I made this Braided Herb Loaf today - an unusually chilly day for July, when my husband suggested fresh bread and homemade soup for dinner. Dinner is the noon meal at the farm, and it was already 9:00 in the morning. To be done by noon, I shortened the time I softened the whole wheat flour (which the original recipe doesn't call for) in a sponge to half an hour. Here's how I made it:
Braided Herb Loaf
In a large mixing bowl, stir together thoroughly:
1 tsp. yeast
2/3 cup warm tap water
1 cup whole wheat flour
Cover with a dish or plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes.
Next, stir in:
3/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2/3 cup warm milk
1 Tbsp. finely chopped herbs (I used fresh basil.)
Gradually stir in, until you can no longer mix the dough with a spoon:
3/4 - 1 cup bread flour
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for approximately 10 minutes, adding more bread flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking, until the dough is still soft, but not sticky. Turn into an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour. Punch dough down and divide it into 3 equal sections. Roll each ball of dough into a rope approximately 12" long and braid the three ropes together. Brush with:
1 beaten egg
Sprinkle with more of the same fresh herb as you put in the bread. Place dough on a greased cookie sheet and allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough is finished rising. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 375, and continue baking bread for 10 minutes. Cover bread with a foil tent to prevent over-browning. Lower oven temperature to 350 and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
