Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Basil Bread


1 tsp sugar
1 c warm water or milk, divided
1 tbls yeast
3 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbls butter or marg
2 tbls sugar
2-3 tsp. dried basil
1 c loosely packed fresh parsely (try to avoid adding lots of stems)

  1. In bowl, mix the 1 tsp sugar into ¼ c warm milk/water. Sprinkle yeast on the liquid; stir lightly until dissolved. Let work for 5-10 minutes until bubbly.
  2. In processor bowl fitted with metal blade, put flour, salt, butter, the 2 tbls. sugar, basil and parsley. Blend together with quick on/off turns until blended. Pour in the yeast mixture; blend briefly. With machine running, pour the remaining ¾ c water or milk, little by little, until a ball forms. (All of the liquid may not be needed, but if a ball of dough does not form, add a bit more liquid.) Knead dough by allowing it to spin for about 1 minute.
  3. Knead by hand for 2-3 minutes.
  4. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat top of ball, cover. Let rise until doubled (1-2 hours)
  5. Punch dough down; knead and shape into a loaf. (or 2 small loaves)
  6. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes (30 for smaller loaves) until bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom.
  7. Cool on rack.

2 comments:

Margaret Mary said...

This loaf rose a little too much but was still a great texture. Yum!

Margaret Mary said...

I tried it today with about 3/4 c loose fresh sage leaves and 2-3 tsp. dried parsley. It was good.