Shaker Gourmet: Herb Bread

This is a favorite at our house--in fact, we're having some tonight! It's really quite easy and goes well with a number of meals.

Herb Bread
* 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
* 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
* 1 tablespoon white sugar
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil
* 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
* pinch of rosemary
* 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
* 3 cups bread flour
* egg white + tsp water for egg wash

1. Mix yeast, warm water, and white sugar together in a large bowl; set aside for five minutes for it to become foamy.

2. Stir olive oil, salt, herbs, garlic powder, rosemary, cheese, and 1.5 cups flour into the yeast mixture. Gradually mix in the next 1.5 cups of flour. Dough will be stiff.

3. Knead dough for 5 to 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic. Place in an oiled bowl, and turn to cover the surface of the dough with oil. Cover with a hot damp dish towel. Allow to rise in warm spot for one hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

4. Punch dough down to release all the air. Shape into loaf. Place loaf on a greased cookie sheet. Allow to rise until doubled in size, about a 30 minutes.

5. Beat egg white and water together, brush over loaf. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 minutes. Let cool on wire rack for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

I recently used this recipe to make a pizza crust and it works well for that too. The original recipe is here, it's slightly different and makes two loaves.

If you'd like to participate in Shaker Gourmet, email me at: shakergourmet (at) gmail.com

This recipe goes really, really well with a dipping oil mix (recipe below)...

Oil & Vinegar Bread Dip

1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup aged balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

-- In a bottle with a lid, mix the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, kosher salt, and pepper. Seal bottle, and refrigerate mixture 8 hours, or overnight. Shake well before serving. Store in the refrigerator.

You can tweak with the measurements to better suit you (some people aren't too fond of vinegar--though I love it!). I use a bit less oil, actually. It only takes a few minutes to throw together then stick in the fridge for later. And it's soooooo goooooood.