Herb Garden Bread
I'm sure you got one, or your neighbor's got one - an herb garden overflowing with rosemary, chives, sage, oregano. This bread will give all of those herbs a purpose, a calling, a way to make a difference.
I've blogged about this bread before (because it's fool-proof and you bake it in the dutch oven, which is super cool and makes me feel like Ina Garten), but it's worth covering again. If you've got the stuff and find chowing down on something you've made with your own hands is especially fulfilling, this is for you.
This recipe is adapted from Joy the Baker's Easy Spicy Garlic Bread in a Pot, I only changed the herbs based on what I had, added cheese (it was the right thing to do), and used a ridiculous amount of garlic (another given because garlic is great).
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (between 110 and 115 degrees F)
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
pinch of sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
1 stalk spring onion, diced finely
1 Tbsp chopped sage
1 Tbsp chopped oregano
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
12 cloves garlic, peeled, coarsely chopped (you can try roasting it too!)
4 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup grated hard cheese (I used a pecorino romano)
olive oil, coarse salt, and chili flakes for topping
Directions:
1. Sprinkle yeast over warm water, add a pinch of sugar and stir gently. Allow yeast and warm water to rest, foam and froth for 5 minutes. If yeast does not foam after 5 minutes, discard and start over with new yeast.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Once butter is melted, remove from heat and add herbs, red chili flakes, and garlic. Set aside.
3. In a standing mixer, fitted with a bread hook, add flour, salt and pepper. Pour in activated yeast mixture and butter/herb mixture. Stir on low speed until combined. Add in grated cheese and continue to mix on low for about 10-12 minutes until a ball forms.
4. Place the dough in a large greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place until it doubles in size, approximately 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly flour work surface and knead bread by hand, reshaping it into an oblong loaf.
6. In a large Dutch Oven, add approximately 2 tablespoons of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot. Place loaf inside and score the top of the loaf. Drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle generously with sea salt and pepper flakes.
7. Cover with lid and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees F, remove lid, and allow to bake for 15-20 more minutes, until golden brown on the top.
I've blogged about this bread before (because it's fool-proof and you bake it in the dutch oven, which is super cool and makes me feel like Ina Garten), but it's worth covering again. If you've got the stuff and find chowing down on something you've made with your own hands is especially fulfilling, this is for you.
This recipe is adapted from Joy the Baker's Easy Spicy Garlic Bread in a Pot, I only changed the herbs based on what I had, added cheese (it was the right thing to do), and used a ridiculous amount of garlic (another given because garlic is great).
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (between 110 and 115 degrees F)
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
pinch of sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
1 stalk spring onion, diced finely
1 Tbsp chopped sage
1 Tbsp chopped oregano
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
12 cloves garlic, peeled, coarsely chopped (you can try roasting it too!)
4 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup grated hard cheese (I used a pecorino romano)
olive oil, coarse salt, and chili flakes for topping
Directions:
1. Sprinkle yeast over warm water, add a pinch of sugar and stir gently. Allow yeast and warm water to rest, foam and froth for 5 minutes. If yeast does not foam after 5 minutes, discard and start over with new yeast.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Once butter is melted, remove from heat and add herbs, red chili flakes, and garlic. Set aside.
3. In a standing mixer, fitted with a bread hook, add flour, salt and pepper. Pour in activated yeast mixture and butter/herb mixture. Stir on low speed until combined. Add in grated cheese and continue to mix on low for about 10-12 minutes until a ball forms.
4. Place the dough in a large greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place until it doubles in size, approximately 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly flour work surface and knead bread by hand, reshaping it into an oblong loaf.
6. In a large Dutch Oven, add approximately 2 tablespoons of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot. Place loaf inside and score the top of the loaf. Drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle generously with sea salt and pepper flakes.
7. Cover with lid and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees F, remove lid, and allow to bake for 15-20 more minutes, until golden brown on the top.
the butter and herb mixture
Mix my lovelies, mix!
All done!
It's a dense bread. Soft, but dense, which is great. None of that commercially produced stuff that leaves more bread on the roof of your mouth than in your belly. It toasts up well and smells like pizza, so it's perfect for a quick and easy lunch. Serve it with a nice bowl of soup, a salad.
Or my face... toast in, then schmear it with a little mayo/goat cheese, top it with a thick slice of tomato and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
I've got a supplier of amazing heirlooms (ehem, thanks Jules!) and it's looking like I'm going to be making this bread for a while... lots of gorgeous tomatoes are coming my way!
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