Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Italian Herb Bread

Delicious!  Makes 2 loaves.  I've seen that this is also wonderful as pizza dough.

Ingredients:
4 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
2 TBSP white sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 TBSP salt
1 TBSP dried basil
1 TBSP dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 cup grated parmesean cheese
1 cup wheat flour
4 1/2-5 cups white flour

Directions:
  1. Mix yeast, warm water, and white sugar together in a large bowl. Set aside for five minutes, or until mixture becomes foamy.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.