The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Herb bread ideas?

davidg618's picture
davidg618

Herb bread ideas?

Except for the parsley, which I cut back big time, my herb garden is at its peak. I'm looking for something outside the box to try, I'd like to marry herbs with sourdough, but that's a wish, not a contraint. Anyone have any off-beat, and flavorful herb bread ideas to share? I have lots of fresh basil, thyme, dill, mint, rosemary, french tarragon, chives, marjoram, Greek oregano, sage, and a little new growth flat leaf parsley. If your bread calls for dried herbs, no problem, that's just an extra twenty-four hours with the dehydrator.

Thanks up front.

David G.

flournwater's picture
flournwater

I just finished my first loaf of Casatiello from P. Reinhart's Bread Baker's Apprentice.  While I was working with it I got the idea that it would make a great herb bread, adding herbs to the cheese; perhaps even something like spinach in the mix too.

Cheese and herbs run well alongside one another so this bread is a natural for experimenting with herbs in the equation.

 

Dragonbones's picture
Dragonbones

Out of the box? Hmm. Make a dough containing some olive oil, like a ciabatta or fougasse, or whatever you like. Split the batch in half. In half, add straight olive oil. In the other, add olive oil in which you have pureed your fresh herbs, preferably bright green ones like basil and so on. Then put the two doughs together and marble them, like in a boule with a centered spiral.

xaipete's picture
xaipete

You can use chives in place of onions. Why not try an onion bread recipe with chives.

--Pamela

hsmum's picture
hsmum

Awhile back there was a posting for "Blueberry Cream Cheese Braid". A search will bring it up quickly.  Floyd had suggested that a savoury variation of that formula might be very nice using a less sweet dough.  Mushrooms, cheese, sage and rosemary come to my mind for a filling.  I'm making myself hungry...might have to try it myself.

Karen

althetrainer's picture
althetrainer

is not out of the box, but the old fashion cottage cheese onion dill bread.  I use dried onion (powder) and fresh dill for the aroma and the cottage cheese really makes the crumb nice and soft.  That's our family favorite herb bread.  I even make it into sandwich loaves so my husband can use them for lunch.

davidg618's picture
davidg618

althetrainer,

Earlier, Pamela suggested chives replacing onions, and many others have suggested cheese and herbs. One of our favorite side dishes is cottage cheese and chives. I had some tonight with dinner, and was wondering could I incorporate this into a bread. Took time out to watch "So you think you can dance"--those young people are amazing--and, here is the answer to my question. If you will provide, I think I'll adapt it for fresh chives.

Thanks,

David G.

flournwater's picture
flournwater

 

In case you'd like to try another recipe:

 

In small bowl, combine 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast with 1 tsp. sugar and ¼ cup warm water.

Set aside in warm place for 10 minutes or until bubbling and visibly active.

In large bowl, sift together 2 cups AP flour, 2 Tbsp. sugar and ¼ tsp. baking soda.

Add 1 envelope of dry onion soup mix (or 3 Tbsp dried onions) to the dry ingredients and combine.

Using fingertips, prepare well in center of these dry ingredients.

Deposit the yeast mixture into the well.

Add 1 cup large curd cottage cheese, 1 lightly beaten egg and 2 tsp. dill seed.

Blend all ingredients to form smooth dough.

Place dough on well floured board

Knead ten minutes, gradually adding enough flour (approx. ¼ cup) to form a stiff and elastic dough.

(I use the dough hook on the KA mixer to do the kneading)

Lightly butter a large bowl.  Place the dough in the bowl, cover and allow rise until doubled (about 1 hour)

Punch down, shape into loaf and place in buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.

Cover and allow to rest in warm location until doubled in size (about 45 minutes)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Brush top of the loaf with one egg that has been slightly beaten with 1 Tbsp. whole milk

Bake 20 minutes (or to internal temperature of 200 - 205 degrees) until golden brown.  Brush top with butter, turn out onto cooling rack and cool for at least one hour before slicing.

xaipete's picture
xaipete

Daniel Leader has a recipe in Local Breads for a Ricotta Bread. I'm sure chives could be incorporated.

--Pamela

althetrainer's picture
althetrainer

Allrecipes.com for bread machine but I modified it to use with my sourdough starter in the oven.  I also made a few changes.  Instead of dill seeds I used fresh dill weeds.  I use sourdough so I didn't have to use any yeast but the orginal recipe called for 1-1/2 tablespoons that's way too much.  I would say maybe 2 tsp more like it.

 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cottage-Dill-Bread/Detail.aspx

celestica's picture
celestica

I made Reinhardt's potato rosemary garlic as a sourdough and it was very good.  Rather than roasted garlic I infused the olive oil with garlic by frying it chopped then discarding it when browned well. 

davidg618's picture
davidg618

I'm going to try a sourdough version of the cottage cheese dill bread with chives. My wife, Yvonne, claimed the oven today to make sandwich bread we've been enjoying for years: buttermilk white bread, prepared in the dough cycled bread machine,  twice proofed, slowly, and finished in the oven. On alternate weeks she makes a whole wheat variation. Yields three loaves, one routinely goes to a neighbor, the other two are our week's "daily" bread.

The past couple of months I've been obsessing over improving my own baking skills, so we've been eating sourdoughs, foccacias, ciabattas, and poolish initiated baguettes. All fine, but lately we've begun to miss our proven basic bread.

So, it will be next week before I try the cottage dill.

David G.

.

The herbs, waiting

xaipete's picture
xaipete

Nice garden, David. I'm envious!

--Pamela

t-man's picture
t-man

this is not a recipe with herbs IN the dough, but the herb butter is added after it is baked.... you slice the loaf, spread the herb butter on each slice, re-assemble the loaf, wrap in aluminum foil, and heat in the oven.

HERB BUTTER BREAD

6 finely chopped green onions, 12 finely chopped black olives, 2 tbls minced parsley, 1 tsp minced basil, 1/2 tsp minced thyme, 1/2 tsp minced marjoram, 1/2 tsp minced tarragon, mix all ingredients with 1 cup softened butter, spread on slices and reassemble the loaf, re-heat at 350'F for 12-20 minutes.  i sometimes use olive oil in place of the butter.