Olive Oil and Herbes De Provence Bread
photo by Glitterhoof
- Ready In:
- 2hrs 5mins
- Ingredients:
- 7
- Yields:
-
1 Loaf
ingredients
directions
- Stir the sugar and yeast into the water, and set aside for 10 minutes to dissolve.
- Put the olive oil and salt in a large mixing bowl, and add the yeast mixture.
- Beat in 1-1/2 cups/285 g of the flour, until smooth, along with the herbs.
- Work in the remaining cup/125 g flour, turning it onto the countertop to knead, until you have smooth, springy dough, 10 to 15 minutes. (I found 15 minutes yeilded a much better bread than 10 minutes).
- Cover with a tea towel and set in a warm place to rise to double, about 45 minutes.
- Punch the dough down and shape into a loaf. (I shaped mine into a ball by pressing the dough slightly flat, folding in the corners, pinching them together and then flipping the ball over with the pinched corners on the bottom. I then made three long slices in the top for steam to escape. This is how Laura did it on the show.).
- Let rise again 30 minutes (or not), and bake at 400ºF/200ºC for 25 minutes until done. I brush the loaf with an egg/milk wash before I bake it, but it's not necessary. The wash is 1 yolk beaten with a tablespoon or two of milk. You can also spray the loaf lightly with water, or put a pan of boiling water in the oven to give the bread a crispy crust.
- Let the bread cool a little before slicing to serve.
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Reviews
-
Best Bread Ever! I found this exact same recipe in 2007 on Martha Stewart's site and have since had it safely tucked into my stack of favorite recipes. I make it every time I entertain and it's always a hit. Nobody can believe how easy and quick it is to make, so I always end up sharing it. I can no longer find it on Martha's site, but even though Martha doesn't deem it good enough to share I sure do and I'm glad somebody else posted it so I don't have to retype it for all my friends! I'm not sure how the original poster gets it this golden since mine never darkens this much, but I don't care one bit. It's delish, and even works wonderfully without the herbs!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Glitterhoof
United Kingdom