Country Herb Bread Recipes

ITALIAN HERB BREAD I

Steps:

• Mix yeast, warm water, and white sugar together in a large bowl. Set aside for five minutes, or until mixture becomes foamy.
• Stir olive oil, salt, herbs, garlic powder, onion powder, cheese, and 3 cups flour into the yeast mixture. Gradually mix in the next three cups of flour. Dough will be stiff.
• Knead dough for 5 to 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and rubbery. Place in an oiled bowl, and turn to cover the surface of the dough with oil. Cover with a damp linen dish towel. Allow to rise for one hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
• Punch dough down to release all the air. Shape into two loaves. Place loaves on a greased cookie sheet, or into two greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise until doubled in size, about a 30 minutes.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 minutes. Remove loaves from pan(s), and let cool on wire racks for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

BEST FRESH HERB BREAD RECIPE

Steps:

• Grease the cake tin with oil, including the sides and line the bottom with parchment paper. If you're using a Bundt pan or bread pan, line the pan with parchment paper. Add 2 tablespoons flour (from 430 g (15.2 oz)), yeast, sugar to lukewarm water. Using a spoon stir well and let the mixture stand for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile mix the remaining flour, salt and olive oil in a bowl until well combined. After 10 minutes, pour the yeast mixture to the flour - salt mixture and knead the dough very well. I normally knead my dough like this: If I'm kneading it with the hand mixer, I knead the dough for about 8 minutes at low speed and then for 5 minutes at medium high speed. With the kitchen machine, I knead the dough for 7 minutes at low speed and for 3 more minutes at medium high speed. With the hands, I knead the dough for 10 minutes. If the dough is too sticky when kneading with your hands, just oil your hands.
• In the meantime rinse and finely chop fresh parsley and chives. Peel and finely chop garlic cloves as well. Grate the cheese if you're using ungrated cheese. In a second bowl combine chopped herbs, garlic, cheese and olive oil. Mix well using a spoon and season with salt.
• Lightly flour the silicone pastry mat or cutting board. Tip the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface and carefully shape it into a long baguette form. You want to retain the air bubbles in the dough intact so that you'll have a nicely fluffy bread.
• Cut baguette (long) loaf into approximately 10 equal rolls - cut it in the middle first. This makes it easier to cut equal rolls. Roll each dough roll in the cheese mixture and arrange it in the prepared cake tin or bread pan. If you have some cheesy herb mixture remaining, just sprinkle this on top. Cover the bread pan with kitchen towel and let rise for another 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200 ° C (392 °F), with both top and bottom heat.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until nicely golden brown. If you're using a smaller bread dish, just be sure to increase the baking time. Because the smaller the baking dish, the longer the baking time. Also try to use a toothpick or a fork to check the bread for doneness

60-MINUTE HOMEMADE HERB BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375ºF.
• In a large bowl or the bowl for a standing mixer, whisk 4 cups of flour and the rest of the dry ingredients together.
• Whisk milk, olive oil, and egg together. Pour into dry mix and start to combine.
• While the dry ingredients and milk mixture combine, slowly pour in the water.
• The dough should be slightly tacky. It will clean the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. Add more flour, if needed.
• Once dough is the correct consistency, knead for about 5 minutes until the texture is smooth and elastic. You should be able to stretch the dough a bit without it breaking.
• Cover the dough and let rest in the mixing bowl or on the counter for 15 minutes.
• After the dough has rested, form it however you'd like.
• To make a braid, separate it into 3 pieces and lay them flat on a lined or greased cookie sheet. Starting at the top, bring the outside strand over the middle strand, so it becomes the new middle strand. Repeat with the opposite side. Repeat this pattern until the whole loaf is braided.
• Pinch and tuck under both of the ends.
• Cover and let rest 15 more minutes.
• Bake on a lined or greased cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes, until the top is golden brown. The internal temperature should register between 205-210 degrees F if you prefer to use a thermometer.
• Brush top of baked bread with melted butter and let cool.

RUSTIC COUNTRY BREAD WITH HONEY BUTTER

Steps:

• For the bread: Heat the milk to between 110 and 115 degrees F. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk.
• Pour the milk mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook. Add the sugar, butter and salt and stir to dissolve. Add the rye flour and mix on medium until smooth. Slowly beat in the all-purpose flour. When the dough has come together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and turn to coat the surface. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch down the dough and place on a lightly floured board. Divide it in 2, knead each piece a couple of times and form them into rounds. Put the rounds on an oiled baking sheet, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bake until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool.
• For the honey butter: While the bread is baking, put the butter, honey and just a dash of salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk it together. Scrape out into a ramekin and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator about a half hour before using.

CRUSTY GARLIC AND HERB BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Oil the inside of the bowl of a mini food processor. Add the softened butter, garlic, cheese and herbs. Pulse until well combined.
• Slice the bread into 1-inch thick slices. You will need 12 to 16 slices.
• Spread the butter mixture onto 1 side of each bread slice. Arrange slices, butter side up and bake in the oven until lightly toasted, about 5 to 8 minutes.

TRADITIONAL COTTAGE LOAF - OLD FASHIONED RUSTIC ENGLISH BREAD

Steps:

• Sift flour and salt into a bowl, stir in sugar and yeast. Make a well in the centre, stir in the tepid milk and water to make the dough. (If using fresh yeast - put the yeast in a jug with a little of the milk and water mixture, and allow it to dissolve and become frothy - mixing thoroughly, then add it to the flour.).
• Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 to 15 minutes until smooth and elastic.
• Put the dough in a large, clean, oiled bowl. Cover with oiled clingfilm and leave in a warm place until it has doubled in size.Then knead the dough for 1 minute and divide it into two-thirds and a third. Shape the pieces into rounds. Cover them and leave for 5 minutes.
• Put the smaller round on top of the larger one. Push a floured wooden spoon (or your fingers) through the centre of both rounds, to join them together. Take a very sharp knife and make cuts all around the top round and the bottom round - see my photos. Put the cottage loaf on a lightly floured baking tray, cover and leave for about 45 minutes, or until it has doubled in size. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 220C/440F/Gas 7.
• Beat the egg with a tablespoon of water and a pinch of salt. Brush the glaze over the cottage loaf and bake for about 35 to 45 minutes, until dark golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped beneath.
• Cool before slicing. Delicious served with butter, jam, cheese, cold meats or make sandwiches or toast for picnics and breakfast!

WHOLE GRAIN SOURDOUGH RUSTIC COUNTRY LOAF

Steps:

• Combine salt with flour in a mixing bowl, then add water and mix either by hand or with a dough whisk until fully incorporated into a "shaggy mass."
• Add starter and mix / squish by hand until fully incorporated. The process of incorporating the starter is a bit of primary kneading and should result in the dough smoothing out some, but don't go nuts. As soon as the starter is fully incorporated, you're done.
• Cover mixing bowl and let sit.
• First Bulk Fermentation Period
• The first (of three) bulk fermentation period is at room temperature which for me is 73 - 75 degrees F, and lasts about 10 hours.
• At about an hour in, do 5-10 minutes of hand kneading (see notes and video below) until the dough develops some strength and elasticity and becomes noticeably smoother. Cover and let sit.
• Every 1-2 hours (exact timing is not important - really!) do a short round of stretching and folding to re-develop the dough's elasticity (see notes and video below). Then re-cover and let sit.
• Second Bulk Fermentation Period
• After about 10 hours, or whenever the dough has risen to about 1.5 times its original volume, put the covered bowl of dough into a cold (~40 F) refrigerator and let sit (for me, this is overnight) for about 10 hours.
• Third Bulk Fermentation Period
• Remove dough from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature again.
• As the dough warms up, resume periodic stretch and folds. Dough should be feeling progressively more lively, developing a bit of sour aroma, and eventually starting to bubble some.
• This final bulk fermentation period is the hardest to put a time length on. Getting it right matters, and it will totally depend on how active your starter is, how warm your kitchen is, and a whole host of other mostly invisible things. You are shooting to finish this period when the dough has risen to 2 - 2.5 times its original volume and ideally is actively blowing a few bubbles. I've had this take anywhere from 4 - 8 hours depending on this and that. Your mileage may vary. Try not to overshoot this - you'll probably have a better result erring on the too soon side than the too late side.
• Shaping and Proofing
• (See notes and video below)
• Prepare a lined proofing basket by generously flouring the inside and set it aside.
• Lightly flour a large work surface and turn the dough out onto it.
• Wet your hands, punch down the dough and then stretch and flatten it into a large thin rectangle.
• Fold dough in half from top to bottom and press top into bottom, flattening again but not as big as the initial rectangle. At this point, you want the height of the dough rectangle to be right about the length of your proofing basket (no more than that).
• [Optional] Lightly flour the top of the dough (and your hands).
• Start at one end and roll the dough rectangle into a cylinder.
• Keep track of the seam and transfer the dough cylinder into the lined, floured proofing basket seam-side up.
• Cover and let sit for 1 - 1.5 hours.
• Baking
• From 30 - 60 minutes after transferring dough into proofing basket, pre-heat oven and clay baker to 450 degrees F ~ about 20 - 30 minutes.
• Uncover dough and transfer from proofing basket into base of clay baker, score top of dough, cover and bake at 450 F for 25 minutes.
• Uncover clay baker, reduce oven temperature to 400 F and bake uncovered for another 20-25 minutes (or until desired crust color develops).
• Remove bread and place on cooling rack for at least a couple hours before cutting.

HERBED GARLIC BREAD

Steps:

• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Combine all ingredients except bread in small bowl. Arrange bread on baking sheet; spread with herb mixture.
• Broil until golden, about 2 minutes.

FRESH HERB BREAD

Steps:

• Measure carefully, placing all ingredients in bread machine pan in.
• the order recommended by the manufacturer.
• Select Basic/White cycle.
• Use Medium or Light crust color.
• Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.
• *Recommend using bread machines with 9-cup or larger bread pan for.
• this recipe.

COUNTRY SAGE BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, sugar, shortening, celery seed, salt, sage, nutmeg, egg and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours. , Punch dough down. Shape into a round loaf. Place in a greased 8-in. or 9-in. pie plate. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. , Bake at 400° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and bread sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pie plate to a wire rack to cool.