Herbal Bread

Name: Herbal Bread
Total time: 2100 s
Yield: 1 serving
Cuisine: Kenyan
Ingredients: 340 gms All Purpose Flour (2 3/4 cups); 10 gms Sugar (2 tspns); 1 tspn Salt; 5 gms Instant Dry Yeast (1 1/2 tspns); 45 ml Extra Virgin Oil (3 Tbspn); 250-280 ml Luke-warm Water (1 - 11/8 cup); 1/4 tspn Ground Black Pepper; 1 Tbpsn Dried Rosemary Leaves; Extra oil to grease proofing bowl and bread

Amari Baking Center @cook_9907770

Nairobi

Was looking to test out a certain bakers flour with some herbs as well. This herbal bread is especially great with a bowl of soup (I had mine with lentil soup ^_^). If you do try it please share the results

Amari Baking Center @cook_9907770

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Ingredients

30 - 35 mins

1 serving

340 gmsAll Purpose Flour (2 3/4 cups)
10 gmsSugar (2 tspns)
1tspn Salt
5 gmsInstant Dry Yeast (1 1/2 tspns)
45 mlExtra Virgin Oil (3 Tbspn)
250-280 mlLuke-warm Water (1 - 11/8 cup)
1/4tspn Ground Black Pepper
1Tbpsn Dried Rosemary Leaves
Extra oil to grease proofing bowl and bread

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Steps

30 - 35 mins

1

In a small bowl; measure the lukewarm water and add the yeast and sugar. Leave the yeast for about 5 to activate (this ensures your yeast is still use-able - it should get sludgy & bubbly)
2

In a large bowl, measure the flour & salt and combine them. Measure the 3 tablespoons of extra virgin oil and pour into the dry ingredients.
3

Add the yeast and water and start mixing the ingredients; you can use a mixer with dough hooks, however it’s more effective to use your hands. Knead the dough until it form into a ball.
4

Add the black pepper and mixed herbs and knead until the dough forms a soft ball (if sticky, that’s alright).
5

Form the dough into a ball and place it into a greased bowl for the first proof. Make sure to roll the dough around in the bowl to ensure that it’s covered with oil as well, this will prevent the dough from forming a dry crust on its surface.
6

Cover the dough with a damp kitchen cloth or cling wrap and place it in a warm place or in a make shift proofer (Use a box and place a bowl of steaming water inside, then place your bowl inside the box - the steam (humidity) assists in proofing faster
7

Wait until the dough doubles in size; this can take from 40 minutes to an hour.
8

When your dough is ready, punch it down and place it on a lightly floured working surface. Knead the dough for about ten minutes until soft and firm. Shape the dough into a round or oval shape; if you would like, you can make slits on the surface of the dough.
9

Grease a baking sheet and place the dough onto it. Using a pastry brush, lightly apply some olive oil on the surface of the dough
10

Sprinkle either dried rosemary leaves or mixed herbs to garnish the dough.
11

Proof the shaped bread for another 40 mins to 1 hour; until it's doubled in size. Pre-heat your oven ten minutes before your dough is ready to 375 degrees Fahrenheit or 190 Celsius. After completing the second proof, place the loaf onto the middle rack of your oven.
12

Bake the loaf of bread for 30 to 35 minutes until it has a brown surface on top. Remove the bread and let it cool for about 15 minutes on the pan. Transfer the loaf onto a cooling rack or a tray to cool completely.
13

You can also enjoy the loaf of bread while warm if you prefer with some soup ^_^