V-8 juice bread

I LOVE THIS BREAD!!!!! It is sooooo good. And with spinach, v-8 juice, and garlic....it is good for you too, in moderation of course...

My 1 1/2 year old son loves this bread toasted with some feta cheese melted on top. I use the leftover bread (if there ever is any) to make croutons for salad or for Chicken Bruchetta Bake (I will post that recipe next week...)

It freezes really well, so you can make up a triple batch and freeze two loaves for later baking, just take the dough out of the freezer the night before you want to use it and let the dough stand at room temperature until completely thawed and allow it to rise for about 1 hour in a warm place after it is completely thawed, then bake as usual.

Ingredients

1 (11 1/2 ounce) can V8 vegetable juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash tabasco sauce
3-4 cups bread flour (you can also sub 1/2 of the white flour with wheat and add 1 tsp wheat germ per cup of wheat flour) IF MAKING BY HAND you will need more flour.
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary
3 teaspoons yeast
about 1 cup chopped fresh spinach leaves (stems removed)
3/4 cup dried tomatoes, chopped to about the size of raisins

FOR BREAD MACHINE BAKERS
1. In the bread machine pan, place all ingredients (except the dried tomatoes) in the order suggested by the manufacturer.

2. Use the'basic' bread setting and'light' crust color, for 1 1/2 lb loaf.

3. When the machine beeps during the kneading cycle, add the dried tomatoes a few at a time until they are kneaded into the dough.

****If you want to make up a double or triple batch for later use, set your machine on "dough" cycle and follow the above instructions through to when you add the tomatoes, then when they are mixed in, take the dough out of the machine and let it rise in a large mixing bowl. Punch the dough down and form into loaves, you will need more flour to make the dough handle well. Wrap extra loaves in saran wrap or freezer paper and freeze. Put the loaf you will bake now in a GLASS loaf baking dish and let it rise till doubled again, bake at 325* for about 1 hour

FOR HAND BAKERS
1. Put yeast and 1 tsp of sugar or honey in a 1/4 cup of warm (NOT HOT) water and set aside to proof.

2. In a large bowl combine all ingredients EXCEPT flour and tomatoes.

3. Add the foamy yeast water, stir well.

4. Add flour, stirring with a large spoon, at about 1 cup at a time till the dough is too hard to stir with the spoon, then get your hands involved. Keep adding flour and kneeding till you have an elastic, but firm dough.

5. Place dough in a large oiled bowl and cover, allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk.

6. Punch the dough down and kneed in the sun dried tomatoes.

7. Form into loaves, you will need more flour to make the dough handle well. If making extra, wrap extra loaves in saran wrap or freezer paper and freeze.

8. Put the loaf you will bake now in a GLASS loaf baking dish and let it rise till doubled again, bake at 325* for about 1 hour