sugar in water and stir until it dissolves. Let sit for about 5 minutes.
 
Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. 

Add 2 tbsp oil to the yeast/water mixture. Add this to the flour and stir. Knead for a few minutes until smooth. 

Rest the dough in a covered bowl for about 30-40 minutes until it doubles in size. 

Fry mushrooms, garlic and thyme in one tbsp olive oil for a few minutes. Add salt to taste and set aside.

Preheat oven to 190C.

Punch down the dough and press it evenly into an oiled pan/tray. Spread the mushrooms over the top.

Bake for 20-25 minutes (depending on your oven and the size of your pan/tray) or until golden and firm in the middle.

Cut into squares and eat while warm!